Assessing resilience of beaked whale populations to human impacts: Population structure and genetic diversity in impacted and semi-pristine areas
Abstract
Populations of beaked whales are subject to natural and anthropogenic impacts. This study will quantify the extent to which repetitive anthropogenic impacts may have long-term , population-level effects such as reduction in genetic variability and/or changes in population and social structure of affected populations. We take a comparative approach to evaluate the potential for population-level effects of naval activities on paired "disturbed" and "semi-pristine" populations of beaked whales in three different regions: Canary Islands, Bahamas and the Mediterranean. Life history traits, social structure, social cohesion and genetic diversity play an important role in the persistence and resilience of cetacean populations. The matched-site comparative approach, in the context of a global genetic study of the species under examination, provides a powerful approach to test hypotheses on the relationship between anthropogenic impacts, social structure and genetic diversity.Tasks are: population monitoring of beaked whales in a pristine habitat; genetic sample colletion and DNA extraction in the Canary Islands; assessing genetic diversity, connectivity and social structure through high-resolution genomic data linked with long-term photo-id data for el Hierro; and global study of population structure and genetic diversity in Blainville s and Cuvier s beaked whales.
Document Details
- Document Type
- DoD Grant Award
- Publication Date
- Nov 23, 2016
- Source ID
- N000141613017
Entities
People
- Natacha Aguilar de Soto
Organizations
- Office of Naval Research
- United States Navy
- University of La Laguna