Journal article
Fin whale (Balaenoptera physalus) mitogenomics: A cautionary tale of defining sub-species from mitochondrial sequence monophyly
University of Groningen1
National Institute of Aquatic Resources, Technical University of Denmark2
Greenland Institute of Natural Resources3
Society for Study of Cetaceans in the Canary Archipelago4
National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration5
Institute of Marine Research6
Marine Research Institute Reykjavik7
Tethys Research Institute8
University of the Azores9
Mingan Island Cetacean Study10
Universidad Autonoma de Baja California11
University of Barcelona12
Virginia Aquarium and Marine Science Center Foundation13
Galway - Mayo Institute of Technology14
Museum of National History15
Universidade do Estado do Rio de Janeiro16
Conservation, Information and Research on Cetaceans17
Center for Coastal Studies18
Section for Ecosystem based Marine Management, National Institute of Aquatic Resources, Technical University of Denmark19
...and 9 moreThe advent of massive parallel sequencing technologies has resulted in an increase of studies based upon complete mitochondrial genome DNA sequences that revisit the taxonomic status within and among species. Spatially distinct monophyly in such mitogenomic genealogies, i.e., the sharing of a recent common ancestor among con-specific samples collected in the same region has been viewed as evidence for subspecies.
Several recent studies in cetaceans have employed this criterion to suggest subsequent intraspecific taxonomic revisions. We reason that employing intra-specific, spatially distinct monophyly at non-recombining, clonally inherited genomes is an unsatisfactory criterion for defining subspecies based upon theoretical (genetic drift) and practical (sampling effort) arguments.
This point was illustrated by a re-analysis of a global mitogenomic assessment of fin whales, Balaenoptera physalus spp., published by Archer et al. (2013), which proposed to further subdivide the Northern Hemisphere fin whale subspecies, B. p. physalus. The proposed revision was based upon the detection of spatially distinct monophyly among North Atlantic and North Pacific fin whales in a genealogy based upon complete mitochondrial genome DNA sequences.
The extended analysis conducted in this study (1,676 mitochondrial control region, 162 complete mitochondrial genome DNA sequences and 20 microsatellite loci genotyped in 358 samples) revealed that the apparent monophyly among North Atlantic fin whales reported by Archer et al. (2013) to be due to low sample sizes.
In conclusion, defining sub-species from monophyly (i.e., the absence of para- or polyphyly) can lead to erroneous conclusions due to relatively "trivial" aspects, such as sampling. Basic population genetic processes (i.e., genetic drift and migration) also affect the time to the most recent common ancestor and hence the probability that individuals in a sample are monophyletic.
Language: | English |
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Year: | 2019 |
Pages: | 86-97 |
ISSN: | 10959513 and 10557903 |
Types: | Journal article |
DOI: | 10.1016/j.ympev.2019.02.003 |
ORCIDs: | 0000-0002-4198-7599 , 0000-0002-3654-7345 , 0000-0001-5385-1114 , 0000-0002-6382-722X and Larsen, Finn |