TY - JOUR AU - Shafer, Aaron BA AU - Davis, Corey S AU - Coltman, David W AU - Stewart, Robert EA PY - 2014/12/15 Y2 - 2024/03/28 TI - Microsatellite assessment of walrus (Odobenus rosmarus rosmarus) stocks in Canada JF - NAMMCO Scientific Publications JA - NAMMCOSP VL - 9 IS - 0 SE - Articles DO - 10.7557/3.2607 UR - https://septentrio.uit.no/index.php/NAMMCOSP/article/view/2607 SP - 15-31 AB - <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; mso-outline-level: 1;"><span style="font-size: 10.0pt;" lang="EN-US">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 <em>F</em><sub>IS</sub> 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 </span><span style="font-size: 10.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-CA; mso-fareast-language: EN-CA;" lang="EN-CA">central </span><span style="font-size: 10.0pt;" lang="EN-US">Arctic population (containing C-FB, N-FB, and HB-DS stocks). These populations are moderately differentiated (<em>F</em><sub>ST </sub>= 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 </span><span style="font-size: 10.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-CA;" lang="EN-CA">evidence</span><span style="font-size: 10.0pt;" lang="EN-CA"> </span><span style="font-size: 10.0pt;" lang="EN-US">to support a revision of the current stock designations.</span></p> ER -