Ancestry testing of "Old Tom," a killer whale central to mutualistic interactions with human whalers

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dc.citation.issue6
dc.citation.volume114
dc.contributor.authorReeves IM
dc.contributor.authorTotterdell JA
dc.contributor.authorBetty EL
dc.contributor.authorDonnelly DM
dc.contributor.authorGeorge A
dc.contributor.authorHolmes S
dc.contributor.authorMoller L
dc.contributor.authorStockin KA
dc.contributor.authorWellard R
dc.contributor.authorWhite C
dc.contributor.authorFoote AD
dc.contributor.editorBaker CS
dc.coverage.spatialUnited States
dc.date.accessioned2024-02-26T01:09:17Z
dc.date.accessioned2024-07-25T06:44:25Z
dc.date.available2023-10-12
dc.date.available2024-02-26T01:09:17Z
dc.date.available2024-07-25T06:44:25Z
dc.date.issued2023-12
dc.description.abstractCooperative hunting between humans and killer whales (Orcinus orca) targeting baleen whales was reported in Eden, New South Wales, Australia, for almost a century. By 1928, whaling operations had ceased, and local killer whale sightings became scarce. A killer whale from the group, known as "Old Tom," washed up dead in 1930 and his skeleton was preserved. How these killer whales from Eden relate to other populations globally and whether their genetic descendants persist today remains unknown. We extracted and sequenced DNA from Old Tom using ancient DNA techniques. Genomic sequences were then compared with a global dataset of mitochondrial and nuclear genomes. Old Tom shared a most recent common ancestor with killer whales from Australasia, the North Atlantic, and the North Pacific, having the highest genetic similarity with contemporary New Zealand killer whales. However, much of the variation found in Old Tom's genome was not shared with these widespread populations, suggesting ancestral rather than ongoing gene flow. Our genetic comparisons also failed to find any clear descendants of Tom, raising the possibility of local extinction of this group. We integrated Traditional Custodian knowledge to recapture the events in Eden and recognize that Indigenous Australians initiated the relationship with the killer whales before European colonization and the advent of commercial whaling locally. This study rectifies discrepancies in local records and provides new insight into the origins of the killer whales in Eden and the history of Australasian killer whales.
dc.description.confidentialfalse
dc.edition.editionDecember 2023
dc.format.pagination598-611
dc.identifier.author-urlhttps://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/37821799
dc.identifier.citationReeves IM, Totterdell JA, Betty EL, Donnelly DM, George A, Holmes S, Moller L, Stockin KA, Wellard R, White C, Foote AD. (2023). Ancestry testing of "Old Tom," a killer whale central to mutualistic interactions with human whalers.. J Hered. 114. 6. (pp. 598-611).
dc.identifier.doi10.1093/jhered/esad058
dc.identifier.eissn1465-7333
dc.identifier.elements-typejournal-article
dc.identifier.issn0022-1503
dc.identifier.pii7308443
dc.identifier.urihttps://mro.massey.ac.nz/handle/10179/70777
dc.languageeng
dc.publisherOxford University Press on behalf of the American Genetic Association
dc.publisher.urihttps://academic.oup.com/jhered/article/114/6/598/7308443
dc.relation.isPartOfJ Hered
dc.rights© The American Genetic Association. 2023
dc.rightsCC BY 4.0
dc.rights.urihttps://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
dc.subjectIndigenous knowledge
dc.subjectcetaceans
dc.subjecthuman-wildlife cooperation
dc.subjectmutualism
dc.subjectphylogenomics
dc.subjectwhaling
dc.subjectAnimals
dc.subjectHumans
dc.subjectWhale, Killer
dc.subjectAustralia
dc.subjectWhales
dc.subjectBase Sequence
dc.subjectNew Zealand
dc.titleAncestry testing of "Old Tom," a killer whale central to mutualistic interactions with human whalers
dc.typeJournal article
pubs.elements-id480983
pubs.organisational-groupOther
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