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Reproductive performance links to fine scale spatial patterns of female grey seal relatedness

Pomeroy, P.P.; Worthington Wilmer, J.; Amos, W.; Twiss, S.D.

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Authors

P.P. Pomeroy

J. Worthington Wilmer

W. Amos



Abstract

Fine-scale spatial patterns of female relatedness throughout the established grey seal breeding colony of North Rona, Scotland, were investigated by accurate mapping and spatially explicit analyses of a large sample (n = 262) of mothers using variation at nine microsatellite DNA loci. Local spatial autocorrelation analyses identified locations where seals were more highly related to the colony than average. These locations were also areas where the more successful females bred, were occupied first during each breeding season, were centrally placed locations of preferred habitat types and were likely to be the locations which were the first to be colonized historically. Mothers occupying such sites achieved higher than average pup growth rates, suggesting a founder fitness benefit.

Citation

Pomeroy, P., Worthington Wilmer, J., Amos, W., & Twiss, S. (2001). Reproductive performance links to fine scale spatial patterns of female grey seal relatedness. Proceedings of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences, 268(1468), 711-717. https://doi.org/10.1098/rspb.2000.1422

Journal Article Type Article
Publication Date Apr 1, 2001
Deposit Date Mar 28, 2008
Publicly Available Date Mar 29, 2024
Journal Proceedings of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences
Print ISSN 0962-8452
Electronic ISSN 1471-2954
Publisher The Royal Society
Peer Reviewed Peer Reviewed
Volume 268
Issue 1468
Pages 711-717
DOI https://doi.org/10.1098/rspb.2000.1422
Keywords Grey seals, Relatedness, Fitness, Reproduction, Spatial patterns, Habitat quality.

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