Mirounga angustirostris (Northern Elephant Seal)
Credit: Dan Costa (photo taken under NMFS permit 19108)
about the species
The northern elephant seal is endemic to California and is a keystone species in the nearshore and pelagic marine habitats of the northeastern Pacific Ocean. Reduced genetic variability is predicted to compromise the population viability of species, but some species have persisted despite low levels of genetic variation from population bottlenecks, founder events, and inbreeding. A lack of substantial genetic variability has not limited the phenomenal population recovery of northern elephant seals, which have grown exponentially since near extinction in the late 1800s.
why species was selected
Understanding the patterns of elephant seal genomic diversity is crucial to fully understand how responses to environmental change are occurring, and how they are affected by gene flow, especially if gene frequencies differ between populations.
