New data on Weddell seal (Leptonychotes weddellii) colonies: A genetic analysis of a top predator from the Ross Sea, Antarctica

Autor: Arnold Rakaj, Roberto Palozzi, Ighor Antunes Zappes, Giuliana Allegrucci, Valerio Sbordoni, Anna Fabiani
Rok vydání: 2017
Předmět:
0106 biological sciences
0301 basic medicine
Male
Heredity
Seals
Earless
Glaciology
Population genetics
lcsh:Medicine
Marine and Aquatic Sciences
01 natural sciences
Population density
Geographical Locations
Effective population size
Y Chromosome
lcsh:Science
Animals
Antarctic Regions
DNA
Mitochondrial
Ecosystem
Female
Genetic Variation
Haplotypes
Microsatellite Repeats
Population Density
Predatory Behavior
Apex predator
Mammals
education.field_of_study
Multidisciplinary
Seals
biology
Animal Behavior
Ecology
Sea Ice
Mitochondrial
Genetic Mapping
Genetic structure
Vertebrates
Earless
Research Article
Leptonychotes weddellii
Settore BIO/05
Computer and Information Sciences
Substitution Mutation
Population
Marine Biology
Animal Sexual Behavior
010603 evolutionary biology
Computer Software
03 medical and health sciences
Genetics
education
Marine Mammals
Behavior
Evolutionary Biology
Population Biology
lcsh:R
Organisms
Biology and Life Sciences
DNA
biology.organism_classification
030104 developmental biology
Amniotes
People and Places
Mutation
Earth Sciences
Antarctica
lcsh:Q
Bay
Zoology
Population Genetics
Zdroj: PLoS ONE
PLoS ONE, Vol 12, Iss 8, p e0182922 (2017)
ISSN: 1932-6203
Popis: In this paper, we studied the genetic variability in Weddell seal from colonies in Terra Nova Bay and Wood Bay, both sites located in the Ross Sea area, Antarctica. Two mitochondrial genes and one nuclear gene, with different mutation rates, were sequenced to investigate the haplotype diversity of the colonies and to test for a possible recent expansion. Fifteen microsatellites were used to analyze their genetic structure. Sequenced genes and microsatellites were also used to estimate the effective population size of the studied colonies and the Ross Sea seal population. The Ross Sea has a high density population of Weddel seals, with an estimated effective number of 50,000 females, and 1,341 individuals for the sampling area, possibly due to its high primary production. The colonies showed high diversity (Hd > 0.90) and many exclusive haplotypes (> 75%), likely a consequence of the surprisingly high site fidelity of Weddell seals, despite the proximity of the colonies. Nevertheless, there was low microsatellite differentiation between colonies, suggesting that they are part of a single larger population. Their expansion seemed to have started during the last glacial cycle (around 58,000 years ago), indicating that the Ross Sea seal populations have been present in the area for long time, probably due to the lack of hunting by humans and terrestrial predation. As a top predator, the role of Weddell seals in the Ross Sea ecology is crucial, and its demographic dynamics should be monitored to follow the future changes of such an important ecosystem.
Databáze: OpenAIRE
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