Abstract
Delphinid populations show highly variable patterns of genetic diversity and population structure. Previous studies indicate that habitat discontinuities and geographic isolation are major drivers of population division in cetaceans. Spinner dolphins (Stenella longirostris) are distributed in all tropical oceans, but they are particularly common around islands and atolls. This species occurs in shallow waters at daytime to rest and socialise, and feeds on offshore mesopelagic prey overnight. Here, we investigated the genetic population structure of spinner dolphins in the Southwest Indian Ocean along a west–east geographic gradient, from eastern Africa to the Mascarene archipelago. We combined analyses of 12 microsatellite loci, mtDNA control region sequences, and sighting data to assess genetic differentiation and characterise habitat preferences of these populations. Significant genetic structure among the three sampled sites (Zanzibar, Mayotte and La Réunion) was observed using both types of molecular markers. Overall, our results indicate that geographic isolation and potentially other factors, such as shallow-water habitats to rest and socialise, may be important drivers of the genetic population structure of insular spinner dolphins in this region.
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Acknowledgments
At Mayotte, samples and data from July 2004 to June 2006 were collected during a dolphin research project conducted by the Office National de la Chasse et de la Faune Sauvage (ONCFS, Game and Wildlife Service) and the Agriculture and Forestry Office (Direction de l’Agriculture et de la Forêt). From May 2007 to April 2009, data were collected during a joined programme of the University of La Rochelle, the Office National de la Chasse et de la Faune Sauvage and the Collectivité Départementale de Mayotte. DNA samples were prepared at the Molecular Core Facility at the University of La Rochelle. We would like to thank the Associate Editor and four anonymous reviewers for constructive comments on the manuscript.
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Funding was provided by the Conseil Général de Mayotte, the Ministère de l’Energie, l’Ecologie, le Développement Durable et de la Mer (MEEDDM), the University of La Rochelle and the Office National de la Chasse et de la Faune Sauvage. The samples and data collected in Zanzibar were supported by funding grants from SIDA/Sarec. In Reunion, sampling was co-funded by DEAL-Reunion, BNOI and IRD, as part of the Southwestern Indian Ocean Fisheries Project (SWIOFP).
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Viricel, A., Simon-Bouhet, B., Ceyrac, L. et al. Habitat availability and geographic isolation as potential drivers of population structure in an oceanic dolphin in the Southwest Indian Ocean. Mar Biol 163, 219 (2016). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00227-016-2999-3
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00227-016-2999-3