Microsatellite analyses of blacktip reef sharks (Carcharhinus melanopterus) in a fragmented environment show structured clusters
| Autor: | Thomas Vignaud, Johann Mourier, Jeffrey Maynard, Eric Clua, Serge Planes |
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| Rok vydání: | 2011 |
| Předmět: |
Male
Population Dynamics lcsh:Medicine Population genetics Marine Conservation Behavioral Ecology Effective population size Relative Abundance Distribution lcsh:Science Conservation Science Islands education.field_of_study Multidisciplinary biology Ecology Marine Ecology Biodiversity Community Ecology Multigene Family Genetic structure Female Research Article Gene Flow Ecological Metrics Population Reef shark Marine Biology Polynesia Genetic drift Marine Monitoring Genetics Animals education Biology Ecosystem Population Density Carcharhinus melanopterus lcsh:R Bayes Theorem Species Diversity biology.organism_classification Marine Environments Genetics Population Sharks Biological dispersal lcsh:Q Population Genetics Microsatellite Repeats Ecological Environments |
| Zdroj: | PLoS ONE PLoS ONE, Vol 8, Iss 4, p e61067 (2013) |
| ISSN: | 1932-6203 |
| Popis: | The population dynamics of shark species are generally poorly described because highly mobile marine life is challenging to investigate. Here we investigate the genetic population structure of the blacktip reef shark (Carcharhinus melanopterus) in French Polynesia. Five demes were sampled from five islands with different inter-island distances (50-1500 km). Whether dispersal occurs between islands frequently enough to prevent moderate genetic structure is unknown. We used 11 microsatellites loci from 165 individuals and a strong genetic structure was found among demes with both F-statistics and Bayesian approaches. This differentiation is correlated with the geographic distance between islands. It is likely that the genetic structure seen is the result of all or some combination of the following: low gene flow, time since divergence, small effective population sizes, and the standard issues with the extent to which mutation models actually fit reality. We suggest low levels of gene flow as at least a partial explanation of the level of genetic structure seen among the sampled blacktip demes. This explanation is consistent with the ecological traits of blacktip reef sharks, and that the suitable habitat for blacktips in French Polynesia is highly fragmented. Evidence for spatial genetic structure of the blacktip demes we studied highlights that similar species may have populations with as yet undetected or underestimated structure. Shark biology and the market for their fins make them highly vulnerable and many species are in rapid decline. Our results add weight to the case that total bans on shark fishing are a better conservation approach for sharks than marine protected area networks. |
| Databáze: | OpenAIRE |
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