Data from: Cultural traditions across a migratory network shape the genetic structure of southern right whales around Australia and New Zealand

Fidelity to migratory destinations is an important driver of connectivity in marine and avian species. Here we assess the role of maternally directed learning of migratory habitats, or migratory culture, on the population structure of the endangered Australian and New Zealand southern right whale. Using DNA profiles, comprising mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) haplotypes (500 bp), microsatellite genotypes (17 loci) and sex from 128 individually-identified whales, we find significant differentiation among winter calving grounds based on both mtDNA haplotype (FST = 0.048, ΦST = 0.109, p < 0.01) and microsatellite allele frequencies (FST = 0.008, p < 0.01), consistent with long-term fidelity to calving areas. However, most genetic comparisons of calving grounds and migratory corridors were not significant, supporting the idea that whales from different calving grounds mix in migratory corridors. Furthermore, we find a significant relationship between δ13C stable isotope profiles of 66 Australian southern right whales, a proxy for feeding ground location, and both mtDNA haplotypes and kinship inferred from microsatellite-based estimators of relatedness. This indicates migratory culture may influence genetic structure on feeding grounds. This fidelity to migratory destinations is likely to influence population recovery, as long-term estimates of historical abundance derived from estimates of genetic diversity indicate the South Pacific calving grounds remain at <10% of pre-whaling abundance.

Usage Notes

Australian right whale microsatellite and stable isotope dataThis file contains the sampling location and state, mtDNA haplotype, sex, stable isotope and multi-locus microsatellite genotype data for Australian southern right whale samples used in the study.SREP16182_SRWdata_Archive.xlsxComparing_stable_isotope&genetic_similarity_filesDryad Archive for SREP16182: SI_SRW_data.zip. This zip file contains: 1 - Files of estimates of pairwise relatedness generated from microsatellite loci in SREP16182_SRWdata_Archive in the program COANCESTRY, using the kinship estimators of Lynch & Ritland 1999 (Lynch&Ritland_relatedness.txt) and Ritland 1996 (Ritland_relatedness.txt). 2 – Files of sample stable isotope values for both d13C (Sample_dC.txt) and d15N (Sample_dN.txt), as well as pairwise similarities of d13C calculated using Euclidean distance in program GENODIVE (dC_euclidean_correct_names.gdv). 3 – A file that includes d13C, d15N, mtDNA, sampling location and sex ID data for the samples used in the GLM work (SI_data_Aus_SRWtxt.txt) 4 – R code for (1) running the comparison of similarities between d13C and microsatellite-based kinship estimators and (2) running GLMs on d13C data, with mtDNA, sex and sampling state as potential explanatory factors. R code is annotated so it can be easily run if the files are placed in the appropriate files and required packages are downloaded.SI_SRW_data.zip