科學(xué)家報(bào)告說，在100多年后,，露脊鯨終于重返了它們位于新西蘭的棲息地。
這種體重達(dá)100多噸的鯨因其群居嬉戲和令人印象深刻的雜技表演而聞名于世,，在19世紀(jì)和20世紀(jì)的工業(yè)捕鯨時(shí)代,，露脊鯨在這片相同的海域幾乎被捕殺殆盡。一個(gè)較小的種群設(shè)法在新西蘭以南偏遠(yuǎn)的南極島嶼附近生存下來,。
近些年來,，有幾十頭雌露脊鯨返回了它們的祖先用來繁殖后代的這片海灣。研究人員表示,，通常情況下,，這種“文化知識(shí)”是由母親傳給女兒的。然而,，傳統(tǒng)已經(jīng)喪失,，直到這些富有開拓性的“女性”再次踏上尋根的旅程。
根據(jù)日前出版的《海洋生態(tài)進(jìn)展系列》報(bào)道,，通過比較在兩地的7頭鯨身上采集的組織樣本中的脫氧核糖核酸（DNA）,，新西蘭奧克蘭大學(xué)的海洋生物學(xué)家E. Carroll與同事證實(shí)，一些雌露脊鯨已經(jīng)從南部島嶼遷徙到新西蘭,。如今,，傳統(tǒng)已經(jīng)恢復(fù)，科學(xué)家希望有更多的露脊鯨能夠遵循先驅(qū)的足跡。
露脊鯨呈紡錘形,，體表光滑無毛,，可長達(dá)18米，重100噸,，身體大部分呈黑色,，在它們的頭部有特殊的粗糙而有斑點(diǎn)的硬皮。它們在英語中之所以被稱為“right whales”是因?yàn)椴饿L者認(rèn)為它們正是捕獵的對象,，它們會(huì)在陸地的視線范圍內(nèi)游水,，在被殺死后會(huì)浮上水面。（生物谷Bioon.com）
生物谷推薦原文出處：
Marine Ecology Progress Series doi:10.3354/meps09145
Population structure and individual movement of southern right whales around New Zealand and Australia
E. Carroll, N. Patenaude, A. Alexander, D. Steel, R. Harcourt, S. Childerhouse, S. Smith, J. Bannister, R. Constantine, C. Scott Baker
During the last 2 centuries, southern right whales Eubalaena australis were hunted to near extinction, and an estimated 150000 were killed by pre-industrial whaling in the 19th century and illegal Soviet whaling in the 20th century. Here we focus on the coastal calving grounds of Australia and New Zealand (NZ), where previous work suggests 2 genetically distinct stocks of southern right whales are recovering. Historical migration patterns and spatially variable patterns of recovery suggest each of these stocks are subdivided into 2 stocks: (1) NZ, comprising NZ subantarctic (NZSA) and mainland NZ (MNZ) stocks; and (2) Australia, comprising southwest and southeast stocks. We expand upon previous work to investigate population subdivision by analysing over 1000 samples collected at 6 locations across NZ and Australia, although sample sizes were small from some locations. Mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) control region haplotypes (500 bp) and microsatellite genotypes (13 loci) were used to identify 707 individual whales and to test for genetic differentiation. For the first time, we documented the movement of 7 individual whales between the NZSA and MNZ based on the matching of multilocus genotypes. Given the current and historical evidence, we hypothesise that individuals from the NZ subantarctic are slowly recolonising MNZ, where a former calving ground was extirpated. We also suggest that southeast Australian right whales represent a remnant stock, distinct from the southwest Australian stock, based on significant differentiation in mtDNA haplotype frequencies (FST = 0.15, p < 0.01; ΦST = 0.12, p = 0.02) and contrasting patterns of recovery. In comparison with significant differences in mtDNA haplotype -frequencies found between the 3 proposed stocks (overall FST = 0.07, ΦST = 0.12, p < 0.001), we found no significant differentiation in microsatellite loci (overall FST = 0.004, G’ST = 0.019, p = 0.07), suggesting ongoing or recent historical reproductive interchange.
