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Antipodean white sharks on a Mediterranean walkabout? Historical dispersal leads to genetic discontinuity and an endangered anomalous population.

ABSTRACT: The provenance of white sharks (Carcharodon carcharias) in the Mediterranean is both a conundrum and an important conservation issue. Considering this species's propensity for natal philopatry, any evidence that the Mediterranean stock has little or no contemporary immigration from the Atlantic would suggest that it is extraordinarily vulnerable. To address this issue we sequenced the mitochondrial control region of four rare Mediterranean white sharks. Unexpectedly, the juvenile sequences were identical although collected at different locations and times, showing little genetic differentiation from Indo-Pacific lineages, but strong separation from geographically closer Atlantic/western Indian Ocean haplotypes. Historical long-distance dispersal (probably a consequence of navigational error during past climatic oscillations) and potential founder effects are invoked to explain the anomalous relationships of this isolated 'sink' population, highlighting the present vulnerability of its nursery grounds.

SUBMITTER: Gubili C

PROVIDER: S-EPMC3081765 | biostudies-literature | 2011 Jun

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature

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Antipodean white sharks on a Mediterranean walkabout? Historical dispersal leads to genetic discontinuity and an endangered anomalous population.

Gubili Chrysoula C Bilgin Rasit R Kalkan Evrim E Karhan S Ünsal SÜ Jones Catherine S CS Sims David W DW Kabasakal Hakan H Martin Andrew P AP Noble Leslie R LR

Proceedings. Biological sciences 20101117 1712

The provenance of white sharks (Carcharodon carcharias) in the Mediterranean is both a conundrum and an important conservation issue. Considering this species's propensity for natal philopatry, any evidence that the Mediterranean stock has little or no contemporary immigration from the Atlantic would suggest that it is extraordinarily vulnerable. To address this issue we sequenced the mitochondrial control region of four rare Mediterranean white sharks. Unexpectedly, the juvenile sequences were ...[more]

PMID: 21084352

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Project description:Abstract Aim Habitat loss and fragmentation impose high extinction risk upon endangered plant species globally. For many endangered plant species, as the remnant habitats become smaller and more fragmented, it is vital to estimate the population spread rate of small patches in order to effectively manage and preserve them for potential future range expansion. However, population spread rate has rarely been quantified at the patch level to inform conservation strategies and management decisions. To close this gap, we quantify the patch‐specific seed dispersal and local population dynamics of Minuartia smejkalii, which is a critically endangered plant species endemic in the Czech Republic and is of urgent conservation concern. Location Želivka and Hrnčíře, Czechia. Methods We conducted demographic analyses using population projection matrices with long‐term demographic data and used an analytic mechanistic dispersal model to simulate seed dispersal. We then used information on local population dynamics and seed dispersal to estimate the population spread rate and compared the relative contributions of seed dispersal and population growth rate to the population spread rate. Results We found that although both seed dispersal and population growth rate in M. smejkalii were critically limited, the population spread rate depended more strongly on the maximal dispersal distance than on the population growth rate. Main conclusions We recommend conservationists to largely increase the dispersal distance of M. smejkalii. Generally, efforts made to increase seed dispersal ability could largely raise efficiency and effectiveness of conservation actions for critically endangered plant species. To inform conservation strategies and management decisions of the critically endangered Minuartia smejkalii, we quantify its patch‐specific population spread rate by determining seed dispersal and local population dynamics in each remnant patch. We found that although both seed dispersal and population growth rate in M. smejkalii were critically limited, the population spread rate depended more strongly on the maximal dispersal distance than on the population growth rate. We recommend conservationists to largely increase the dispersal distance of M. smejkalii, and we believe that efforts made to increase seed dispersal ability could largely raise efficiency and effectiveness of conservation actions for critically endangered plant species in general.

Dataset Information

Antipodean white sharks on a Mediterranean walkabout? Historical dispersal leads to genetic discontinuity and an endangered anomalous population.

Publications

Antipodean white sharks on a Mediterranean walkabout? Historical dispersal leads to genetic discontinuity and an endangered anomalous population.

Similar Datasets

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