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The scientists said the information could help explain, for example, whether internal factors such as inbreeding or genetic variation in the immune system prevent whales from bouncing.
A new scientific effort will be to sequence the genomes of killer whales in the critically endangered Pacific Northwest to better understand their genetics and find ways to preserve them from extinction.
The collaboration announced Thursday involves scientists from the North West Fisheries Science Center of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Nature Conservancy, a non-profit organization, and BGI, a global genomics company.
The project will sequence the genome – the entire genetic code of a living being – of more than 100 orca whales residing in the south of the country with the help of skin samples or other sampled on live or dead killer whales in the last two decades. The first results are expected next year.
The scientists said the information could help explain, for example, whether internal factors such as inbreeding or genetic variation in the immune system prevent whales from bouncing.
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The distinctive black and white fish-eating orcs fought the pollution, the noise of the boats and the lack of their favorite prey, Chinook salmon. The death of a young killer whale last month – despite several weeks of international efforts to save her – only allowed 74 in a group that failed to breed during last three years. This is the lowest figure in more than 30 years.
"This will help us fill in some very important gaps in our understanding of why the population is not recovering," said Mike Ford, director of conservation biology at the Northwest Fisheries Science Center in Seattle, at a recent meeting. press conference at BGI headquarters in Seattle. "As we fill these gaps, we can potentially improve our solutions."
Ford was the lead author of a study published earlier this year that found that only two men in the small population were responsible for half of the calves born and sampled by scientists since 1990.
"Inbreeding could be a problem, but we do not have enough data to study this in depth," Ford said.
Inbreeding, for example, can determine whether a female orca will become pregnant, whether it will have a calf or whether this calf will have a chance of surviving.
Female killer whales have had pregnancy problems due to nutritional stress related to lack of salmon. A multi-year study conducted last year by the University of Washington and other researchers found that two-thirds of killer whale pregnancies had failed between 2007 and 2014.
BGI will sequence orc genomes and provide analyzes and results to US fisheries biologists and other scientists. They will compare this research to the genomes of the growing Alaska whale population, as well as transient mammalian whales.
Yiwu He, CEO of BGI Groups USA in Seattle, said that like so many others in the area, he and his family have been captivated by iconic whales spending time in the inland waters of the US. Washington State.
"We really want to do something to help," he said, adding that sequencing the genome could help dispel questions about why animals do not reproduce. He noted that BGI has extensive experience in sequencing whole genomes of humans, plants and animals.
Kevin Werner, director of science and research at the Northwestern Fisheries Science Center, said the project was recruiting more experts from outside the government to tackle the problems.
According to Ford, the results could put back into context other problems faced by whales, such as lack of prey or contamination, and could lead to different solutions. Whales whose immune systems are weakened due to lack of genetic diversity in immune system genes, for example, may warrant more active treatment or management in the future.
"We do not know what we're going to find," said Ford, adding, "Maybe we'll learn something new about the population we do not already know."
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