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Article scientifique
Accès libre
Anglais

Mixing of porpoise ecotypes in southwestern UK waters revealed by genetic profiling

Publié dansRoyal Society open science, vol. 4, no. 3, 160992
Date de publication2017
Résumé

Contact zones between ecotypes are windows for understanding how species may react to climate changes. Here, we analysed the fine-scale genetic and morphological variation in harbour porpoises (Phocoena phocoena) around the UK by genotyping 591 stranded animals at nine microsatellite loci. The data were integrated with a prior study to map at high resolution the contact zone between two previously identified ecotypes meeting in the northern Bay of Biscay. Clustering and spatial analyses revealed that UK porpoises are derived from two genetic pools with porpoises from the southwestern UK being genetically differentiated, and having larger body sizes compared to those of other UK areas. Southwestern UK porpoises showed admixed ancestry between southern and northern ecotypes with a contact zone extending from the northern Bay of Biscay to the Celtic Sea and Channel. Around the UK, ancestry blends from one genetic group to the other along a southwest–northeast axis, correlating with body size variation, consistent with previously reported morphological differences between the two ecotypes. We also detected isolation by distance among juveniles but not in adults, suggesting that stranded juveniles display reduced 2 intergenerational dispersal. The fine-scale structure of this admixture zone raises the question of how it will respond to future climate change and provides a reference point for further study.

Mots-clés
  • Ecotype specialization
  • Molecular ecology
  • Continuous population
  • Dispersal
  • Climate change
  • Admixture
Citation (format ISO)
FONTAINE, Michaël C. et al. Mixing of porpoise ecotypes in southwestern UK waters revealed by genetic profiling. In: Royal Society open science, 2017, vol. 4, n° 3, p. 160992. doi: 10.1098/rsos.160992
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Article (Published version)
accessLevelPublic
Identifiants
ISSN du journal2054-5703
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Création02.03.2017 09:31:00
Première validation02.03.2017 09:31:00
Heure de mise à jour15.03.2023 01:25:49
Changement de statut15.03.2023 01:25:48
Dernière indexation16.01.2024 23:24:56
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