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Molecular analysis of the efficiency of sloughed skin sampling in whale population genetics
Authors:ELENA VALSECCHI  DEBBIE GLOCKNER-FERRARI  MARK FERRARI  & WILLIAM AMOS
Institution:Zoology Department, Downing Street, Cambridge CB2 3EJ, UK,,;Centre for Whale Study, PO Box 1539, Lahaina, Maui, Hawaii, 96767-1539, USA
Abstract:Sloughed whale skin contains enough DNA for genetic analysis, and offers a nonintrusive method for collecting tissue. Here, we examine the efficiency of sloughed skin sampling using 1460 samples collected from free-ranging humpback whales. Samples were sexed and screened for up to 10 microsatellite markers. The vast majority of samples appear genetically compatible with field observations. About 1% of groups revealed more genotypes than whales, but we argue that this is more likely to be due to unobserved whales than to contamination. Sloughed skin sampling is particularly effective when applied to active groups and offers a viable alternative to biopsy darting in regions where darting is either not permitted or otherwise undesirable.
Keywords:cetaceans  forensic ecology  humpback whale  microsatellite  population genetics  sloughed skin
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