scholarly journals A review of methods for defining population structure in the harbour porpoise (Phocoena phocoena)

2003 ◽  
Vol 5 ◽  
pp. 41 ◽  
Author(s):  
Christina Lockyer
Keyword(s):  
Population Structure ◽  
North Atlantic ◽  
Ecological Factors ◽  
Harbour Porpoise ◽  
The North ◽  
Contaminant Loads ◽  
Management Measures ◽  
The North Sea ◽  
The North Atlantic ◽  
The Baltic

Wide-ranging methods that have been used to determine population structure, including distribution, life history, biology, ecological factors such as diet and contaminant loads, morphology and genetics, are reviewed. The importance of determining population sub-structure of harbour porpoise throughout the North Atlantic, especially in regions affected by incidental take in fisheries, is discussed in relation to management measures. Some practical proposals are made for integrating diverse information about populations, using the phylogeographic approach, for thepurpose of evaluating the need to manage putative subpopulations separately. Examples focusingon the North and Baltic seas areas are used in this discussion, with some reference to other areas. It is concluded that the existing IWC proposal for 13 populations in the North Atlantic is generally supported, but with some refinement and modification; in particular, allowing sub-divisions in the area through the North Sea to the Baltic.

Population structure of harbour porpoises in the Baltic region: evidence of separation based on geometric morphometric comparisons

2012 ◽  
Vol 92 (8) ◽  
pp. 1669-1676 ◽  
Author(s):  
Anders Galatius ◽  
Carl Christian Kinze ◽  
Jonas Teilmann
Keyword(s):  
Population Structure ◽  
Baltic Sea ◽  
North Sea ◽  
Harbour Porpoise ◽  
Baltic Region ◽  
Geometric Morphometric ◽  
The North ◽  
The North Sea ◽  
The Baltic ◽  
Separate Population

The harbour porpoise is seriously depleted and threatened with extinction in the Baltic Sea. It is usually assumed that Baltic porpoises form a separate population unit, although the evidence for this has been disputed lately. Here, a 3-D geometric morphometric approach was employed to test a number of hypotheses regarding population structure of the harbour porpoise in the Baltic region. 277 porpoise skulls from Denmark, Sweden, Finland, Germany and Poland were measured with a suite of 3-D landmarks. Statistical analyses revealed highly significant shape differences between porpoises from the North Sea, Belt Sea and the inner Baltic Sea. A comparison of the directionalities of the shape vectors between these units found differences that cannot be attributed to a general, continual shape trend going from the North Sea to the inner Baltic Sea. These vectors indicate a morphological adaptation to the specific sub-areas. Such adaptation may be the result of the topographic peculiarities of the area with variable topography and shallow waters, e.g. in the Belt Sea porpoises, there may be a greater reliance on benthic and demersal prey. The present results show that isolation by distance alone is an unlikely explanation for the differences found within the Baltic region and thus support previously reported molecular indications of a separate population within the inner Baltic Sea.

scholarly journals Historical gene flow constraints in a northeastern Atlantic fish: phylogeography of the ballan wrasse Labrus bergylta across its distribution range

2017 ◽  
Vol 4 (2) ◽  
pp. 160773 ◽  
Author(s):  
Frederico Almada ◽  
Sara M. Francisco ◽  
Cristina S. Lima ◽  
Richard FitzGerald ◽  
Luca Mirimin ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Population Structure ◽  
North Atlantic ◽  
Environmental Changes ◽  
Ecological Factors ◽  
Glacial Refugia ◽  
Distribution Range ◽  
The North ◽  
Circulation Patterns ◽  
The North Atlantic ◽  
Labrus Bergylta

The distribution and demographic patterns of marine organisms in the north Atlantic were largely shaped by climatic changes during the Pleistocene, when recurrent glacial maxima forced them to move south or to survive in northern peri-glacial refugia. These patterns were also influenced by biological and ecological factors intrinsic to each species, namely their dispersion ability. The ballan wrasse ( Labrus bergylta ), the largest labrid fish along Europe's continental margins, is a target for fisheries and aquaculture industry. The phylogeographic pattern, population structure, potential glacial refugia and recolonization routes for this species were assessed across its full distribution range, using mitochondrial and nuclear markers. The existence of a marked population structure can reflect both recolonization from three distinct glacial refugia and current and past oceanographic circulation patterns. Although isolated in present times, shared haplotypes between continental and Azores populations and historical exchange of migrants in both directions point to a common origin of L. bergylta . This situation is likely to be maintained and/or accentuated by current circulation patterns in the north Atlantic, and may lead to incipient speciation in the already distinct Azorean population. Future monitoring of this species is crucial to evaluate how this species is coping with current environmental changes.

scholarly journals Harbour porpoises (Phocoena phocoena) in the North Atlantic: Distribution and genetic population structure

2003 ◽  
Vol 5 ◽  
pp. 11 ◽  
Author(s):  
Liselotte Wesley Andersen
Keyword(s):  
Population Structure ◽  
Genetic Structure ◽  
North Atlantic ◽  
Nuclear Dna ◽  
Harbour Porpoise ◽  
Genetic Population ◽  
The North ◽  
Comprehensive Picture ◽  
Mitochondria Dna ◽  
The North Atlantic

The known geographical distribution (based on ship surveys, aerial surveys, incidental sightings, stranding and bycatch data) and the population genetic structure obtained from mitochondria DNA and nuclear DNA (isozymes and microsatellites) data analyses of the harbour porpoise in the North Atlantic have recently been reviewed and revised by the International Whaling Commission. The present review builds on these documents by integrating more recent genetic and distributional studies. Studies of the genetic structure of harbour porpoise populations tend to be concentrated in areas where samples are available which coincide with areas where incidental or directed catches or stranding take place. Nevertheless, recently, several genetic studies on the population structure have been able to reveal a more comprehensive picture of the harbour porpoise population structure in the Northwest and Northeast Atlantic, although not all areas have been subjected to analyses.

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