Authors
Sarah L Mesnick, Barbara L Taylor, Frederick I Archer, Karen K Martien, Sergio Escorza Treviño, BRITTANY L HANCOCK‐HANSER, Sandra Carolina Moreno Medina, Victoria L Pease, Kelly M Robertson, Janice M Straley, Robin W Baird, John Calambokidis, Gregory S Schorr, Paul Wade, Vladimir Burkanov, Chris R Lunsford, Luke Rendell, Phillip A Morin
Publication date
2011/3
Journal
Molecular Ecology Resources
Volume
11
Pages
278-298
Publisher
Blackwell Publishing Ltd
Description
We use mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) (400 bp), six microsatellites and 36 single‐nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs), 20 of which were linked, to investigate population structure of sperm whales (Physeter macrocephalus) in the eastern and central North Pacific. SNP markers, reproducible across technologies and laboratories, are ideal for long‐term studies of globally distributed species such as sperm whales, a species of conservation concern because of both historical and contemporary impacts. We estimate genetic differentiation among three strata in the temperate to tropical waters where females are found: California Current, Hawai`i and the eastern tropical Pacific. We then consider how males on sub‐Arctic foraging grounds assign to these strata. The California Current stratum was differentiated from both the other strata (P < 0.05) for mtDNA, microsatellites and SNPs, suggesting that the region supports a …
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Scholar articles
SL Mesnick, BL Taylor, FI Archer, KK Martien… - Molecular Ecology Resources, 2011