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The presence of two distinct mitochondrial lineages in the bottlenose dolphin (Tursiops truncatus) in Puerto Rico and their affinities with previously reported lineages

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Abstract

Sound management of coastal resources is based on science-based decisions. Bottlenose dolphins are found around Puerto Rico; however, limited information exists on the ecology, behavior, sex ratio, distribution patterns, and population structure presenting, challenges in managing the bottlenose dolphin as defined in the Marine Mammal Protection Act of 1972. We sequenced the mitochondrial control region (mtDNA-CR) of 27 live and 11 stranded dolphins from Puerto Rico, five stranded dolphins from Guadeloupe and included sequences from the North Atlantic and the Pacific Ocean. Our genetic data from the new samples indicates the presence of distinct genetic lineages (inshore—represented by coastal individuals) and worldwide-distributed form (represented by both coastal and offshore individuals) in Puerto Rico. DNA divergence between inshore/coastal and offshore haplotypes ranged from 4.34 to 6.58%. All haplotypes from Puerto Rico have been previously reported from the Caribbean and North Atlantic. Genetic analysis yielded a complex population structure without a clear geographic signal; an expected result from a highly mobile marine mammal. A clade consisting exclusively of coastal dolphins of the Caribbean and the western North Atlantic was recovered. Offshore haplotypes from the eastern and western North Atlantic were generally clustered with offshore haplotypes of the Caribbean. Coastal and offshore haplotypes from the Pacific differed from those from the Atlantic. When we partitioned the data by form (coastal vs. offshore) and ocean (Atlantic vs. Pacific), we detected significant population differentiation (FST = 0.4089), indicating limited gene flow between forms and across oceans.

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Acknowledgements

Biopsy sampling was performed by Carrie Sinclair from NMFS and Aaron Barleycorn from Mote Marine Laboratory. We thank the following field assistants: Jennifer Irrizary, Maria Cardona, Nilda Jimenez, DNER Rangers Marine Unit, Jaaziel E. Garcia, Duane Sanabria, Philip Sanchez, Nicholas Hammerman, Jack Olson, Captain Anibal Santiago, and Diana Beltran-Rodriguez. We want to thank Jean Louis Georges and Manolo Rinaldi from the French Caribbean Stranding Network for the Guadeloupe samples. This research was funded by Puerto Rico Sea Grant project# R-101-1-14 to GRF, NVS and RSA. We want to thank the Southwest Fisheries Science Center, Marine Mammal and Sea Turtle Research (MMASTR) Collection for providing samples. This publication was made possible with support from the Sequencing and Genomics Facility of the UPR Río Piedras & MSRC/UPR, funded by NIH/NIGMS-Award Number P20GM103475.

Funding

Puerto Rico Sea Grant College, University of Puerto Rico, # R-101-1-14, Grisel Rodriguez-Ferrer, NIH/NGMS, P20GM103475, Nikolaos V Schizas.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Marine Sciences, University of Puerto Rico at Mayagüez, Call Box 9000, Mayagüez, PR, 00681, USA

    Grisel Rodriguez-Ferrer, Richard S. Appeldoorn & Nikolaos V. Schizas

  2. Department of Natural and Environmental Resources, Recreational and Sport Fisheries Division, PO Box 366147, San Juan, 00936, Puerto Rico

    Grisel Rodriguez-Ferrer

  3. Manatee Conservation Center, Inter American University of Puerto Rico, Bayamon, PR, 00957, USA

    Antonio A. Mignucci-Giannoni

  4. Center for Conservation Medicine and Ecosystem Health, Ross University School of Veterinary Medicine, PO Box 334, Basseterre, St Kitts and Nevis

    Antonio A. Mignucci-Giannoni

  5. Association Evasion Tropicale, Rue Des Mangroves, Pigeon Bouillante, 97125, Guadeloupe, France

    Renaldo Rinaldi

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  1. Grisel Rodriguez-Ferrer
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  2. Richard S. Appeldoorn
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  3. Antonio A. Mignucci-Giannoni
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Contributions

All authors made contributions to the conception and design of the investigation. The following individuals conducted the material preparation, data collection, analysis and writing of the manuscript: Grisel Rodriguez Ferrer, Nikolaos V. Schizas and Richard S. Appeldoorn. Antonio Mignucci and Renaldo Rinaldi provided samples from stranded individuals for analysis.

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Rodriguez-Ferrer, G., Appeldoorn, R.S., Mignucci-Giannoni, A.A. et al. The presence of two distinct mitochondrial lineages in the bottlenose dolphin (Tursiops truncatus) in Puerto Rico and their affinities with previously reported lineages. Mamm Biol (2024). https://doi.org/10.1007/s42991-024-00423-5

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