Molecular Genetic Studies of Population Structure and Movement Patterns in a Migratory Species: The Beluga Whale in the Western Nearctic
January 01, 2002
Review of mtDNA findings on the population structure and evolutionary history of beluga whales in the western Nearctic.
Advances in the fields of molecular biology, evolutionary biology, and population genetics over the past few decades have enabled us to examine variations within species at the molecular level. We can interpret the nature of this variation in terms of the evolution and ecology of species and the behavior of individuals within species. By describing patterns of polymorphism at genetic loci, coupled with an understanding of how these loci vary and are passed from one generation to the next, it is possible to:
- reconstruct the evolutionary histories of taxa
- learn about patterns of dispersal and gene flow which can be of particular relevance to defining units of species management
- assign paternity and determine kinship and thus gain insights into breeding behavior and social organization
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Greg M. O'Corry-Crowe, Andrew E. Dizon, R. S. Suydam, and Lloyd F. Lowry. Published in Molecular and Cell Biology of Marine Mammals, chapter 6 (2002).