Microsatellites and the Major Histocompatibility Complex of the Atlantic Walrus Odobenus rosmarus rosmarus (Linnaeus, 1758) in Haulouts of the Barents Sea

• Published in: Russian journal of marine biology Vol. 49; no. 5; pp. 346 - 354
• Main Authors: Meschersky, I. G., Meschersky, S. I., Kryukova, N. V., Artemyeva, S. M., Isachenko, A. I., Lazareva, R. E., Shevelev, A. I., Rozhnov, V. V.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Moscow Pleiades Publishing 01-10-2023; Springer Nature B.V
• Subjects: Aquatic mammals; Archipelagoes; Biomedical and Life Sciences; Breeding seasons; DQB gene; Freshwater & Marine Ecology; Genetic diversity; Genotypes; Life Sciences; Major histocompatibility complex; Marine mammals; Microsatellites; Odobenus rosmarus rosmarus; Original Papers; Franz Josef Land; microsatellites; genetic structure; walrus; Franz Josef Land; major histocompatibility complex (MHC); Novaya Zemlya
• ISSN: 1063-0740; 1608-3377
• DOI: 10.1134/S1063074023050097

The allelic diversity of the
DQB
gene of the major histocompatibility complex (MHC) in the Atlantic walrus from the European part of the Arctic was analyzed for the first time. We studied animals from the haulouts located on the Franz Josef Land archipelago and near the northern tip of Novaya Zemlya. We demonstrated that there are significant differences for this locus between the two studied haulouts. Simultaneous analysis of microsatellite loci reveals a lower level of differentiation and also suggested that animals from more than one spatial-geographical stock (population) gather at the summer haulout on Novaya Zemlya. It has been suggested that individuals with different MHC genotypes may prefer different feeding areas, regardless of the areas of residence during the breeding season.