The genomic footprint of whaling and isolation in fin whale populations

Nigenda-Morales, Sergio F.; Lin, Meixi; Nuñez-Valencia, Paulina G.; Kyriazis, Christopher C.; Beichman, Annabel C.; Robinson, Jacqueline A.; Ragsdale, Aaron P.; Urbán R., Jorge; Archer, Frederick I.; Viloria-Gómora, Lorena; Pérez-Álvarez, María José; Poulin, Elie; Lohmueller, Kirk E.; Moreno-Estrada, Andrés; Wayne, Robert K.

doi:10.1038/s41467-023-40052-z

i

The genomic footprint of whaling and isolation in fin whale populations

2023
By Nigenda-Morales, Sergio F. ; Lin, Meixi ; Nuñez-Valencia, Paulina G. ; ...

Details

Journal Title:

Nature Communications
Personal Author:

Nigenda-Morales, Sergio F. ; Lin, Meixi ; Nuñez-Valencia, Paulina G. ; Kyriazis, Christopher C. ; Beichman, Annabel C. ; Robinson, Jacqueline A. ; Ragsdale, Aaron P. ; Urbán R., Jorge ; Archer, Frederick I. ; Viloria-Gómora, Lorena ; Pérez-Álvarez, María José ; Poulin, Elie ; Lohmueller, Kirk E. ; Moreno-Estrada, Andrés ; Wayne, Robert K.
NOAA Program & Office:

NMFS (National Marine Fisheries Service) ; SWFSC (Southwest Fisheries Science Center)
Description:

Twentieth century industrial whaling pushed several species to the brink of extinction, with fin whales being the most impacted. However, a small, resident population in the Gulf of California was not targeted by whaling. Here, we analyzed 50 whole-genomes from the Eastern North Pacific (ENP) and Gulf of California (GOC) fin whale populations to investigate their demographic history and the genomic effects of natural and human-induced bottlenecks. We show that the two populations diverged ~16,000 years ago, after which the ENP population expanded and then suffered a 99% reduction in effective size during the whaling period. In contrast, the GOC population remained small and isolated, receiving less than one migrant per generation. However, this low level of migration has been crucial for maintaining its viability. Our study exposes the severity of whaling, emphasizes the importance of migration, and demonstrates the use of genome-based analyses and simulations to inform conservation strategies.
Keywords:

General Biochemistry, Genetics And Molecular Biology General Chemistry General Physics And Astronomy Multidisciplinary General Biochemistry, Genetics And Molecular Biology General Physics And Astronomy General Biochemistry, Genetics And Molecular Biology General Physics And Astronomy
Source:

Nature Communications, 14(1)
DOI:

https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-023-40052-z
ISSN:

2041-1723
Publisher:

Springer Science and Business Media LLC
Document Type:

Journal Article
License:

https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
Rights Information:

CC BY
Compliance:

Library
Main Document Checksum:

urn:sha256:9326267f7aaffc7fd74da0efff0ec5f0bd2d941ead4894910f70ea1b6f902f22
Download URL:

https://repository.library.noaa.gov/view/noaa/58552/noaa_58552_DS1.pdf
File Type:

[PDF - 2.51 MB ]

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