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Jul 28, 2022 · A new study, ‘Extremely Low mtDNA Diversity and High Genetic Differentiation Reveal the Precarious Genetic Status of Dugongs in New Caledonia, South Pacific’ by Garrigue et. al, assesses the New Caledonian dugong population’s resilience by determining its level of genetic diversity and degree of isolation relative to other populations worldwide. The results of the study […]
Oct 21, 2022 · New Caledonia is home to one of the largest remaining populations of dugongs (Dugong dugon) and is located at the southeastern limit of the species range. Local knowledge suggests that current levels of removal due to anthropogenic pressures are unsustainable, whereas trends suggest an ongoing decline in the population.
Aug 5, 2022 · This means groups of dugong from different parts of the world could not be mixed if numbers in Caledonia reached an all time low, due to the genetic difference being too big. There are currently 700 to 800 of the marine mammal found in New Caledonia.
Jun 4, 2022 · The first standardized aerial surveys of dugongs conducted in the early 2000s in New Caledonia yielded an abundance estimate of 2026 dugongs (±SE = 553, Garrigue et al. 2008), but more recent survey yielded a lower census of between 426 (±SE = 134) and 792 (±SE = 212) individuals within 2008–2012 (Hagihara et al. 2018), indicating a possible decline over the survey period.
This precarious status, confirmed by genetic analyses, results in the fragility and probably low resilience of the dugong population. In other words, each animal removed from the population is a direct threat to the survival of dugongs in New Caledonia. However, the causes of dugong mortality in New Caledonia are still poorly studied.
Jun 4, 2022 · In June 2003 standardized dugong aerial survey methodology was used to estimate the abundance and distribution of dugongs in the coastal waters of New Caledonia, resulting in a population estimate ...
Extremely low mtDNA diversity and high genetic differentiation reveal the precarious genetic status of dugongs in New Caledonia, South Pacific C Garrigue, CD Bonneville, C Cleguer, M Oremus Journal of Heredity 113 (5), 516-524 , 2022
