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What factors shape genetic diversity in cetaceans?

Understanding what factors drive patterns of genetic diversity is a central aspect of many biological questions, ranging from the inference of historical demography to assessing the evolutionary potential of a species. However, as a larger number of datasets have become available, it is becoming cle...

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Detalles Bibliográficos
Autores principales: Vachon, Felicia, Whitehead, Hal, Frasier, Timothy R.
Formato: Online Artículo Texto
Lenguaje:English
Publicado: John Wiley and Sons Inc. 2018
Materias:
Acceso en línea:https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5792597/
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/29435232
http://dx.doi.org/10.1002/ece3.3727
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author Vachon, Felicia
Whitehead, Hal
Frasier, Timothy R.
author_facet Vachon, Felicia
Whitehead, Hal
Frasier, Timothy R.
author_sort Vachon, Felicia
collection PubMed
description Understanding what factors drive patterns of genetic diversity is a central aspect of many biological questions, ranging from the inference of historical demography to assessing the evolutionary potential of a species. However, as a larger number of datasets have become available, it is becoming clear that the relationship between the characteristics of a species and its genetic diversity is more complex than previously assumed. This may be particularly true for cetaceans, due to their relatively long lifespans, long generation times, complex social structures, and extensive ranges. In this study, we used microsatellite and mitochondrial DNA data from a systematic literature review to produce estimates of diversity for both markers across 42 cetacean species. Factors relating to demography, distribution, classification, biology, and behavior were then tested using phylogenetic methods and linear models to assess their relative influence on the genetic diversity of both marker types. The results show that while relative nuclear diversity is correlated with population size, mitochondrial diversity is not. This is particularly relevant given the widespread use of mitochondrial DNA to infer historical demography. Instead, mitochondrial diversity was mostly influenced by the range and social structure of the species. In addition to population size, habitat type (neritic vs. oceanic) had a significant correlation with relative nuclear diversity. Combined, these results show that many often‐unconsidered factors are likely influencing patterns of genetic diversity in cetaceans, with implications regarding how to interpret, and what can be inferred from, existing patterns of diversity.
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spelling pubmed-57925972018-02-12 What factors shape genetic diversity in cetaceans? Vachon, Felicia Whitehead, Hal Frasier, Timothy R. Ecol Evol Original Research Understanding what factors drive patterns of genetic diversity is a central aspect of many biological questions, ranging from the inference of historical demography to assessing the evolutionary potential of a species. However, as a larger number of datasets have become available, it is becoming clear that the relationship between the characteristics of a species and its genetic diversity is more complex than previously assumed. This may be particularly true for cetaceans, due to their relatively long lifespans, long generation times, complex social structures, and extensive ranges. In this study, we used microsatellite and mitochondrial DNA data from a systematic literature review to produce estimates of diversity for both markers across 42 cetacean species. Factors relating to demography, distribution, classification, biology, and behavior were then tested using phylogenetic methods and linear models to assess their relative influence on the genetic diversity of both marker types. The results show that while relative nuclear diversity is correlated with population size, mitochondrial diversity is not. This is particularly relevant given the widespread use of mitochondrial DNA to infer historical demography. Instead, mitochondrial diversity was mostly influenced by the range and social structure of the species. In addition to population size, habitat type (neritic vs. oceanic) had a significant correlation with relative nuclear diversity. Combined, these results show that many often‐unconsidered factors are likely influencing patterns of genetic diversity in cetaceans, with implications regarding how to interpret, and what can be inferred from, existing patterns of diversity. John Wiley and Sons Inc. 2018-01-03 /pmc/articles/PMC5792597/ /pubmed/29435232 http://dx.doi.org/10.1002/ece3.3727 Text en © 2018 The Authors. Ecology and Evolution published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd. This is an open access article under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/) License, which permits use, distribution and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.
spellingShingle Original Research
Vachon, Felicia
Whitehead, Hal
Frasier, Timothy R.
What factors shape genetic diversity in cetaceans?
title What factors shape genetic diversity in cetaceans?
title_full What factors shape genetic diversity in cetaceans?
title_fullStr What factors shape genetic diversity in cetaceans?
title_full_unstemmed What factors shape genetic diversity in cetaceans?
title_short What factors shape genetic diversity in cetaceans?
title_sort what factors shape genetic diversity in cetaceans?
topic Original Research
url https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5792597/
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/29435232
http://dx.doi.org/10.1002/ece3.3727
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