Data from: Long-term isolation at a low effective population size greatly reduced genetic diversity in Gulf of California fin whales

The Gulf of California, Mexico is home to many cetacean species, including
a presumed resident population of fin whales, Balaenoptera physalus. Past
studies reported very low levels of genetic diversity among Gulf of
California fin whales and a significant level of genetic differentiation
from con-specifics in the eastern North Pacific. The aim of the present
study was to assess the degree and timing of the isolation of Gulf of
California fin whales in a population genetic analysis of 18 nuclear
microsatellite genotypes from 402 samples and 565 mitochondrial control
region DNA sequences (including mitochondrial sequences retrieved from
NCBI). The analyses revealed that the Gulf of California fin whale
population was founded ~2.3 thousand years ago and has since remained at a
low effective population size (~360) and isolated from the eastern North
Pacific (Nem between 0.89–1.4). The low effective population size and high
degree of isolation implied that Gulf of California fin whales are
vulnerable to the negative effects of genetic drift, human-caused
mortality and habitat change.