Abstract:
Humpback whales (Megaptera novaeangliae)
in the Southeastern Atlantic Ocean (International Whaling
Commission ‘Breeding Stock B’—BSB) are distributed
from the Gulf of Guinea to Western South Africa. Genetic
data suggest that this stock may be sub-structured, but it
remains unknown if this is due to reproductive segregation.
This paper evaluates the spatial and temporal population
structure of BSB humpback whales using a combination of
maternally and bi-parentally inherited markers. The genetic
differentiation that we identify in this study could be due to
a combination of (1) spatial and/or temporal segregation on breeding grounds in the greater Gulf of Guinea, (2) the possibility
of maternally inherited site fidelity to specific feeding
grounds and (3) the use of two generalized but exclusive
migratory routes (coastal and offshore) between feeding and
breeding areas. Further, photo-identification and genetic
sampling efforts in other areas of the Sub-Saharan Western
Africa winter range and targeted deployment of satellite tags
would help to clarify some of the apparent complexity in the
population structure of animals biopsied in this region.
