Dear Colleagues,
We are pleased to announce our publication in Marine Mammal Science, available
as open access: https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1111/mms.13046
Filatova OA, Fedutin ID, Borisova EA, Meschersky IG, Hoyt E 2023. Genetic and
cultural evidence suggests a refugium for killer whales off Japan during the
Last Glacial Maximum. Marine Mammal Science, 11pp DOI: 10.1111/mms.13046
Abstract
During glacial periods, highly mobile species were able to shift their ranges
to warmer regions that remained ice-free—so-called “glacial refugia.” Glacial
refugia often preserved higher levels of genetic diversity than areas that were
colonized after the retreat of glaciers. In this study, we examined genetic and
vocal variation in R-type (“resident”) killer whales, Orcinus orca, from Nemuro
Strait in the western North Pacific to test the hypothesis that environmentally
stable marine regions may have preserved refugial populations of the killer
whale that retained historical genetic and cultural diversity. We found three
distinct mtDNA control region haplotypes and stereotyped calls that differed
significantly from the repertoire of a population further north off Kamchatka
and the adjacent western North Pacific. Therefore, both genetic and cultural
evidence suggest that at least some killer whales from Nemuro Strait represent
a separate maternal lineage. The control region haplotype diversity for Nemuro
Strait is comparable to that for the rest of the North Pacific. The data
presented here are consistent with the existence of the southwestern glacial
refugium for killer whales in the waters off northern Japan during the Last
Glacial Maximum.
Thank you and best regards,
Erich Hoyt
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
Research Fellow, WDC, Whale and Dolphin Conservation
Co-chair, IUCN Marine Mammal Protected Areas Task Force
Park House, Allington Park
Bridport, Dorset DT6 5DD
United Kingdom
Email: erich.h...@mac.com
Web: erichhoyt.com
marinemammalhabitat.org
whales.org
erichhoytbooks.com
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
_______________________________________________
MARMAM mailing list
MARMAM@lists.uvic.ca
https://lists.uvic.ca/mailman/listinfo/marmam
