Skip to content
Home
About Us
Resources
Profiles Metrics
Authors Directory
Institutions Directory
Top Authors
Top Institutions
Top Sponsors
AI Digest
Contact Us
Menu
Home
About Us
Resources
Profiles Metrics
Authors Directory
Institutions Directory
Top Authors
Top Institutions
Top Sponsors
AI Digest
Contact Us
Home
About Us
Resources
Profiles Metrics
Authors Directory
Institutions Directory
Top Authors
Top Institutions
Top Sponsors
AI Digest
Contact Us
Menu
Home
About Us
Resources
Profiles Metrics
Authors Directory
Institutions Directory
Top Authors
Top Institutions
Top Sponsors
AI Digest
Contact Us
Publication Details
AFRICAN RESEARCH NEXUS
SHINING A SPOTLIGHT ON AFRICAN RESEARCH
agricultural and biological sciences
Genetic structure of populations of whale sharks among ocean basins and evidence for their historic rise and recent decline
Molecular Ecology, Volume 23, No. 10, Year 2014
Notification
URL copied to clipboard!
Description
This study presents genetic evidence that whale sharks, Rhincodon typus, are comprised of at least two populations that rarely mix and is the first to document a population expansion. Relatively high genetic structure is found when comparing sharks from the Gulf of Mexico with sharks from the Indo-Pacific. If mixing occurs between the Indian and Atlantic Oceans, it is not sufficient to counter genetic drift. This suggests whale sharks are not all part of a single global metapopulation. The significant population expansion we found was indicated by both microsatellite and mitochondrial DNA. The expansion may have happened during the Holocene, when tropical species could expand their range due to sea-level rise, eliminating dispersal barriers and increasing plankton productivity. However, the historic trend of population increase may have reversed recently. Declines in genetic diversity are found for 6 consecutive years at Ningaloo Reef in Australia. The declines in genetic diversity being seen now in Australia may be due to commercial-scale harvesting of whale sharks and collision with boats in past decades in other countries in the Indo-Pacific. The study findings have implications for models of population connectivity for whale sharks and advocate for continued focus on effective protection of the world's largest fish at multiple spatial scales. © 2014 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.
Authors & Co-Authors
Vignaud, Thomas M.
France, Papetoai
Centre de Recherches Insulaires et Observatoire de L’environnement
Maynard, Jeffrey Allen
France, Papetoai
Centre de Recherches Insulaires et Observatoire de L’environnement
United States, Ithaca
Cornell University
Leblois, Raphaël
France, Montferrier-sur-lez
Centre de Biologie Pour la Gestion Des Populations Cbgp
Meekan, Mark Gregory
Australia, Perth
The University of Western Australia
Vázquez-Juárez, Ricardo
Mexico, La Paz
Centro de Investigaciones Biologicas Del Noroeste
Ramírez-Macías, Dení
Mexico, La Paz
Centro de Investigaciones Biologicas Del Noroeste
Pierce, Simon J.
United States
Marine Megafauna Foundation
Rowat, David R.L.
Seychelles, Mahe
Marine Conservation Society Seychelles
Berumen, Michael L.
Saudi Arabia, Thuwal
King Abdullah University of Science and Technology
Beeravolu, Champak
France, Montferrier-sur-lez
Centre de Biologie Pour la Gestion Des Populations Cbgp
Baksay, Sandra
France, Papetoai
Centre de Recherches Insulaires et Observatoire de L’environnement
Planes, Serge
France, Papetoai
Centre de Recherches Insulaires et Observatoire de L’environnement
Statistics
Citations: 87
Authors: 12
Affiliations: 8
Identifiers
Doi:
10.1111/mec.12754
ISSN:
09621083
e-ISSN:
1365294X
Research Areas
Genetics And Genomics
Study Design
Cross Sectional Study