Reduced Representation and Whole-Genome Sequencing Approaches Highlight Beluga Whale Populations Associated to Eastern Canada Summer Aggregations.

ABSTRACT: Effective conservation strategies inherently depend on preserving populations, which in turn requires accurate tools for their detection. Beluga whales (Delphinapterus leucas) inhabit the circumpolar Arctic and form discrete summer aggregations. Previous genetic studies using mitochondrial and microsatellite loci have delineated distinct populations associated to summer aggregations but the extent of dispersal and interbreeding among these populations remains largely unknown. Such information is essential for the conservation of populations in Canada as some are endangered and harvested for subsistence by Inuit communities. Here, we used reduced representation and whole-genome sequencing approaches to characterize population structure of beluga whales in eastern Canada and examine a

SUBMITTER: Montana L 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC11655672 | biostudies-literature | 2024 Dec

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature