ArticleMolecular biology and evolution2019
Aquatic Adaptation and Depleted Diversity: A Deep Dive into the Genomes of the Sea Otter and Giant Otter.
Article in Molecular biology and evolution, 2019. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 31 papers.
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31 citing papers in PubMed, 75 citations in OpenAlex.
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- Dynamics of Deleterious Mutations and Purifying Selection in Small Population Isolates.Molecular biology and evolution · 2025Article
- Genomic and phenotypic evidence support visual and olfactory shifts in primate evolution.Nature ecology & evolution · 2025Article
- Genomic consequences of intensive inbreeding in miniature inbred pigs.BMC genomics · 2025Article
- Genomic adaptation to small population size and saltwater consumption in the critically endangered Cat Ba langur.Nature communications · 2024Article
- Synchronized Expansion and Contraction of Olfactory, Vomeronasal, and Taste Receptor Gene Families in Hystricomorph Rodents.Molecular biology and evolution · 2024Article
- Phylogeny, Ecology, and Gene Families Covariation Shaped the Olfactory Subgenome of Rodents.Genome biology and evolution · 2023Article
- The genomic footprint of whaling and isolation in fin whale populations.Nature communications · 2023Article
- Chromosome-length genome assembly and karyotype of the endangered black-footed ferret (Mustela nigripes).The Journal of heredity · 2023Article
- When morphology does not fit the genomes: the case of rodent olfaction.Biology letters · 2023Article
- Deleterious Variation in Natural Populations and Implications for Conservation Genetics.Annual review of animal biosciences · 2023Review
- Genomic analyses reveal range-wide devastation of sea otter populations.Molecular ecology · 2023Article
- Comparative Genome Analysis Reveals the Genomic Basis of Semi-Aquatic Adaptation in American Mink (Animals : an open access journal from MDPI · 2022Article
- Genetic load: genomic estimates and applications in non-model animals.Nature reviews. Genetics · 2022Review
- Why sequence all eukaryotes?Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America · 2022Article
- Application of Omics Tools in Designing and Monitoring Marine Protected Areas For a Sustainable Blue Economy.Frontiers in genetics · 2022Article
- Positively selected genes in the hoary bat (PeerJ · 2022Article
- Selection on ancestral genetic variation fuels repeated ecotype formation in bottlenose dolphins.Science advances · 2021Article
- Chromosome-Level Genome Assemblies Expand Capabilities of Genomics for Conservation Biology.Genes · 2021Article
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Authors and funding
13 authors at 9 institutions in 4 countries.
Funding
Abstract
Despite its recent invasion into the marine realm, the sea otter (Enhydra lutris) has evolved a suite of adaptations for life in cold coastal waters, including limb modifications and dense insulating fur. This uniquely dense coat led to the near-extinction of sea otters during the 18th-20th century fur trade and an extreme population bottleneck. We used the de novo genome of the southern sea otter (E. l. nereis) to reconstruct its evolutionary history, identify genes influencing aquatic adaptation, and detect signals of population bottlenecks. We compared the genome of the southern sea otter with the tropical freshwater-living giant otter (Pteronura brasiliensis) to assess common and divergent genomic trends between otter species, and with the closely related northern sea otter (E. l. kenyoni) to uncover population-level trends. We found signals of positive selection in genes related to aquatic adaptations, particularly limb development and polygenic selection on genes related to hair follicle development. We found extensive pseudogenization of olfactory receptor genes in both the sea otter and giant otter lineages, consistent with patterns of sensory gene loss in other aquatic mammals. At the population level, the southern sea otter and the northern sea otter showed extremely low genomic diversity, signals of recent inbreeding, and demographic histories marked by population declines. These declines may predate the fur trade and appear to have resulted in an increase in putatively deleterious variants that could impact the future recovery of the sea otter.
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