Genetic Analysis of Stranded and By-Caught Harp Seals (Pagophilus groenlandicus) in the Northwest Atlantic
Abstract
We are currently witnessing significant climate changes in high latitude ecosystems
including
many areas of the Arctic. Many high latitude species, like harp seals (Pagophilus
groenlandicus), will be
affected and their populations forced to adapt to changing habitats. The overall fitness
and genetic
diversity of the population will affect how quickly a population can adapt. This study
used microsatellite
markers to determine and compare heterozygosity and fitness between stranded and by-caught
harp
seals along the east coast of the United States. Our study found there is no significant
difference in
fitness (d²) between these two groups and that the overall fitness of the population
is high. We found
that for most markers, stranded seals had a higher mean d² and that only one marker
showed significant
differences between the two groups. Both groups had equal heterozygosities, supporting
the idea that
the seals come from the same population. These results demonstrate that the increasing
strandings and
entanglements are due to other factors than fitness or genetic diversity. Climate
change is playing a
large in role in the survival and adaptation of these species. When compared to ice
cover data, there is a
correlation between years with light ice cover and high strandings. Future studies
should investigate this
correlation to see if climate is the driving force behind increases in sightings of
harp seals within the
United States. Harp seals are a useful indicator species for the changing Arctic climate
system and it will
be important for managers to understand what they can do to conserve the species and
resources of the
Arctic ecosystem.
Type
Master's projectPermalink
https://hdl.handle.net/10161/3641Citation
Kiester, Brianne (2011). Genetic Analysis of Stranded and By-Caught Harp Seals (Pagophilus groenlandicus) in
the Northwest Atlantic. Master's project, Duke University. Retrieved from https://hdl.handle.net/10161/3641.Collections
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