Title

Patterns of Population Structure for Inshore Bottlenose Dolphins along the Eastern United States

Authors

Vincent P. Richards, Cornell University
Thomas W. Greig, Florida Atlantic University
Patricia A. Fair, Florida Atlantic University
Stephen D. McCullouch, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
Christine Politz, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
Ada Natoli, University of Durham - United Kingdom
Carlos A. Driscoll, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
A. Rus Hoelzel, Durham University - Durham, United Kingdom
Victor David, National Cancer Institute
Gregory D. Bossart, Georgia Aquarium
Jose V. Lopez, Nova Southeastern UniversityFollow

Document Type

Article

Publication Date

10-15-2013

Publication Title

Journal of Heredity

Keywords

Indian River Lagoon, Microsatellite, mtDNA, Tursiops truncatus

ISSN

0022-1503

Volume

104

Issue/No.

6

First Page

765

Last Page

778

Abstract

Globally distributed, the bottlenose dolphin (Tursiops truncatus) is found in a range of offshore and coastal habitats. Using 15 microsatellite loci and mtDNA control region sequences, we investigated patterns of genetic differentiation among putative populations along the eastern US shoreline (the Indian River Lagoon, Florida, and Charleston Harbor, South Carolina) (microsatellite analyses: n = 125, mtDNA analyses: n= 132). We further utilized the mtDNA to compare these populations with those from the Northwest Atlantic, Gulf of Mexico, and Caribbean. Results showed strong differentiation among inshore, alongshore, and offshore habitats (Ф_ST = 0.744). In addition, Bayesian clustering analyses revealed the presence of 2 genetic clusters (populations) within the 250 km Indian River Lagoon. Habitat heterogeneity is likely an important force diversifying bottlenose dolphin populations through its influence on social behavior and foraging strategy. We propose that the spatial pattern of genetic variation within the lagoon reflects both its steep longitudinal transition of climate and also its historical discontinuity and recent connection as part of Intracoastal Waterway development. These findings have important management implications as they emphasize the role of habitat and the consequence of its modification in shaping bottlenose dolphin population structure and highlight the possibility of multiple management units existing in discrete inshore habitats along the entire eastern US shoreline.

Comments

©The American Genetic Association. 2013. All rights reserved.

NSUWorks Citation

Richards, Vincent P.; Thomas W. Greig; Patricia A. Fair; Stephen D. McCullouch; Christine Politz; Ada Natoli; Carlos A. Driscoll; A. Rus Hoelzel; Victor David; Gregory D. Bossart; and Jose V. Lopez. 2013. "Patterns of Population Structure for Inshore Bottlenose Dolphins along the Eastern United States." Journal of Heredity 104, (6): 765-778. doi:10.1093/jhered/est070.

ORCID ID

0000-0002-1637-4125

ResearcherID

F-8809-2011

DOI

10.1093/jhered/est070