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…


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…


Raising your voice: Evolution of narrow-band high-frequency signals in toothed whales (Odontoceti)

Galatius, Anders; Olsen, Morten Tange; Steeman, Mette Elstrup; Racicot, Rachel A.; Bradshaw, Catherine D; Kyhn, Line A.; Miller, Lee A.
Biological Journal of the Linnean Society (2018)

Cetaceans use sound for communication, navigation and finding prey. Most extant odontocetes produce broadband (BB) biosonar clicks covering frequency ranges from tens of kilohertz to 150–170 kHz. In contrast, the…


Organization and characteristics of the major histocompatibility complex class II region in the Yangtze finless porpoise (Neophocaena asiaeorientalis asiaeorientalis)

Ruan, Rui; Ruan, Jue; Wan, Xiao-Ling; Zheng, Yang; Chen, Min-Min; Zheng, Jin-Song; Wang, Ding
Scientific Reports (2016)

Little is known about the major histocompatibility complex (MHC) in the genome of Yangtze finless porpoise (Neophocaena asiaeorientalis asiaeorientalis) (YFP) or other cetaceans. In this study, a high quality YFP…


Postglacial climate changes and rise of three ecotypes of harbour porpoises, Phocoena phocoena, in western Palearctic waters

Fontaine, Michaël C.; Roland, Kathleen; Calves, Isabelle; Austerlitz, Frederic; Palstra, Friso P.; Tolley, Krystal A.; Ryan, Sean; Ferreira, Marisa; Jauniaux, Thierry; Llavona, Angela; Öztürk, Bayram; Öztürk, Ayaka A.; Ridoux, Vincent; Rogan, Emer; Sequeira, Marina; Siebert, Ursula; Vikingsson, Gísli A.; Borrell, Asunción; Michaux, Johan R.; Aguilar, Alex
Molecular Ecology (2014)

Despite no obvious barriers to gene flow in the marine realm, environmental variation and ecological specializations can lead to genetic differentiation in highly mobile predators. Here, we investigated the genetic…


Comparative morphology of porpoise (Cetacea: Phocoenidae) pterygoid sinuses: Phylogenetic and functional implications

Racicot, Rachel A.; Berta, Annalisa
Journal of Morphology (2012)

High-resolution X-ray computed tomographic scans were used to examine pterygoid sinus morphology within extant porpoise species and one delphinid (Tursiops truncatus), in order to consider: 1) intraspecific and interspecific variation…


Ultrastructure of enamel and dentine in extant dolphins (Cetacea: Delphinoidea and Inioidea)

Loch, Carolina; Duncan, Warwick; Simões-Lopes, Paulo C.; Kieser, Jules A.; Fordyce, R. Ewan
Zoomorphology (2012)

Longitudinal and cross sections of teeth from 17 species of the Recent dolphins (Delphinoidea and Inioidea) were examined under scanning electron microscope to study the arrangement and ultrastructure of dental…


Interspecific variation of ontogeny and skull shape among porpoises (Phocoenidae)

Galatius, Anders; Berta, Annalisa; Frandsen, Marie Schou; Goodall, R. Natalie P.
Journal of Morphology (2010)

All extant members of Phocoenidae (porpoises) have been characterized as pedomorphic based on skeletal characters. To investigate the ontogenetic background for pedomorphosis and assess interspecific differences in ontogeny among phocoenids,…


Predation by killer whales (Orcinus orca) and the evolution of whistle loss and narrow-band high frequency clicks in odontocetes

Morisaka, T.; Connor, R. C.
Journal of Evolutionary Biology (2007)

A disparate selection of toothed whales (Odontoceti) share striking features of their acoustic repertoires including the absence of whistles and high frequency but weak (low peak-to-peak source level) clicks that…


Genetic drift vs. natural selection in a long-term small isolated population: major histocompatibility complex class II variation in the Gulf of California endemic porpoise (Phocoena sinus)

MUNGUIA-VEGA, ADRIAN; ESQUER-GARRIGOS, YARELI; ROJAS-BRACHO, LORENZO; VAZQUEZ-JUAREZ, RICARDO; CASTRO-PRIETO, AINES; FLORES-RAMIREZ, SERGIO
Molecular Ecology (2007)

Although many studies confirm long-term small isolated populations (e.g. island endemics) commonly sustain low neutral genetic variation as a result of genetic drift, it is less clear how selection on…