Using Isoelectric Focusing to Discern Enzyme Variation in Northeast Atlantic Stocks of the Harp Seal (Phoca Groenlandica)

Abstract

Liver and/or muscle samples were collected from harp seals on the breeding and moulting grounds in the White Sea area (N = 316) and in the Greenland Sea (N = 225). Of a total of 25 presumptive loci detected by isoelectric focusing on polyacrylamide gels (IFPAG), 11 were variable. Of these, 4 were polymorphic at the 95% level, another 2 at the 99% level. The study shows that the higher resolving capacity obtained by IFPAG, as compared to starch gel electrophoresis, increases the number of electrophoretically detectable polymorphic loci in this species. The paper also compiles a set of methodical modifications which adapt IFPAG to large scale multilocus screening. The study indicates no marked differences between the White Sea and Greenland Sea stocks in frequency distributions of the consistently resolved enzyme systems. Other evidence suggests that potential exchange of genetic material between Northeast Atlantic harp seal stocks may still be so limited that for management purposes the stocks may be regarded as separate and self‐sustaining units. Copyright © 1994, Wiley Blackwell. All rights reserved