Abstract
Understanding the stock structure of Antarctic blue whales has been elusive. We developed a population genomic dataset of 26,935 filtered SNPs from IWC IDCR/SOWER Antarctic samples to refine knowledge of population structure in this subspecies. Population structure analyses indicated no evidence of genetic partitioning in the sample. We will perform additional SNP analyses to confirm the current results of only one Antarctic blue whale population, including comparisons with other analytical methods and previous results based on smaller genetic datasets. Our genomic based findings contribute towards the IWC-SORP Antarctic Blue Whale Project (ABWP), and may aid interpretation of abundance estimates in Antarctic blue whales.
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Title of host publication | IWC-SORP Research Fund |
| Subtitle of host publication | progress reports (2016-2018) |
| Editors | Elanor M. Bell |
| Place of Publication | IWC 67 Proceedings, SC/67B/SH/18. International Whaling Commission Scientific Committee SC/67b |
| Publisher | International Whaling Commission |
| Pages | 20-25 |
| Number of pages | 6 |
| Publication status | Published - 2018 |
Keywords
- Antarctic
- Antarctic blue whales (Balaenoptera musculus intermedia)
- Genomic dataset
- Subspecies
- Population structure
- Genomic data