| Autor: |
Richard G; Laboratoire BioGeMME (Biologie et Génétique des Mammifères Marins dans leur Environnement), Université de Bretagne Occidentale, Brest, France.; Ecole Normale Supérieure de Lyon, France., Titova OV; Kamchatka Branch of the Pacific Geographical Institute, Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky, Russia., Fedutin ID; Kamchatka Branch of the Pacific Geographical Institute, Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky, Russia.; Faculty of Biology, Moscow State University, Moscow, Russia., Steel D; Marine Mammal Institute and Department of Fisheries and Wildlife, Oregon State University, Newport, Oregon, USA., Meschersky IG; Severtsov Institute of Ecology and Evolution RAS, Moscow, Russia., Hautin M; Laboratoire BioGeMME (Biologie et Génétique des Mammifères Marins dans leur Environnement), Université de Bretagne Occidentale, Brest, France., Burdin AM; Laboratoire BioGeMME (Biologie et Génétique des Mammifères Marins dans leur Environnement), Université de Bretagne Occidentale, Brest, France.; Kamchatka Branch of the Pacific Geographical Institute, Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky, Russia., Hoyt E; Whale and Dolphin Conservation (WDC), Park House, Allington Park, Bridport, Dorset, UK., Filatova OA; Faculty of Biology, Moscow State University, Moscow, Russia., Jung JL; Laboratoire BioGeMME (Biologie et Génétique des Mammifères Marins dans leur Environnement), Université de Bretagne Occidentale, Brest, France. |
| Abstrakt: |
Mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) differences between humpback whales on different feeding grounds can reflect the cultural transmission of migration destinations over generations, and therefore represent one of the very few cases of gene-culture coevolution identified in the animal kingdom. In Russian Pacific waters, photo-identification (photo-ID) studies have shown minimal interchange between whales feeding off the Commander Islands and those feeding in the Karaginsky Gulf, regions that are separated by only 500 km and have previously been lumped together as a single Russian feeding ground. Here, we assessed whether genetic differentiation exists between these 2 groups of humpback whales. We discovered a strong mtDNA differentiation between the 2 feeding sites (FST = 0.18, ΦST = 0.14, P < 0.001). In contrast, nuclear DNA (nuDNA) polymorphisms, determined at 8 microsatellite loci, did not reveal any differentiation. Comparing our mtDNA results with those from a previous ocean-basin study reinforced the differences between the 2 feeding sites. Humpback whales from the Commanders appeared most similar to those of the western Gulf of Alaska and the Aleutian feeding grounds, whereas Karaginsky differed from all other North Pacific feeding grounds. Comparison to breeding grounds suggests mixed origins for the 2 feeding sites; there are likely connections between Karaginsky and the Philippines and to a lesser extent to Okinawa, Japan, whereas the Commanders are linked to the Mexican breeding grounds. The mtDNA differentiation between the Commander Islands and Karaginsky Gulf suggests a case of gene-culture coevolution, correlated to fidelity to a specific feeding site within a particular feeding ground. From a conservation perspective, our findings emphasize the importance of considering these 2 feeding sites as separate management units. |
