Low genetic diversity of sharks: natural patterns or induced by exploitation?
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1
São Paulo Federal University, Marine Sciences, Brazil
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2
Instituto Português do Mar e da Atmosfera, IPMA, Portugal
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3
São Paulo State University, Morfology, Brazil
Genetic diversity patterns are extremely relevant components in management plans on threatened species. However, such evaluations typically determine the current variation of this diversity without being able to characterize the magnitude of loss over the time. Considering the increasing number of sharks that have been included in the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species, without prior reviews about the molecular diversity could have been made, we present a comparison of these parameters, using sequences of the control region mitochondrial DNA of 1.016 sharks belonging to three endangered pelagic species (Carcharhinus longimanus, Alopias superciliosus and Sphyrna zygaena) and three not currently threatened (Prionace glauca, Galeocerdo cuvier and Carcharhinus leucas) from the Atlantic Ocean, of regions without signs of population genetic structure. As a result, among the endangered species was observed average nucleotide diversity π=0.00144 and haplotype Hd=0.415. Among the species not threatened such indexes were π=0.00306 and Hd=0753, 53% higher for nucleotide diversity and 45% higher for the haplotype diversity with respect to endangered species. Assessing the diversity loss of a population would imply the use of historical samples collected before population declines. However, this finding of different levels of genetic diversity in endangered species may mean that in sharks the genetic variability might not be naturally low as previously assumed, but may also be the effect of population declines due to human exploitation. Thus, the evolutionary potential of many species of sharks may become compromised even before detecting situations of population collapses.
Acknowledgements
Finnacial support: FAPESP 2011/23787-0 and CNPq 470762/2013
Keywords:
conservation genetics,
molecular diversity,
endangered pelagic sharks species,
control region mitochondrial DNA,
Carcharhinus longimanus,
Alopias superciliosus,
Sphyrna zygaena,
Prionace glauca,
Galeocerdo cuvier,
Carcharhinus leucas
Conference:
XIX Iberian Symposium on Marine Biology Studies, Porto, Portugal, 5 Sep - 9 Sep, 2016.
Presentation Type:
Poster Presentation
Topic:
1. ECOLOGY, BIODIVERSITY AND VULNERABLE ECOSYSTEMS
Citation:
Mendonça
FF,
Coelho
R,
Santos
MN,
De-Franco
BA,
Ferrette
BL,
Morales
M,
De-Biasi
J,
Camargo
SM,
Magalhães
C,
Oliveira
C and
Foresti
F
(2016). Low genetic diversity of sharks: natural patterns or induced by exploitation?.
Front. Mar. Sci.
Conference Abstract:
XIX Iberian Symposium on Marine Biology Studies.
doi: 10.3389/conf.FMARS.2016.05.00109
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Received:
19 Apr 2016;
Published Online:
03 Sep 2016.
*
Correspondence:
Prof. Fernando F Mendonça, São Paulo Federal University, Marine Sciences, Santos, SP, 11030-400, Brazil, fernandoffm@yahoo.com.br