The Novel Evolution of the Sperm Whale Genome

Wesley C. Warren, Lukas Kuderna, Alana Alexander, Julian Catchen, José G. Pérez-Silva, Carlos López-Otín, Víctor Quesada, Patrick Minx, Chad Tomlinson, Michael J. Montague, Fabiana H.G. Farias, Ronald B. Walter, Tomas Marques-Bonet, Travis Glenn, Troy J. Kieran, Sandra S. Wise, John Pierce Wise, Robert M. Waterhouse

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

Abstract

The sperm whale, made famous by Moby Dick, is one of the most fascinating of all ocean-dwelling species given their unique life history, novel physiological adaptations to hunting squid at extreme ocean depths, and their position as one of the earliest branching toothed whales (Odontoceti). We assembled the sperm whale (Physeter macrocephalus) genome and resequenced individuals from multiple ocean basins to identify new candidate genes for adaptation to an aquatic environment and infer demographic history. Genes crucial for skin integrity appeared to be particularly important in both the sperm whale and other cetaceans. We also find sperm whales experienced a steep population decline during the early Pleistocene epoch. These genomic data add new comparative insight into the evolution of whales.

Original languageEnglish (US)
Pages (from-to)3260-3264
Number of pages5
JournalGenome biology and evolution
Volume9
Issue number12
DOIs
StatePublished - Dec 1 2017

Keywords

  • cetaceans
  • genome
  • sperm whale

ASJC Scopus subject areas

  • General Medicine

Fingerprint

Dive into the research topics of 'The Novel Evolution of the Sperm Whale Genome'. Together they form a unique fingerprint.

Cite this