TY - JOUR
T1 - Stranding collections indicate broad-scale connectivity across the range of a pelagic marine predator, the Atlantic white-sided dolphin (Lagenorhynchus acutus)
AU - Gose, Marc-Alexander
AU - Humble, Emily
AU - Brownlow, Andrew
AU - Mikkelsen, Bjarni
AU - Loftus, Caroline
AU - Wall, Dave
AU - Rogan, Emer
AU - Doeschate, Mariel ten
AU - Davison, Nicholas
AU - Ogden, Rob
N1 - Funding Information:
We would like to thank Ruth Fernandez, who contributed significantly to communication with sample providers and acquisition of the final sample set, and Kyle Ewart for help with shipping and permitting logistics. Many thanks to Willy Dabin for providing a sample from France and to Gislí Vikings-son for providing the Icelandic samples, and also to the numerous people who collected samples in the field during the past 30 years. Samples from Irish strandings were provided by the Irish Cetacean Genetic Tissue Bank (ICGTB), housed at the National Museum of Ireland. Finally, we want to thank the anonymous reviewers for their comments and suggestions on the manuscript. For the purpose of open access, the author has applied for a CC-BY public copyright licence to any author accepted manuscript version arising from this submission. Funding was provided through a Ph.D. studentship from the Royal (Dick) School of Veterinary Studies and the Roslin Institute, University of Edinburgh.
Publisher Copyright:
© The Author(s) 2023. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of International Council for the Exploration of the Sea.
PY - 2023/5
Y1 - 2023/5
N2 - Understanding the extent of population genetic connectivity in highly mobile marine species is vital for delineating management units. However, obtaining samples for generating genetic data is challenging for species inhabiting inaccessible pelagic waters. As a result, management strategies do not always align with underlying population biology. Marine strandings provide an accessible and cost-effective sample source for research on elusive cetaceans and can be used collaboratively among stranding networks to generate ecosystem-wide population genetic assessments. Here, we used samples collected from strandings and free-ranging individuals across the North Atlantic to investigate population structure, genetic diversity and individual relatedness in the Atlantic white-sided dolphin (AWSD; Lagenorhynchus acutus), a widely distributed marine predator. Mitochondrial DNA sequences and nuclear DNA Single Nucleotide Polymorphisms (SNPs) showed a complete lack of population differentiation across the species’ range, implying an unusual pattern of strong connectivity. No differences in genetic diversity among geographic regions and weak within-group relatedness further support the existence of species-wide panmixia in AWSD. This study emphasises the value of long-term stranding collections for cetacean research and has important implications for AWSD conservation management.
AB - Understanding the extent of population genetic connectivity in highly mobile marine species is vital for delineating management units. However, obtaining samples for generating genetic data is challenging for species inhabiting inaccessible pelagic waters. As a result, management strategies do not always align with underlying population biology. Marine strandings provide an accessible and cost-effective sample source for research on elusive cetaceans and can be used collaboratively among stranding networks to generate ecosystem-wide population genetic assessments. Here, we used samples collected from strandings and free-ranging individuals across the North Atlantic to investigate population structure, genetic diversity and individual relatedness in the Atlantic white-sided dolphin (AWSD; Lagenorhynchus acutus), a widely distributed marine predator. Mitochondrial DNA sequences and nuclear DNA Single Nucleotide Polymorphisms (SNPs) showed a complete lack of population differentiation across the species’ range, implying an unusual pattern of strong connectivity. No differences in genetic diversity among geographic regions and weak within-group relatedness further support the existence of species-wide panmixia in AWSD. This study emphasises the value of long-term stranding collections for cetacean research and has important implications for AWSD conservation management.
U2 - 10.1093/icesjms/fsad050
DO - 10.1093/icesjms/fsad050
M3 - Article
SN - 1054-3139
VL - 80
SP - 1120
EP - 1128
JO - ICES Journal of Marine Science
JF - ICES Journal of Marine Science
IS - 4
ER -