Abstract:
Distinct populations may respond differently to range‐wide exploitation,resulting in evolutionary impacts and reduced genetic diversity that can limit recovery and resilience of remnant populations. Sequencing the full mitogenomes and 37 novel microsatellites for 127 specimens of northern bottlenose whales(Hyperoodon ampullatus), we reconstructed the trajectories of two distinct populations that were heavily exploited by commercial whaling. We found that for a small population at their range edge, the impacts of whaling were more severe than for the larger more connected population, and combined with having the lowest range‐wide genetic variability of any cetacean, we suggest northern bottlenose whales may face genetic limitations to the recovery of their populations.

Bio(s):
Laura Joan Feyrer is the Chief Scientist for the Northern Bottlenose project and a PhD candidate, working with Dr. Hal Whitehead at Dalhousie University. Most of her field work has been conducted from a 40′ sailboat 200 miles offshore of Nova Scotia in the Sable Gully, and around the Grand Banks of Newfoundland. Her research focuses on the population ecology and management of endangered northern bottlenose whales in the Northwest Atlantic. Dr. Anthony Einfeldt is a researcher working on conservation genomics and population genetics in marine systems,particularly in the North Atlantic. He uses genetic tools to address ecological and evolutionary questions, such as how humans shape species’ distributions,how dispersal abilities and the environment interact to connect populations,and how sex chromosomes evolve. These questions involve work on a diverse array of systems, including mudflat invertebrates, marine and anadromous fishes, and beaked whales.