Influence of past climate change on phylogeography and demographic history of narwhals, Monodon monoceros.

ABSTRACT: The Arctic is warming at an unprecedented rate, with unknown consequences for endemic fauna. However, Earth has experienced severe climatic oscillations in the past, and understanding how species responded to them might provide insight into their resilience to near-future climatic predictions. Little is known about the responses of Arctic marine mammals to past climatic shifts, but narwhals (Monodon monoceros) are considered one of the endemic Arctic species most vulnerable to environmental change. Here, we analyse 121 complete mitochondrial genomes from narwhals sampled across their range and use them in combination with species distribution models to elucidate the influence of past and ongoing climatic shifts on their population structure and demographic history. We find low level

SUBMITTER: Louis M 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC7211449 | biostudies-literature | 2020 Apr

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature