Joe Hoffman, Bielefeld University

The effects of anthropogenic bottlenecks on genetic diversity and fitness in pinnipeds

In this presentation, I will describe research from my group investigating the effects of anthropogenic bottlenecks on genetic diversity and fitness in pinnipeds. The first part of the talk will take a comparative approach to explore how commercial hunting during the 18th and 19th centuries influenced genetic diversity and species viability. I will show that, although genetic diversity across species was strongly impacted by hunting, there is no clear relationship between genetic diversity and species viability. The second part of the talk will delve into the enigmatic case of the northern elephant seal, a pinniped that was hunted to the brink of extinction. I will present evidence suggesting that an extreme demographic reduction likely purged many of the deleterious alleles that would otherwise cause inbreeding depression.