Wild pedigrees inform mutation rates and historic abundance in baleen whales
Cite this dataset
Suárez-Menéndez, Marcos et al. (2023). Wild pedigrees inform mutation rates and historic abundance in baleen whales [Dataset]. Dryad. https://doi.org/10.5061/dryad.9kd51c5pq
Abstract
Phylogeny-based estimates suggesting a low germline mutation rate (μ) in baleen whales have influenced research ranging from assessments of whaling impacts to evolutionary cancer biology. We estimated μ directly from pedigrees in four baleen whale species for both the mitochondrial control region and nuclear genome. The results suggest values higher than those obtained through phylogeny-based estimates and similar to pedigree-based values for primates and toothed whales. Applying our estimate of μ reduces previous genetic–based estimates of pre-exploitation whale abundance by 86% and suggests that μ cannot explain low cancer rates in gigantic mammals. Our study shows that it is feasible to estimate μ directly from pedigrees in natural populations, with wide-ranging implications for ecological and evolutionary research.
Funding
European Commission, Award: 813383
NOAA National Marine Fisheries Service
University of Groningen
Aage V. Jensens Fonde
Consejo Nacional de Humanidades, Ciencias y Tecnologías
WWF Verdensnaturfonden
International Whaling Comission Scientific Committee
Commission for Scientific Investigations in Greenland
Greenland Home Rule