Full mitochondrial genomes were assembled for 12 recently sampled animals from the Svalbard bowhead whale (Balaena mysticetus) stock via high-throughput sequencing data, facilitating analysis of the demographic history of the population for the first time. The Svalbard population has retained noticeable amounts of mitochondrial genome diversity despite extreme historical harvest levels. Haplotype and nucleotide diversities were similar to those estimated earlier for other bowhead whale populations. The reconstructed demographic history was in accordance with a boom–bust scenario, combining a slight Pleistocene population growth 25 000–35 000 years ago and a Holocene decline. Employing a mutation rate of 3.418 × 10–8 substitutions per site per year, the time to the most recent common ancestor for the mitochondrial genomes of the contemporary Svalbard bowhead whales was estimated to be 68 782 (54 353–83 216) years before the present. Based on 370 bp fragments of the D-loop region, significant genetic differentiation was detected between all extant bowhead whale populations across the circumpolar Arctic. Thus, the Svalbard bowhead whales can be regarded as a population with its own genetic legacy.

中文翻译：

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来自斯瓦尔巴群岛的现代 Balaena mysticetus (Cetacea) 的丝裂基因组学和遗传分化

通过高通量测序数据，为最近从斯瓦尔巴弓头鲸 (Balaena mysticetus) 种群中采集的 12 只动物组装了完整的线粒体基因组，首次促进了对种群人口统计历史的分析。尽管历史上的收获水平极高，但斯瓦尔巴群岛的种群仍保留了显着数量的线粒体基因组多样性。单倍型和核苷酸多样性与之前对其他弓头鲸种群的估计相似。重建的人口历史符合繁荣-萧条的情景，结合了 25 000-35 000 年前更新世人口的轻微增长和全新世的下降。采用每年每个位点 3.418 × 10-8 次替换的突变率，现代斯瓦尔巴弓头鲸线粒体基因组的最近共同祖先的时间估计是现在之前 68 782 (54 353–83 216) 年。基于 D 环区域的 370 bp 片段，在整个北极圈内所有现存的弓头鲸种群之间检测到显着的遗传分化。因此，斯瓦尔巴弓头鲸可以被视为一个拥有自己遗传遗产的种群。