TY - JOUR
T1 - Combined Genetic and Telemetry Data Reveal High Rates of Gene Flow, Migration, and Long-Distance Dispersal Potential in Arctic Ringed Seals (Pusa hispida)
AU - Martinez-Bakker, Micaela E.
AU - Sell, Stephanie K.
AU - Swanson, Bradley J.
AU - Kelly, Brendan P.
AU - Tallmon, David A.
N1 - Funding Information:
We thank collaborators Peter Boveng (National Marine Mammal Laboratory, NOAA) and Lois Harwood (Canada Dept. Fisheries and Oceans) for assistance with data collection and review of this manuscript. Thanks to John Moran, NOAA, for assistance with capturing seals and tagging seals. We thank Josh London, National Marine Mammal Laboratory, for downloading, editing, and managing all behavioral data obtained through the Argos satellite system. We also thank our collaborator Mervi Kunnasranta (Finnish Game and Fisheries Research Institute) for providing us with samples and Tom Smith (EMC Ecomarine Corp.) and Melanie Duchin for helping locate seals with the use of their highly trained canine companions. Additional thanks to collaborators: Michael Cameron and Charles Johnson and others that assisted with this work: J. Alikamik, R. Memogana, R. Ettagiak, B. Akootchook, J. Bengtson, A. Eavitt, R. Flinn, J. Jones, I. & N. Olemaun, C. Patkotak, E. Rexford, R. Schaeffer, R. Snyder, A. Whiting, C. Dick, M. Antolin, the Alaska Nanuuq Commission, the National Geographic Society, and the EEID Evolution Workshop. Computational support for this research was provided by: UAF Life Science Informatics, a core research resource is supported by Grant Number RR016466 from the National Center for Research Resources (NCRR), a component of the National Institutes of Health (NIH).
PY - 2013/10/10
Y1 - 2013/10/10
N2 - Ringed seals (Pusa hispida) are broadly distributed in seasonally ice covered seas, and their survival and reproductive success is intricately linked to sea ice and snow. Climatic warming is diminishing Arctic snow and sea ice and threatens to endanger ringed seals in the foreseeable future. We investigated the population structure and connectedness within and among three subspecies: Arctic (P. hispida hispida), Baltic (P. hispida botnica), and Lake Saimaa (P. hispida saimensis) ringed seals to assess their capacity to respond to rapid environmental changes. We consider (a) the geographical scale of migration, (b) use of sea ice, and (c) the amount of gene flow between subspecies. Seasonal movements and use of sea ice were determined for 27 seals tracked via satellite telemetry. Additionally, population genetic analyses were conducted using 354 seals representative of each subspecies and 11 breeding sites. Genetic analyses included sequences from two mitochondrial regions and genotypes of 9 microsatellite loci. We found that ringed seals disperse on a pan-Arctic scale and both males and females may migrate long distances during the summer months when sea ice extent is minimal. Gene flow among Arctic breeding sites and between the Arctic and the Baltic Sea subspecies was high; these two subspecies are interconnected as are breeding sites within the Arctic subspecies.
AB - Ringed seals (Pusa hispida) are broadly distributed in seasonally ice covered seas, and their survival and reproductive success is intricately linked to sea ice and snow. Climatic warming is diminishing Arctic snow and sea ice and threatens to endanger ringed seals in the foreseeable future. We investigated the population structure and connectedness within and among three subspecies: Arctic (P. hispida hispida), Baltic (P. hispida botnica), and Lake Saimaa (P. hispida saimensis) ringed seals to assess their capacity to respond to rapid environmental changes. We consider (a) the geographical scale of migration, (b) use of sea ice, and (c) the amount of gene flow between subspecies. Seasonal movements and use of sea ice were determined for 27 seals tracked via satellite telemetry. Additionally, population genetic analyses were conducted using 354 seals representative of each subspecies and 11 breeding sites. Genetic analyses included sequences from two mitochondrial regions and genotypes of 9 microsatellite loci. We found that ringed seals disperse on a pan-Arctic scale and both males and females may migrate long distances during the summer months when sea ice extent is minimal. Gene flow among Arctic breeding sites and between the Arctic and the Baltic Sea subspecies was high; these two subspecies are interconnected as are breeding sites within the Arctic subspecies.
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=84885400221&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1371/journal.pone.0077125
DO - 10.1371/journal.pone.0077125
M3 - Article
C2 - 24130843
SN - 1932-6203
VL - 8
JO - PLoS ONE
JF - PLoS ONE
IS - 10
M1 - e77125
ER -