Despite no obvious barriers to gene flow in the marine realm, environmental variation and ecological specializations can lead to genetic differentiation in highly mobile predators. Here, we investigated the genetic structure of the harbour porpoise over the entire species distribution range in western Palearctic waters. Combined analyses of 10 microsatellite loci and a 5085 base‐pair portion of the mitochondrial genome reveale...

We describe temporal changes in the genetic composition of a small anadromous A tlantic salmon ( S almo salar ) population from South Newfoundland, an area where salmon populations are considered threatened ( COSEWIC 2010). We examined the genetic variability (13 microsatellite loci) in 869 out‐migrating smolt and post‐spawning kelt samples, collected from 1985 to 2011 for a total of 22 annual collections and a 30 year span of...

Effective population size (N e ) determines the strength of genetic drift in a population and has long been recognized as an important parameter for evaluating conservation status and threats to genetic health of populations. Specifically, an estimate of N e is crucial to management because it integrates genetic effects with the life history of the species, allowing for predictions of a population's current and future viabilit...

Genetic stochasticity due to small population size contributes to population extinction, especially when population fragmentation disrupts gene flow. Estimates of effective population size ( N e ) can therefore be informative about population persistence, but there is a need for an assessment of their consistency and informative relevance. Here we review the body of empirical estimates of N e for wild populations obtained with...

Metapopulation dynamics are increasingly invoked in management and conservation of endangered species. In this context, asymmetrical gene flow patterns can be density dependent, with migration occurring mainly from larger into smaller populations, which may depend on it for their persistence. Using genetic markers, such patterns have recently been documented for various organisms including salmonids, suggesting this may be a m...