Study reveals inbreeding impacting orca population

SEATTLE — A study published Monday suggests that a group of Southern Resident killer whales found off the west coast may be dying from inbreeding, dramatically affecting their lifespans. they.

The study’s findings, published in the journal Nature Ecology & Evolution, may help explain why endangered whale populations continue to decline despite conservation efforts.

“There has been a lot of interest for a long time in determining what factors are contributing to the failure to recover,” said Marty Kardos, a researcher with the Northwest Fisheries Science Center. Southern resident killer whales. “Some of them have not yet reached reproductive age and some of them die earlier in life.”

For the study, Kardos and colleagues sequenced the genomes of 100 living and dead killer whales from the southern population. The researchers compared the genomes with populations in the North Pacific and found that the southern populations had the lowest levels of genetic variation and the highest levels of inbreeding.

“Individuals with higher inbreeding rates die earlier, so it just means that, for example, non-living females, females with higher inbreeding rates, will not live long. And the same goes for men,” Kardos said.

The researchers in the study suggest that a combination of natural factors and climate change has led to increased inbreeding. They say it may not be possible to directly reverse inbreeding, but Kardos believes the southerners’ best bet is to improve their environment.

“There is a lot of environmental protection and a lot of effort to improve the environment for Southern Resident killer whales and I still think that is the best chance for them to recover,” said Kardos.

Kardos also said he believes the past is also influencing the future of southern residents.

In the 1970s, about 50 Southern Resident killer whales were taken from this population by sea-world and others collecting orcas. He believes that exacerbates inbreeding problems because it dramatically reduces their population.

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