Published August 31, 2023 | Version v1
Dataset Open

Wild pedigrees inform mutation rates and historic abundance in baleen whales

  • 1. University of Groningen
  • 2. Grønlands Naturinstitut
  • 3. National Institute of Aquatic Resources*
  • 4. Mingan Island Cetacean Study Inc*
  • 5. Center for Coastal Studies

Description

Phylogeny-based estimates suggesting a low germline mutation rate (μ) in baleen whales have influenced research ranging from assessments of whaling impacts to evolutionary cancer biology. We estimated μ directly from pedigrees in four baleen whale species for both the mitochondrial control region and nuclear genome. The results suggest values higher than those obtained through phylogeny-based estimates and similar to pedigree-based values for primates and toothed whales. Applying our estimate of μ reduces previous genetic–based estimates of pre-exploitation whale abundance by 86% and suggests that μ cannot explain low cancer rates in gigantic mammals. Our study shows that it is feasible to estimate μ directly from pedigrees in natural populations, with wide-ranging implications for ecological and evolutionary research.

Notes

Funding provided by: H2020 Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions
Crossref Funder Registry ID: http://dx.doi.org/10.13039/100010665
Award Number: 813383

Funding provided by: National Marine Fisheries Service
Crossref Funder Registry ID: http://dx.doi.org/10.13039/100013408
Award Number:

Funding provided by: Rijksuniversiteit Groningen
Crossref Funder Registry ID: http://dx.doi.org/10.13039/501100001721
Award Number:

Funding provided by: Aage V. Jensens Fonde
Crossref Funder Registry ID: http://dx.doi.org/10.13039/501100002721
Award Number:

Funding provided by: Consejo Nacional de Ciencia y Tecnología
Crossref Funder Registry ID: http://dx.doi.org/10.13039/501100003141
Award Number:

Funding provided by: WWF Verdensnaturfonden
Crossref Funder Registry ID: http://dx.doi.org/10.13039/501100013939
Award Number:

Funding provided by: International Whaling Comission Scientific Committee
Award Number:

Funding provided by: Kommissionen for Videnskabelige Undersøgelser i Grønland
Crossref Funder Registry ID: http://dx.doi.org/10.13039/501100004797
Award Number:

Funding provided by: Greenland Home Rule
Award Number:

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Additional details

Related works

Is cited by
10.1101/2022.10.06.510775 (DOI)