Population Genetics in the Conservation of Cetaceans and Primates

Abstract

Understanding the factors driving spatial and temporal variation in genetic diversity in cetaceans and primates is crucial in directing conservation and management decisions for these taxa. Spatial variation in genetic diversity can be driven by geographic barriers to dispersal, such as rivers for primates or land masses for cetaceans. Spatial variation in diversity can also be driven by population size differences across habitat patches that vary in resource abundance, with smaller populations typically exhibiting lower genetic diversity than larger populations. However, cetaceans and primates often exhibit complex genetic structure that cannot be explained by simple geographic barriers or variation in habitat abundance. In many cases this complex structure is attributed to behavioral philopatry or social structure. Many cetaceans and primates exhibit philopatry to natal ranges or philopatry to particular habitat types, and many species also exhibit complex social structure features that can influence genetic structure, such as strong group stability and sex-biased dispersal. Finally, genetic diversity can vary temporally; genetic coalescent analyses indicate that diversity has declined in the recent past for several cetacean and primate species, often with evidence for population bottlenecks during times of historical anthropogenic impact, such as habitat fragmentation or whaling. The complexity of factors influencing genetic structure over space and time for cetacean and primate species illustrates that multidisciplinary studies are required to truly understand genetic structure for these species. These studies are becoming increasingly important as cetaceans and primates face severe anthropogenic threats around the world.