Climate change introduces threatened killer whale populations and conservation challenges to the Arctic.

Autor: Garroway CJ; Department of Biological Sciences, University of Manitoba, Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada., de Greef E; Department of Biological Sciences, University of Manitoba, Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada., Lefort KJ; Department of Biological Sciences, University of Manitoba, Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada.; Fisheries and Oceans Canada, Freshwater Institute, Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada., Thorstensen MJ; Department of Biological Sciences, University of Manitoba, Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada., Foote AD; Centre for Ecological and Evolutionary Synthesis (CEES), University of Oslo, Oslo, Norway., Matthews CJD; Department of Biological Sciences, University of Manitoba, Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada.; Fisheries and Oceans Canada, Freshwater Institute, Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada., Higdon JW; Higdon Wildlife Consulting, Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada., Kucheravy CE; Department of Biological Sciences, University of Manitoba, Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada.; Fisheries and Oceans Canada, Freshwater Institute, Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada., Petersen SD; Department of Biological Sciences, University of Manitoba, Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada.; Conservation and Research Department, Assiniboine Park Zoo, Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada., Rosing-Asvid A; Greenland Institute of Natural Resources, Nuuk, Greenland., Ugarte F; Greenland Institute of Natural Resources, Nuuk, Greenland., Dietz R; Department of Ecoscience, Aarhus University, Roskilde, Denmark., Ferguson SH; Department of Biological Sciences, University of Manitoba, Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada.; Fisheries and Oceans Canada, Freshwater Institute, Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada.
Jazyk: angličtina
Zdroj: Global change biology [Glob Chang Biol] 2024 Jun; Vol. 30 (6), pp. e17352.
DOI: 10.1111/gcb.17352
Abstrakt: The Arctic is the fastest-warming region on the planet, and the lengthening ice-free season is opening Arctic waters to sub-Arctic species such as the killer whale (Orcinus orca). As apex predators, killer whales can cause significant ecosystem-scale changes. Setting conservation priorities for killer whales and their Arctic prey species requires knowledge of their evolutionary history and demographic trajectory. Using whole-genome resequencing of 24 killer whales sampled in the northwest Atlantic, we first explored the population structure and demographic history of Arctic killer whales. To better understand the broader geographic relationship of these Arctic killer whales to other populations, we compared them to a globally sampled dataset. Finally, we assessed threats to Arctic killer whales due to anthropogenic harvest by reviewing the peer-reviewed and gray literature. We found that there are two highly genetically distinct, non-interbreeding populations of killer whales using the eastern Canadian Arctic. These populations appear to be as genetically different from each other as are ecotypes described elsewhere in the killer whale range; however, our data cannot speak to ecological differences between these populations. One population is newly identified as globally genetically distinct, and the second is genetically similar to individuals sampled from Greenland. The effective sizes of both populations recently declined, and both appear vulnerable to inbreeding and reduced adaptive potential. Our survey of human-caused mortalities suggests that harvest poses an ongoing threat to both populations. The dynamic Arctic environment complicates conservation and management efforts, with killer whales adding top-down pressure on Arctic food webs crucial to northern communities' social and economic well-being. While killer whales represent a conservation priority, they also complicate decisions surrounding wildlife conservation and resource management in the Arctic amid the effects of climate change.
(© 2024 The Author(s). Global Change Biology published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.)
Databáze: MEDLINE
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