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Genetic diversity and structure of blue whales (Balaenoptera musculus) in Australian feeding aggregations

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Abstract

The worldwide distribution of blue whales (Balaenoptera musculus) has not prevented this species from becoming endangered due to twentieth century whaling. In Australia there are two known feeding aggregations of blue whales, which most likely are the pygmy subspecies (B. m. brevicauda). It is unknown whether individuals from these feeding aggregations belong to one breeding stock, or multiple breeding stocks that either share or occupy separate feeding grounds. This was investigated using ten microsatellite loci and mitochondrial DNA control region sequences (N = 110). Both sets of markers revealed no significant genetic structure, suggesting that these whales are likely to belong to the same breeding stock.

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Acknowledgments

This study was funded by the Australian Marine Mammal Centre, Australian Antarctic Division. Sampling was conducted during a study program funded by the Australian Defence Department and the Australian Department of Environment, Water, Heritage and the Arts under animal ethics approval from the Department of Conservation and Land Management Animal Ethics Committee (#CAEC/14/2002), Deakin University Animal Welfare Committee (#A19/2006), and/or Macquarie University Animal Research Authority (#2008/017). Permits were supplied by the Department of Environment, Water, Heritage and the Arts (EPBC permits #E2008-0001, #E2003-48230, #E2002-00029) and Department of Sustainability and Environment in Victoria (#10004017).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Biological Sciences, Macquarie University, Sydney, NSW, 2109, Australia

    Catherine R. M. Attard & Luciano B. Beheregaray

  2. School of Biological Sciences, Flinders University, Adelaide, SA, 5001, Australia

    Luciano B. Beheregaray & Luciana Möller

  3. Centre for Whale Research, P.O. Box 1622, Fremantle, WA, 6959, Australia

    Curt Jenner & Micheline Jenner

  4. Blue Whale Study, c/- Post Office, Narrawong, VIC, 3285, Australia

    Peter Gill & Margaret Morrice

  5. School of Life and Environmental Sciences, Deakin University, PO Box 423, Warrnambool, VIC, 3280, Australia

    Peter Gill & Margaret Morrice

  6. The Western Australian Museum, Locked Bag 49, Welshpool, DC, WA, 6986, Australia

    John Bannister

  7. Southwest Fisheries Science Center, 8604 La Jolla Shores Drive, La Jolla, CA, 92037-1508, USA

    Rick LeDuc

  8. Graduate School of the Environment, Macquarie University, Sydney, NSW, 2109, Australia

    Luciana Möller

Authors
  1. Catherine R. M. Attard
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  2. Luciano B. Beheregaray
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  3. Curt Jenner
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  4. Peter Gill
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  5. Micheline Jenner
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  7. John Bannister
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  8. Rick LeDuc
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  9. Luciana Möller
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Correspondence to Luciana Möller.

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Attard, C.R.M., Beheregaray, L.B., Jenner, C. et al. Genetic diversity and structure of blue whales (Balaenoptera musculus) in Australian feeding aggregations. Conserv Genet 11, 2437–2441 (2010). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10592-010-0121-9

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10592-010-0121-9

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