title: Myth or relict: Does ancient DNA detect the enigmatic Upland seal?
abstract: The biological status of the so-called 'Upland seal' has remained contentious ever since historical records described a distinct seal from the uplands of New Zealand's (NZ) remote sub-Antarctic islands. Subsequent genetic surveys of the NZ fur seal (Arctocephalus forsteri) detected two highly-divergent mtDNA clades, hypothesized to represent a post-sealing hybrid swarm between 'mainland' (Australia-NZ; A. forsteri) and sub-Antarctic (putative 'Upland'; A. snaresensis) lineages. We present ancient-DNA analyses of prehistoric mainland NZ and sub-Antarctic fur seals, revealing that both of these genetic lineages were already widely distributed across the region at the time of human arrival. These findings indicate that anthropogenic factors did not contribute to the admixture of these lineages, and cast doubt on the validity of the Upland seal. Human-mediated impacts on Arctocephalus genetic diversity are instead highlighted by a dramatic temporal haplotype frequency-shift due to genetic drift in heavily bottlenecked populations following the cessation of industrial-scale harvesting. These extinction-recolonisation dynamics add to a growing picture of human-mediated change in NZ's coastal and marine ecosystems.
authors.affiliation: Allan Wilson Centre, Department of Zoology, University of Otago, Dunedin, New Zealand.
authors.forename: Alexander T
authors.initials: AT
authors.lastname: Salis
authors.affiliation: Allan Wilson Centre, Department of Zoology, University of Otago, Dunedin, New Zealand.
authors.forename: Luke J
authors.initials: LJ
authors.lastname: Easton
authors.affiliation: Allan Wilson Centre, Department of Zoology, University of Otago, Dunedin, New Zealand.
authors.forename: Bruce C
authors.initials: BC
authors.lastname: Robertson
authors.affiliation: Allan Wilson Centre, Department of Anatomy, University of Otago, Dunedin, New Zealand.
authors.forename: Neil
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Gemmell
authors.affiliation: Department of Anthropology and Archaeology, University of Otago, Dunedin, New Zealand.
authors.forename: Ian W G
authors.initials: IWG
authors.lastname: Smith
authors.affiliation: School of Social Science, The University of Queensland, Brisbane, Australia.
authors.forename: Marshall I
authors.initials: MI
authors.lastname: Weisler
authors.affiliation: Allan Wilson Centre, Department of Zoology, University of Otago, Dunedin, New Zealand.
authors.forename: Jonathan M
authors.initials: JM
authors.lastname: Waters
authors.affiliation: Allan Wilson Centre, Department of Zoology, University of Otago, Dunedin, New Zealand. Electronic address: nic.rawlence@otago.ac.nz.
authors.forename: Nicolas J
authors.initials: NJ
authors.lastname: Rawlence
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D000864:Antarctic Regions; D001315:Australia; D004272:DNA, Mitochondrial / Q000235:genetics*; D017753:Ecosystem; D046069:Fur Seals / Q000145:classification* / Q000235:genetics*; D040961:Genetic Drift; D014644:Genetic Variation; D006239:Haplotypes; D006802:Human Activities; D000068636:Legendary Creatures; D009520:New Zealand; D010802:Phylogeny
chemical_list: D004272:DNA, Mitochondrial
keywords: Ancient-DNA; Arctocephalus forsteri; Fur seal; Human impact; Sealing; Upland seal; snaresensis