Data from: Is MHC diversity a better marker for conservation than neutral genetic diversity? a case study of two contrasting dolphin populations

Genetic diversity is essential for populations to adapt to changing
environments. Measures of genetic diversity are often based on selectively
neutral markers, such as microsatellites. Genetic diversity to guide
conservation management, however, is better reflected by adaptive markers,
including genes of the major histocompatibility complex (MHC). Our aim was
to assess MHC and neutral genetic diversity in two contrasting bottlenose
dolphin (Tursiops aduncus) populations in Western Australia—one apparently
viable population with high reproductive output (Shark Bay) and one with
lower reproductive output that was forecast to decline (Bunbury). We
assessed genetic variation in the two populations by sequencing the MHC
class II DQB, which encompasses the functionally important peptide binding
regions (PBR). Neutral genetic diversity was assessed by genotyping
twenty‐three microsatellite loci. We confirmed that MHC is an adaptive
marker in both populations. Overall, the Shark Bay population exhibited
greater MHC diversity than the Bunbury population—for example, it
displayed greater MHC nucleotide diversity. In contrast, the difference in
microsatellite diversity between the two populations was comparatively
low. Our findings are consistent with the hypothesis that viable
populations typically display greater genetic diversity than less viable
populations. The results also suggest that MHC variation is more closely
associated with population viability than neutral genetic variation.
Although the inferences from our findings are limited, because we only
compared two populations, our results add to a growing number of studies
that highlight the usefulness of MHC as a potentially suitable genetic
marker for animal conservation. The Shark Bay population, which carries
greater adaptive genetic diversity than the Bunbury population, is thus
likely more robust to natural or human‐induced changes to the coastal
ecosystem it inhabits.