Statistical approaches to paternity analysis in natural populations and applications to the North Atlantic humpback whale

• Main Authors: Nielsen, R, Mattila, DK, Clapham, PJ, Palsboll, PJ
• Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
• Language: English
• Published: 2001
• Subjects: MEGAPTERA-NOVAEANGLIAE; CHAMAELIRIUM-LUTEUM; MICROSATELLITE LOCI; COMPETITIVE GROUPS; LILIACEAE; BAY; Humpback Whale; Megaptera novaeangliae; North Atlantic
• Online Access: https://hdl.handle.net/11370/b780249e-3736-44d4-b623-5839f96d40e0; https://research.rug.nl/en/publications/b780249e-3736-44d4-b623-5839f96d40e0

We present a new method for paternity analysis in natural populations that is based on genotypic data that can take the sampling fi action of putative parents into account. The method allows paternity assignment to be performed in a decision theoretic framework. Simulations at e performed to evaluate the utility and robustness of the method and to assess how many loci are necessary for reliable paternity: inference. In addition we present a method for testing hypotheses regarding relative reproductive success of different ecologically or behaviorally defined groups as well as a new method for estimating the current population size of males From genotypic data. This method is an extension of the Fractional paternity method to the case where only a proportion of all putative fathers hav e been sampled. It can also be applied to provide abundance estimates of the number of breeding males from genetic data. Throughout, the methods were applied to genotypic data collected from North Atlantic humpback whales (Megaptera novaeangliae) to test if the males that appear dominant during the mating season have a higher reproductive success than the subdominant males.