BIOLOGIYA MORYA, 2013, Vol. 39, No. 2, pp. 126-135

Genetic analysis of beluga whale Delphinapterus leucas (Cetacea: Monodontidae) summer aggregations in the Russian Far East

© 2013 I. G. Meschersky¹, O. V. Shpak¹, D. I. Litovka², D. M. Glazov¹, E. A. Borisova³, V. V. Rozhnov¹

¹A.N. Severtsov Institute of Ecology and Evolution, Russian Academy of Sciences, Moscow 119071;
²Chukot Branch of the Pacific Fisheries Research Center, Anadyr 689000;
³Faculty of Biology, Lomonosov Moscow State University, Moscow 119234

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Using data on mitochondrial DNA control-region sequences and the allelic composition of 9 nuclear DNA microsatellite loci, we analyzed the genetic structure of four summer aggregations of the beluga whale Delphinapterus leucas: in Sakhalin Bay, Udskaya Guba Bay, at the western coast of the Kamchatka Peninsula (Sea of Okhotsk), and in the Anadyr Estuary (Bering Sea). Each of the aggregations is characterized by a distinct composition of maternal lines, thus proving the high level of philopatry in this species. Anadyr Estuary beluga whales are genetically isolated from Sea of Okhotsk belugas. Summer beluga whale aggregations in Sakhalin Bay and Udskaya Guba Bay have a common genetic pool and belong to a single population; however, there is strong evidence that beluga whales summering off western Kamchatka belong to a different population. Based on comparison of the mtDNA sequences of beluga whales from different regions of the Russian Far East and North America, a view on the formation of North Pacific beluga whale population structure in the post-Glacial period is proposed.

Key words: beluga whale, Delphinapterus leucas, population structure, mitochondrial DNA, microsatellite loci.