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Female philopatry in coastal basins and male dispersion across the North Atlantic in a highly mobile marine species, the sperm whale ( Physeter macrocephalus )
Author(s) -
ENGELHAUPT DANIEL,
RUS HOELZEL A.,
NICHOLSON COLIN,
FRANTZIS ALEXANDROS,
MESNICK SARAH,
GERO SHANE,
WHITEHEAD HAL,
RENDELL LUKE,
MILLER PATRICK,
DE STEFANIS RENAUD,
CAÑADAS ANA,
AIROLDI SABINA,
MIGNUCCIGIANI ANTONIO A.
Publication year - 2009
Publication title -
molecular ecology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 2.619
H-Index - 225
eISSN - 1365-294X
pISSN - 0962-1083
DOI - 10.1111/j.1365-294x.2009.04355.x
Subject(s) - biology , sperm whale , mtdna control region , mediterranean sea , population , mediterranean climate , mediterranean basin , mitochondrial dna , cetacea , genetic diversity , ecology , zoology , haplotype , genetics , biochemistry , demography , myoglobin , sociology , gene , genotype
The mechanisms that determine population structure in highly mobile marine species are poorly understood, but useful towards understanding the evolution of diversity, and essential for effective conservation and management. In this study, we compare putative sperm whale populations located in the Gulf of Mexico, western North Atlantic, Mediterranean Sea and North Sea using mtDNA control region sequence data and 16 polymorphic microsatellite loci. The Gulf of Mexico, western North Atlantic and North Sea populations each possessed similar low levels of haplotype and nucleotide diversity at the mtDNA locus, while the Mediterranean Sea population showed no detectable mtDNA diversity. Mitochondrial DNA results showed significant differentiation between all populations, while microsatellites showed significant differentiation only for comparisons with the Mediterranean Sea, and at a much lower level than seen for mtDNA. Samples from either side of the North Atlantic in coastal waters showed no differentiation for mtDNA, while North Atlantic samples from just outside the Gulf of Mexico (the western North Atlantic sample) were highly differentiated from samples within the Gulf at this locus. Our analyses indicate a previously unknown fidelity of females to coastal basins either side of the North Atlantic, and suggest the movement of males among these populations for breeding.