Genomic analysis of population history for Hawaiian monk seals

The Hawaiian monk seal, one of the world’s most endangered pinnipeds, has faced decades of declines and been the focus of intensive conservation efforts. A myriad of conservation threats has led to range-wide population declines, but population trends among islands can vary widely in response to heterogeneous threats. Populations in the Northwestern Hawaiian Islands have been declining whereas Main Hawaiian Islands numbers are expanding. Molecular data can provide information to disentangle population structure and dynamics; however, previous studies have yielded insufficient resolution in such a genetically depauperate species. Advances in genomic technology and affordability offer a novel opportunity to revisit questions about Hawaiian monk seal trends with high resolution markers that provide better discrimination ability in low diversity species. Here, we investigated region- and island-level population structuring and connectivity. We used BestRAD sequencing on 169 seals from 14 is..., , , # Genomic analysis of population history for Hawaiian monk seals

[https://doi.org/10.5061/dryad.djh9w0w72](https://doi.org/10.5061/dryad.djh9w0w72)

This README file version was generated MAR 2024 by Samantha Hauser ([[e-mail])](mailto:samantha.hauser1@gmail.c).

### General Information:

Published article in Endangered Species Research Journal: [https://doi.org/10.3354/esr01308](https://doi.org/10.3354/esr01308)

Also note: The associated article is an expansion of Hawaiian monk seal research presented in a preliminary governmental report written by these authors, available at [https://repository.library.noaa.gov/view/noaa/32349](https://repository.library.noaa.gov/view/noaa/32349)

### File Information:

#### (a) HMS\_BestRAD\_SNPs.vcf:

* VCF formatted genomic data (final single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) data) for the Hawaiian monk seal
* 7,507 SNP markers
* 169 individuals

* 85 seals from the Northwestern Hawaiian Islands and 84 from the Main Hawa...