Dear All,
Happy New Year!
On behalf of my co-authors, I am pleased to announce our newest publication. It
is available as Early View in the Journal of Evolutionary Biology (Special
Issue): https://doi.org/10.1111/jeb.13575 <https://doi.org/10.1111/jeb.13575>
Costa, A.P.B.; Fruet, P.F.; Secchi, E.R.; Daura-Jorge, F.G.; Simões-Lopes,
P.C.; Di Tullio, J.C.; Rosel, P.E. Ecological divergence and speciation in
common bottlenose dolphins in the western South Atlantic. Journal of
Evolutionary Biology (Special Issue):
Coastal and offshore ecotypes of common bottlenose dolphins have been
recognized in the western South Atlantic, and it is possible that trophic niche
divergence associated with social interactions is leading them to genetic and
phenotypic differentiation. The significant morphological differentiation
observed between these ecotypes suggests they represent two different
subspecies. However, there is still a need to investigate whether there is
congruence between morphological and genetic data to rule out the possibility
of ecophenotypic variation accompanied by gene flow. Mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA)
control region sequence data and 10 microsatellite loci collected from stranded
and biopsied dolphins sampled in coastal and offshore waters of Brazil as well
as 106 skulls for morphological analyses were used to determine whether the
morphological differentiation was supported by genetic differentiation. There
was congruence among the data sets, reinforcing the presence of two distinct
ecotypes. The divergence may be relatively recent, however, given the moderate
values of mtDNA nucleotide divergence (dA = 0.008), presence of one shared
mtDNA haplotype and possibly low levels of gene flow (around 1% of migrants per
generation). Results suggest the ecotypes may be in the process of speciation
and reinforce they are best described as two different subspecies until the
degree of nuclear genetic divergence is thoroughly evaluated: Tursiops
truncatus gephyreus (coastal ecotype) and T. t. truncatus (offshore ecotype).
The endemic distribution of T. t. gephyreus in the western South Atlantic and
number of anthropogenic threats in the area reinforces the importance of
protecting this ecotype and its habitat.
You can also contact me directly for a PDF copy (anapbcco...@gmail.com
<mailto:anapbcco...@gmail.com>)
Cheers,
Ana
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