Gene GIS: Computational Tools for Spatial Analyses of DNA Profiles with Associated Photo-Identification and Telemetry Records of Marine Mammals.

摘要

We will develop computation tools for improved visual exploration and spatial analysis of DNA profiles, with accompanying photo-identification records or telemetry tracks of marine mammals. Developments will include an integrated Geographic Information System (GIS) data model with an enhanced Graphical User Interface (GUI) for a stand-alone program within an ArcGIS framework and a web-based program in a more broadly accessible format for displaying individual identification photographs and information from linked DNA profiles. Referred to as geneGIS, the program will provide the ability to display, browse, select, filter and summarize spatial or temporal relationships of these individual-based records and associated datasets. A toolbox of software applications will allow basic summaries of spatially selected data and export of data in most standard formats (e.g., XLS, CSV, MDB, KML), as well as individual formats required for programs commonly used in genetic analyses of population differentiation, capture-recapture estimates of abundance, population assignment of individuals and estimates of kinship or parentage. The data formatting will comply with OBIS standards and the software architecture will be compatible with the Arc Marine model, providing a link with other datasets and tools needed for an integrated description of the genetic and environmental seascape of cetaceans. We will implement geneGIS and the web- based application using DNA profiles and photo-identification records derived from an ocean-wide survey of humpback whales in the North Pacific (SPLASH), providing a comprehensive description of a complex migratory population. Such a description will be suitable for informing conceptual models of cetacean populations, including the Population Consequences of Acoustic Disturbance (PCAD) and the Testing of Spatial Structure Methods (TOSSM).