Genetic analyses of evolutionary patterns, and investigation of potential ecological drivers: we use genetic analyses to understand the drivers of evolutionary differentiation in wild populations. Increasingly, this work is based on genomic technologies, with particular emphasis on functional genetic variation. We then try to correlate the genetic patterns with known ecological/morphological variables, to try and quantify the role of environment in cetacean ecology and evolution. Previous research on this topic includes:
Moura, A. E., Shreves, K., Pilot, M., Andrews, K. R., Moore, D. M., Kishida, T., … Rus Hoelzel, A. (2020). Phylogenomics of the genus Tursiops and closely related Delphininae reveals extensive reticulation among lineages and provides inference about eco-evolutionary drivers. Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution, 146, 106756.
Moura, A. E., Kenny, J. G., Chaudhuri, R. R., Hughes, M. A., Reisinger, R. R., de Bruyn, P. J. N., … Hoelzel, A. R. (2015). Phylogenomics of the killer whale indicates ecotype divergence in sympatry. Heredity, 114, 48–55.
Moura, A. E., Nielsen, S. C. A., Vilstrup, J. T., Moreno-Mayar, J. V., Gilbert, M. T. P., Gray, H., … Hoelzel, A. R. (2013). Recent Diversification of a Marine Genus (Tursiops spp.) Tracks Habitat Preference and Environmental Change. Systematic Biology, 62, 865–877.
Population genetic structure in space and time, and implications for wildlife conservation: cetaceans often exhibit genetic structure at scales smaller than suggested by their dispersal abilities. We use genetic analyses to try and identify the occurrence and geographic limits of intra-specific population structure, and often carry out selection analyses to quantify the role of environment in shaping the observed structure. Recently, we have also focused on quantifying how such patterns change over time. We sometimes use this approach to help improve conservation measures of wild dolphins. Previous research on this topic includes:
Gaspari, S., Marsili, L., Natali, C., Airoldi, S., Lanfredi, C., Deeming, C., & Moura, A. E. (2019). Spatio-temporal patterns of genetic diversity in the Mediterranean striped dolphin (Stenella coeruleoalba). Journal of Zoological Systematics and Evolutionary Research, 57, 721–734.
Ball, L., Shreves, K., Pilot, M., & Moura, A. E. (2017). Temporal and geographic patterns of kinship structure in common dolphins (Delphinus delphis) suggest site fidelity and female-biased long-distance dispersal. Behavioral Ecology and Sociobiology, 71.
Gaspari, S., Scheinin, A., Holcer, D., Fortuna, C., Natali, C., Genov, T., … Moura, A. E. (2015). Drivers of Population Structure of the Bottlenose Dolphin (Tursiops truncatus) in the Eastern Mediterranean Sea. Evolutionary Biology, 42, 177–190
Spatial analyses of distribution and their ecological determinants:although cetaceans have wide dispersal abilities and few geographical barriers to their dispersal, they are usually found in certain "hotspots" of occurrence. We therefore try to: first understand what the exact patterns of geographical distribution of cetaceans are over time; second identify and quantify the ecological determinants to their distribution through ecological niche modelling. This is done in collaboration with other groups, but an area we keep coming back to over time. Previous research on this topic includes:
Natoli A., Moura A. E., Sillero N. (2021) Citizen science data of cetaceans in the Arabian/Persian Gulf: Occurrence and habitat preferences of the three most reported species. Marine Mammal Science, 12865
Moura, A. E., Silva, S. E., SPEA, Correia, A. M., Sousa-Pinto, I., Gil, Á., … Síllero, N. (2019). Mamíferos marinhos. In J. Bencatel, F. Álvares, A. E. Moura, & A. M. Barbosa (Eds.), Atlas de Mamíferos de Portugal (2nd ed., pp. 159–205). Portugal: Universidade de Évora. http://atlas-mamiferos.uevora.pt/
Moura, A. E., Sillero, N., & Rodrigues, A. (2012). Common dolphin (Delphinus delphis) habitat preferences using data from two platforms of opportunity. Acta Oecologica, 38, 24–32.
Ongoing Projects
Analysis of micro-evolutionary changes in a host genome in response to multiple viral infections in wild animals
The increasing scale of human mediated environmental change raises concerns regarding the appearance of new infectious diseases, as a result of either changing climate or human activity. To better understand the effect of these new diseases on wild populations, it is crucial to comprehend the genetic mechanisms underlying fast adaptation in wild organisms to their changing environment. Although various theoretical models of this process exist, robust empirical data from wild populations is still lacking to corroborate them. Ideally, theoretical models should be tested using genomic data from DNA samples obtained when populations were exposed to a novel pathogen.
However, it is chalenging to obtain such materials, because collecting DNA samples representing changes in a population during a sufficiently long period is very difficult, particularly for highly mobile, elusive animals. This project will take advantage of a sample archive of the Mediterranean population of striped dolphins (Stenella coeruleoalba) to quantify genome-wide genetic variation changes during 20 years, using cutting edge genomic technologies. The archive contains samples from nearly every year from a 20 year period, during which striped dolphins have experienced repeated outbreaks of morbillivirus, a lethal virus related to human measles and canine distemper virus.
For this purpose, we will sequence all currently known immune system related genes, which will allow a direct comparison between the genetic changes observed during 20 years and their potential role in enhancing resistance to the virus. For comparison, variation at genome regions without any function will also be determined, using a technique that generates sequences of small DNA regions randomly sampled from across the entire genome. These data will allow assessing the influence of other potential genetic factors, such as decline in genetic diversity due to inbreeding. Because new infectious diseases are commonly transmitted between wildlife and domestic animals, the results of the proposed project may also stimulate further research on the effects of new infectious diseases on endangered wild species and on domestic animal health.
Adaptive skull shape changes in bottlenose dolphins (Tursiops spp.): inference from combined morphological and genomic analyses
Mammals are very diverse animals, exhibiting large differences in their lifestyles, behaviours and body shapes. A striking example of this is the diversity of their skulls, which can in many groups be extremely modified. Dolphins are one such group, where some of the snout bones are extremely elongated relative to closely related terrestrial mammals. Some of these modifications are thought to be related to different feeding requirements in the ocean, and therefore result from the direct action of natural selection.
This project will test whether skull shape changes in dolphins are driven by natural selection resulting from different prey types. It will do this by focusing on bottlenose dolphins (genus Tursiops), as this genus includes a large diversity of prey types across multiple species and populations within each species. In addition to this, bottlenose dolphins have been subject to extensive studies, and because of this numerous museum specimens and tissue samples are available from around the world, allowing a comprehensive study to be made without invasive sampling of animals in the wild.
This project will enable a formal test of the hypothesis that selection is a driver of skull shape change in bottlenose dolphins, by combining state-of-the-art morphological and genomic analyses. The protocol developed in this project, can easily be adapted to any other morphological or physiological traits as well as other species, and will therefore be of use to a broad range of research questions. Therefore, this project will not only allow us to understand the evolutionary history of bottlenose dolphins, but will also provide valuable contributions to the study of evolutionary history of mammals.