Genetic characterisation and social structure of the East Scotland population of bottlenose dolphins (Tursiops truncatus)
The Eastern Scottish population of bottlenose dolphins (Tursiops truncatus) is the northernmost population of this species. The resident core of this population consists of 120 to 150 different individuals. This small size and its geographical isolation from other populations raises questions about...
Main Author: | |
---|---|
Other Authors: | , , , , |
Format: | Doctoral or Postdoctoral Thesis |
Language: | English |
Published: |
University of St Andrews
2010
|
Subjects: | |
Online Access: | http://hdl.handle.net/10023/1002 |
id |
ftstandrewserep:oai:research-repository.st-andrews.ac.uk:10023/1002 |
---|---|
record_format |
openpolar |
spelling |
ftstandrewserep:oai:research-repository.st-andrews.ac.uk:10023/1002 2023-07-02T03:33:09+02:00 Genetic characterisation and social structure of the East Scotland population of bottlenose dolphins (Tursiops truncatus) Islas, Valentina Janik, Vincent Graves, Jeff Consejo Nacional de Ciencia y Tecnología (CONACyT) (Mexico) MarBEF Royal Society (Great Britain) viii, 154 p. 2010-09-20T14:40:33Z application/pdf http://hdl.handle.net/10023/1002 en eng University of St Andrews The University of St Andrews Sea Mammal Research Unit, School of Biology uk.bl.ethos.552439 http://hdl.handle.net/10023/1002 Population structure Bottlenose dolphins Male alliances Association patterns QL737.C432I8 Bottlenose dolphin--Scotland East East--Genetics East--Behavior Cetacea populations--Scotland Thesis Doctoral PhD Doctor of Philosophy 2010 ftstandrewserep 2023-06-13T18:27:14Z The Eastern Scottish population of bottlenose dolphins (Tursiops truncatus) is the northernmost population of this species. The resident core of this population consists of 120 to 150 different individuals. This small size and its geographical isolation from other populations raises questions about its viability and whether the population has behavioural patterns that differ from those common to other populations of the same species. Microsatellite genetic diversity was low and mitochondrial DNA genetic diversity values were lowest in East Scotland compared to other populations worldwide and to neighbouring populations around UK waters. It has been well documented, from four different field sites worldwide, that male bottlenose dolphins form alliances with preferred male associates. These alliances can last for several years and the males involved show association coefficients similar to those of mothers and calves (0.8-1.0). These alliances appear to be of great importance in obtaining matings for the males. In the Eastern Scottish population males do not form alliances. No evidence of strong associations between individuals of either sex was found and there was no correlation between association and relatedness patterns. I suggest that the isolation and small size of the population together with reduced genetic diversity affects the pressure of kin selection for altruistic behaviours. There is no gain in competing or associating with close relatives for access to mates and it might be more important to avoid inbreeding by dispersing. Although evidence of gene flow between East Scotland and its neighbouring populations was not confirmed with Bayesian clustering analysis, a small set of individuals from Wales were found to be closely related to individuals from the East Coast of Scotland. In general the dynamics found in UK water populations resemble those of the Western North Atlantic with sympatric populations of coastal as well as pelagic individuals. Doctoral or Postdoctoral Thesis North Atlantic University of St Andrews: Digital Research Repository |
institution |
Open Polar |
collection |
University of St Andrews: Digital Research Repository |
op_collection_id |
ftstandrewserep |
language |
English |
topic |
Population structure Bottlenose dolphins Male alliances Association patterns QL737.C432I8 Bottlenose dolphin--Scotland East East--Genetics East--Behavior Cetacea populations--Scotland |
spellingShingle |
Population structure Bottlenose dolphins Male alliances Association patterns QL737.C432I8 Bottlenose dolphin--Scotland East East--Genetics East--Behavior Cetacea populations--Scotland Islas, Valentina Genetic characterisation and social structure of the East Scotland population of bottlenose dolphins (Tursiops truncatus) |
topic_facet |
Population structure Bottlenose dolphins Male alliances Association patterns QL737.C432I8 Bottlenose dolphin--Scotland East East--Genetics East--Behavior Cetacea populations--Scotland |
description |
The Eastern Scottish population of bottlenose dolphins (Tursiops truncatus) is the northernmost population of this species. The resident core of this population consists of 120 to 150 different individuals. This small size and its geographical isolation from other populations raises questions about its viability and whether the population has behavioural patterns that differ from those common to other populations of the same species. Microsatellite genetic diversity was low and mitochondrial DNA genetic diversity values were lowest in East Scotland compared to other populations worldwide and to neighbouring populations around UK waters. It has been well documented, from four different field sites worldwide, that male bottlenose dolphins form alliances with preferred male associates. These alliances can last for several years and the males involved show association coefficients similar to those of mothers and calves (0.8-1.0). These alliances appear to be of great importance in obtaining matings for the males. In the Eastern Scottish population males do not form alliances. No evidence of strong associations between individuals of either sex was found and there was no correlation between association and relatedness patterns. I suggest that the isolation and small size of the population together with reduced genetic diversity affects the pressure of kin selection for altruistic behaviours. There is no gain in competing or associating with close relatives for access to mates and it might be more important to avoid inbreeding by dispersing. Although evidence of gene flow between East Scotland and its neighbouring populations was not confirmed with Bayesian clustering analysis, a small set of individuals from Wales were found to be closely related to individuals from the East Coast of Scotland. In general the dynamics found in UK water populations resemble those of the Western North Atlantic with sympatric populations of coastal as well as pelagic individuals. |
author2 |
Janik, Vincent Graves, Jeff Consejo Nacional de Ciencia y Tecnología (CONACyT) (Mexico) MarBEF Royal Society (Great Britain) |
format |
Doctoral or Postdoctoral Thesis |
author |
Islas, Valentina |
author_facet |
Islas, Valentina |
author_sort |
Islas, Valentina |
title |
Genetic characterisation and social structure of the East Scotland population of bottlenose dolphins (Tursiops truncatus) |
title_short |
Genetic characterisation and social structure of the East Scotland population of bottlenose dolphins (Tursiops truncatus) |
title_full |
Genetic characterisation and social structure of the East Scotland population of bottlenose dolphins (Tursiops truncatus) |
title_fullStr |
Genetic characterisation and social structure of the East Scotland population of bottlenose dolphins (Tursiops truncatus) |
title_full_unstemmed |
Genetic characterisation and social structure of the East Scotland population of bottlenose dolphins (Tursiops truncatus) |
title_sort |
genetic characterisation and social structure of the east scotland population of bottlenose dolphins (tursiops truncatus) |
publisher |
University of St Andrews |
publishDate |
2010 |
url |
http://hdl.handle.net/10023/1002 |
op_coverage |
viii, 154 p. |
genre |
North Atlantic |
genre_facet |
North Atlantic |
op_relation |
uk.bl.ethos.552439 http://hdl.handle.net/10023/1002 |
_version_ |
1770272983829446656 |