Journal of Heredity 2004:95(2):144-153
© 2004 The American Genetic Association
Genetic Consequences of a Severe Population Bottleneck in the Guadalupe Fur Seal (Arctocephalus townsendi)
From the Department of Biological Sciences, University at Albany, State University of New York, Albany, NY 12222 (Weber and Lehman) and Hubbs-SeaWorld Research Institute, San Diego, CA 92109 (Stewart). N. Lehman is currently at the Department of Chemistry, Portland State University, P.O. Box 751, Portland, OR 97207. D. S. Weber is currently at the Molecular Systematics Lab, American Museum of Natural History, Central Park West at 79th Street, New York, NY 10024. We thank J. Heyning and D. Janiger for access to archaeological bone samples from the collection at the Los Angeles County Museum of Natural History, G. Bernardi for providing DNA sequences from modern Guadalupe fur seals, A. Jacklet, R. Osuna, and D. McKeon for providing facilities for analysis of ancient DNA, and D. Decker, J. Fahy (Qiagen), J. deKoning, T. Pratt, D. Pryor, J. Schienman, C.-B. Stewart, K. A. Walker, K. L. Walker, J. VanderKelen (Qiagen), H. Weber, and P. Yochem for technical assistance and suggestions. This work was supported by grants from Sigma Xi, the University at Albany Benevolent Society, the University at Albany Graduate Student Organization, and the Hubbs-SeaWorld Research Institute.
Address correspondence to Niles Lehman, Department of Chemistry, Portland State University, P.O. Box 751, Portland, OR 97207, or e-mail: niles{at}pdx.edu.
Population bottlenecks may lead to diminished genetic variability and correlative effects on fitness. The Guadalupe fur seal was nearly exterminated by commercial sealers during the late 18th and early 19th centuries. To determine the genetic consequences of this population bottleneck, we compared the variation at a 181 bp section of the mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) control region from the bones of 26 prebottleneck fur seals versus variation in the extant population. We found 25 different mtDNA genotypes in the prebottleneck fur seals and only 7 genotypes among 32 extant fur seals, including only one of the ancient genotypes. These data demonstrate a substantial loss of genetic variability correlating with the recent population bottleneck. We also found from several genetic measures that the prehistoric population of Guadalupe fur seals was robust and that it had been increasing at some time during the late prehistoric period. Continued recovery of this species may, however, owe more to more immediate nongenetic factors, such as poaching and local availability of food resources during the breeding season and consequent effects on pup survival, than on the reduced genetic variability.
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