The antique genetic plight of the Mediterranean monk seal (Monachus monachus).

ABSTRACT: Disentangling the impact of Late Quaternary climate change from human activities can have crucial implications on the conservation of endangered species. We investigated the population genetics and demography of the Mediterranean monk seal (Monachus monachus), one of the world's most endangered marine mammals, through an unprecedented dataset encompassing historical (extinct) and extant populations from the eastern North Atlantic to the entire Mediterranean Basin. We show that Cabo Blanco (Western Sahara/Mauritania), Madeira, Western Mediterranean (historical range) and Eastern Mediterranean regions segregate into four populations. This structure is probably the consequence of recent drift, combined with long-term isolation by distance (R² = 0.7), resulting from pr

SUBMITTER: Salmona J 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC9428542 | biostudies-literature | 2022 Aug

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature