Determination of gender in cetaceans by the polymerase chain reaction

Palsboll, PJ; Vader, Anna; Bakke, Peter; El-Gewely,

doi:10.1139/z92-292

Cited by 142 publications

(107 citation statements)

References 9 publications

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“…Molecular sex determination was carried out by polymerase chain reaction amplification followed by TaqI digestion of the ZFX/ZFY region of the sex chromosomes [26,27]. The minimum travel distance between these locations, via a great circle route rounding Cape Agulhas and Cap Ste Marie, is greater than 9800 km.…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

A quarter of a world away: female humpback whale moves 10 000 km between breeding areas

Stevick

Neves

Johansen³

et al. 2010

Biol. Lett.

106

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Fidelity of individual animals to breeding sites is a primary determinant of population structure. The degree and scale of philopatry in a population reflect the fitness effects of social facilitation, ecological adaptation and optimal inbreeding. Patterns of breeding-site movement and fidelity are functions of social structure and are frequently sex biased. We report on a female humpback whale ( Megaptera novaeangliae ) first identified by natural markings off Brazil that subsequently was photographed off Madagascar. The minimum travel distance between these locations is greater than 9800 km, approximately 4000 km longer than any previously reported movement between breeding grounds, more than twice the species' typical seasonal migratory distance and the longest documented movement by a mammal. It is unexpected to find this exceptional long-distance movement between breeding groups by a female, as models of philopatry suggest that male mammals move more frequently or over longer distances in search of mating opportunities. While such movement may be advantageous, especially in changeable or unpredictable circumstances, it is not possible to unambiguously ascribe causality to this rare observation. This finding illustrates the behavioural flexibility in movement patterns that may be demonstrated within a typically philopatric species.

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Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

A quarter of a world away: female humpback whale moves 10 000 km between breeding areas

Stevick

Neves

Johansen³

et al. 2010

Biol. Lett.

106

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“…All biopsy samples in the present study were determined to be from males through genetic sexing [22][23][24]. In the Gulf of Maine, sampling intentionally targeted males that were at least 10 y old and therefore considered adults [25].…”

Section: Biopsy Samplesmentioning

confidence: 99%

Geographic variation of persistent organic pollutant levels in humpback whale (Megaptera novaeangliae) feeding areas of the North Pacific and North Atlantic

Elfes

VanBlaricom

Boyd

et al. 2010

Enviro Toxic and Chemistry

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Abstract-Seasonal feeding behavior and high fidelity to feeding areas allow humpback whales (Megaptera novaeangliae) to be used as biological indicators of regional contamination. Biopsy blubber samples from male individuals (n ¼ 67) were collected through SPLASH, a multinational research project, in eight North Pacific feeding grounds. Additional male samples (n ¼ 20) were collected from one North Atlantic feeding ground. Persistent organic pollutants were measured in the samples and used to assess contaminant distribution in the study areas. North Atlantic (Gulf of Maine) whales were more contaminated than North Pacific whales, showing the highest levels of polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs), and chlordanes. The highest dichlorodiphenyltrichloroethane (DDT) levels were detected in whales feeding off southern California, USA. High-latitude regions were characterized by elevated levels of hexachlorocyclohexanes (HCHs) but generally nondetectable concentrations of PBDEs. Age was shown to have a positive relationship with SPCBs, SDDTs, Schlordanes, and total percent lipid. Contaminant levels in humpback whales were comparable to other mysticetes and lower than those found in odontocete cetaceans and pinnipeds. Although these concentrations likely do not represent a significant conservation threat, levels in the Gulf of Maine and southern California may warrant further study. Environ. Toxicol. Chem. 2010;29:824-834. # 2009 SETAC

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“…There is now considerable evidence that Sry (sex-determining region Y chromosome) is the testis-determining gene (Gubbay et al 1990;Sinclair et al 1990). With rare exception (see, e.g., , Sry is male-specific in all mammal species examined thus far, a sample that includes representatives from three metatherian and seven eutherian orders (Sinclair et al 1990;Foster et al 1992;Pallsboll et al 1992;. It is expressed in the genital ridge at a time consistent with its having a role in testis determination (Gubbay et al 1990;Koopman et al 1991b), and a 14.5-kb mouse genomic DNA fragment containing Sry can induce testis development when injected into (chromosomally female) XX mouse embryos soon after fertilization (Koopman et al 1991a).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Evidence for multiple functional copies of the male sex-determining locus, sry, in African murine rodents

Lundrigan

Tucker

1997

J Mol Evol

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Abstract. Southern hybridization data suggest that the male sex-determining locus, Sry, is often duplicated in rodents. Here we explore DNA sequence evolution of orthologous and paralogous copies of Sry isolated from six species of African murines. PCR amplification followed by direct sequencing revealed from two to four copies of Sry per species. All copies include a long open reading frame, with a stop codon that coincides closely with the stop codon of the house mouse, Mus musculus, a species known to have a single copy of Sry. A phylogenetic analysis suggests that there are at least seven paralogous copies of Sry in this group of rodents. Putative orthologues are identical; sequence divergence among putative paralogues ranges from 1 to 8% (excluding the CAG repeat), with much lower levels of divergence in the high-mobility group (HMG-box) region than in the C-terminal region. A high proportion of nucleotide substitutions in both regions result in aminoacid replacement. The long open reading frame, conserved HMG-box, and pattern of evolution of the putative paralogues suggest that they are functional.

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Determination of gender in cetaceans by the polymerase chain reaction

Cited by 142 publications

References 9 publications

A quarter of a world away: female humpback whale moves 10 000 km between breeding areas

A quarter of a world away: female humpback whale moves 10 000 km between breeding areas

Geographic variation of persistent organic pollutant levels in humpback whale (Megaptera novaeangliae) feeding areas of the North Pacific and North Atlantic

Evidence for multiple functional copies of the male sex-determining locus, sry, in African murine rodents

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