The project Developing a universal beaked whale genotyping panel for assessing population level impacts of anthropogenic activities, led by the University of Auckland, is dedicated to advancing genetic knowledge about populations of different species of beaked whales by developing a set of genetic markers that will provide species, sex, and population information about these animals. This information will contribute to the conservation of beaked whales, which are threatened by human activities and climate change.
Beaked whales are a family of cetaceans that includes 24 species, many of which are still poorly known. The project aims to develop a set of genetic markers that allow to collect more information from environmental DNA, i.e. the genetic material dispersed in the environment by these animals (e.g. derived from feces or cells of different tissues). The set of genetic markers developed within the project will allow to quickly collect information on the sex, species and population of the animals analyzed, also starting from samples in a non-optimal state of preservation (such as those from carcasses) or of poor quality or quantity (such as environmental DNA).
The project lasts three years (January 2022 – December 2024). CIMA Research Foundation is leading partner in the Mediterranean area for the collection of biological samples (biopsies, blowhole samples and environmental DNA) of Cuvier’s beaked whale (Ziphius cavirostris) that will allow the development and validation of the set of genetic markers.
