@article{Shafer_Davis_Coltman_Stewart_2014, title={Microsatellite assessment of walrus (<i>Odobenus rosmarus rosmarus</i>) stocks in Canada}, volume={9}, url={https://septentrio.uit.no/index.php/NAMMCOSP/article/view/2607}, DOI={10.7557/3.2607}, abstractNote={&lt;p class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot; style=&quot;text-align: justify; mso-outline-level: 1;&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-size: 10.0pt;&quot; lang=&quot;EN-US&quot;&gt;Walruses in Canada are currently subdivided into seven stocks based on summering areas; Western Jones Sound (WJS), Baffin Bay (BB), Penny Strait-Lancaster Sound (PS-LS), North Foxe Basin (N-FB), Central Foxe Basin (C-FB), Hudson Bay Davis Strait (HB-DS) and Southern and Eastern Hudson Bay (SE-HB). In this study, walrus were sampled from six of the seven stocks (SE-HB samples were not available) and genotyped at 10 microsatellite loci. All stocks were genetically diverse (average heterozygosity of 0.58) with no evidence of inbreeding (average &lt;em&gt;F&lt;/em&gt;&lt;sub&gt;IS&lt;/sub&gt; of 0.03). We detected significant genetic differentiation among the stocks and a pattern of genetic spatial autocorrelation that suggests a moderate effect of geographic distance on gene flow among stocks. Bayesian clustering suggested the six recognized stocks were elements of two larger genetic clusters - a northern Arctic population (containing BB, WJS, and PS-LS stocks) and a &lt;/span&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-size: 10.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-CA; mso-fareast-language: EN-CA;&quot; lang=&quot;EN-CA&quot;&gt;central &lt;/span&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-size: 10.0pt;&quot; lang=&quot;EN-US&quot;&gt;Arctic population (containing C-FB, N-FB, and HB-DS stocks). These populations are moderately differentiated (&lt;em&gt;F&lt;/em&gt;&lt;sub&gt;ST &lt;/sub&gt;= 0.07), but based on evidence of contemporary movement from assignment tests, are not completely isolated. There was support for maintaining the WJS stock and a combined BB+PS-LS stock, although the latter conclusion is based on a small sample size. Similarly, there was some evidence suggesting separation of the Foxe Basin stocks from the HB-DS but not the N-FB from the C-FB stock. However, given that there are morphological and chemical differences between N-FB and C-FB stocks, there is currently insufficient &lt;/span&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-size: 10.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-CA;&quot; lang=&quot;EN-CA&quot;&gt;evidence&lt;/span&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-size: 10.0pt;&quot; lang=&quot;EN-CA&quot;&gt; &lt;/span&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-size: 10.0pt;&quot; lang=&quot;EN-US&quot;&gt;to support a revision of the current stock designations.&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;}, journal={NAMMCO Scientific Publications}, author={Shafer, Aaron BA and Davis, Corey S and Coltman, David W and Stewart, Robert EA}, year={2014}, month={Dec.}, pages={15–31} }