Harbor porpoise losing its edge: Genetic time series suggests a rapid population decline in Iberian waters over the last 30 years

Ben Chehida, Yacine; Stelwagen, Tjibbe; Hoekendijk, Jeroen P. A.; Ferreira, Marisa; Eira, Catarina; Torres‐Pereira, Andreia; Nicolau, Lidia; Thumloup, Julie; Fontaine, Michael C.
Ecology and Evolution (2023)

Impact of climate change is expected to be especially noticeable at the edges of a species' distribution, where they meet suboptimal habitat conditions. In Mauritania and Iberia, two genetically differentiated…


Blood transcriptome analysis provides responsive changes in gene expression between ex situ and captive Yangtze finless porpoises (Neophocaena asiaeorientalis asiaeorientalis)

Cao, Z.; Yin, D.; Li, Z.; Yan, Y.; Zhang, P.; Zhang, S.; Lin, D.; Hua, Z.; Zhang, J.; Ying, C.; Zhang, H.; Xu, P.; Dong, G.; Liu, K.
Fishes (2023)

The Yangtze finless porpoise (Neophocaena asiaeorientalis asiaeorientalis, YFP) is an endangered species endemic to the Yangtze River in China, and it is the only freshwater whale in the genus Neophocaena.…


Genome-wide analysis of the harbour porpoise (Phocoena phocoena) indicates isolation-by-distance across the North Atlantic and potential local adaptation in adjacent waters

Autenrieth, Marijke; Havenstein, Katja; De Cahsan, Binia; Canitz, Julia; Benke, Harald; Roos, Anna; Pampoulie, Christophe; Sigurðsson, Guðjón Már; Siebert, Ursula; Olsen, Morten Tange; Biard, Vincent; Heide-Jørgensen, Mads Peter; Öztürk, Ayaka Amaha; Öztürk, Bayram; Lawson, John W.; Tiedemann, Ralph
Conservation Genetics (2023)

The harbour porpoise (Phocoena phocoena), a highly mobile cetacean species of the Northern Hemisphere, inhabits basins that vary broadly in salinity, temperature, and food availability; such variation can drive divergent…


Microsatellite genetic diversity evaluation and development prediction of the Yangtze finless porpoise population in the Poyang Lake

Wang, Ren-Yong; Chen, Min-Min; Wan, Xiao-Ling; Tang, Bin; Hao, Yu-Jiang; Mei, Zhi-Gang; Fan, Fei; Wang, Ke-Xiong; Wang, Ding; Zheng, Jin-Song
Acta Hydrobiologica Sinica (2023)

The Yangtze finless porpoise (Neophocaena asiaeorientalis asiaeorientalis; YFP) is now critically endangered, calling for prompt and effective actions to strengthen research and conservation. The Poyang Lake is the most critical…


Evolutionary history and seascape genomics of harbour porpoises (Phocoena phocoena) across environmental gradients in the North Atlantic and adjacent waters

Celemín, Enrique; Autenrieth, Marijke; Roos, Anna; Pawliczka, Iwona; Quintela, María; Lindstrøm, Ulf; Benke, Harald; Siebert, Ursula; Lockyer, Christina; Berggren, Per; Özturk, A. Amaha; Özturk, Bayram; Lesage, Véronique; Tiedemann, Ralph
Molecular Ecology Resources (2023)

The Harbour porpoise (Phocoena phocoena) is a highly mobile cetacean species primarily occurring in coastal and shelf waters across the Northern hemisphere. It inhabits heterogeneous seascapes broadly varying in salinity…


Diving on damage – The muscle transcriptome of parasitic infested harbor porpoises (Phocoena phocoena) hints at oxidative stress but not hypoxia

Dönmez, Eda Merve; Siebert, Ursula; Fabrizius, Andrej
Frontiers in Marine Science (2023)

The only native cetacean in German waters, the harbor porpoise (Phocoena phocoena), is impacted by numerous pathological lesions in the respiratory tract mainly caused by parasites or bacteria. Although harbor…


After the bite: Bacterial transmission from grey seals (Halichoerus grypus) to harbour porpoises (Phocoena phocoena)

Gilbert, Maarten J.; IJsseldijk, Lonneke L.; Rubio-García, Ana; Gröne, Andrea; Duim, Birgitta; Rossen, John; Zomer, Aldert L.; Wagenaar, Jaap A.
Royal Society Open Science (2020)

Recent population growth of the harbour porpoise (Phocoena phocoena), grey seal (Halichoerus grypus) and common seal (Phoca vitulina) in the North Sea has increased potential interaction between these species. Grey…


Assessment of beach-cast cetaceans in Pakistan: Implications for conservation and management

Gore, M. A.; Culloch, R. M.; Gray, H. W. I.; Hoelzel, R.; Lockyer, C.; Kiani, M. S.; Waqas, U.; Hussain, B.; Rahim, A.; Shah, A.; Ormond, R. F. G.
Journal of Cetacean Research and Management (2017)

Until recently, little was known about the distribution and species occurrence of marine cetaceans in Pakistani waters, an area which needed to be addressed exigently given its inclusion in the…


Genetic footprint of population fragmentation and contemporary collapse in a freshwater cetacean

Chen, Minmin; Fontaine, Michael C.; Ben Chehida, Yacine; Zheng, Jinsong; Labbé, Frédéric; Mei, Zhigang; Hao, Yujiang; Wang, Kexiong; Wu, Min; Zhao, Qingzhong; Wang, Ding
Scientific Reports (2017)

Understanding demographic trends and patterns of gene flow in an endangered species is crucial for devising conservation strategies. Here, we examined the extent of population structure and recent evolution of…


Genetic homogeneity in the face of morphological heterogeneity in the harbor porpoise from the Black Sea and adjacent waters (Phocoena phocoena relicta)

Ben Chehida, Yacine; Thumloup, Julie; Vishnyakova, Karina; Gol’din, Pavel; Fontaine, Michael C.
Heredity (2019)

Absence of genetic differentiation is usually taken as an evidence of panmixia, but can also reflect other situations, including even nearly complete demographic independence among large-sized populations. Deciphering which situation…