Citation
An Empirical Genetic Assessment of the Severity of the Northern Elephant Seal Population Bottleneck
TL;DR
Only 2 mitochondrial DNA haplotypes in northern elephant seals
Genetic analysis confirming only two mitochondrial DNA haplotypes in northern elephant seals, consistent with an extreme founder event. Contrasts with 23 haplotypes in southern elephant seals, which never fell below 1,000 individuals.
Key Findings from Weber & al. (2000)
- Only 2 mitochondrial DNA haplotypes in northern elephant seals
- Southern elephant seals (never bottlenecked below 1,000) have 23 haplotypes
- Confirms severity of historical bottleneck