Abstract
Abstract We examined sequence variation in the control region of the mitochondrial genome from 778 seals sampled at 161 locations from northern Japan to southeastern Alaska to learn more about the evolutionary history and population structure of, and effects of recent declines on genetic diversity in, harbor seals (Phoca vitulina) in the northern Pacific Ocean. High haplotypic diversity (H = 0.975) and a poorly resolved mitochondrial genome (mtDNA) phylogeny suggest that harbor seals in the Pacific underwent a rapid expansion in population size in their recent evolutionary past, possibly after the retreat of Pleistocene ice sheets. Weak phylogeographic partitioning of lineages attests to a complex evolutionary and demographic history of contemporary Pacific populations. Extensive macrogeographic subdivision was evident among a subset of grouped localities that represent centers of abundance along the distributional continuum. Heterogeneity was influenced by population size and correlated with geographic d...
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