Low Worldwide Genetic Diversity in the Basking Shark (Cetorhinus maximus)

Authors

• A. Rus Hoelzel, University of Durham - United Kingdom
• Mahmood S. Shivji, Nova Southeastern UniversityFollow
• Jennifer E. Magnussen, Nova Southeastern University
• Malcom Francis, National Institute of Water and Atmospheric Research - New Zealand

ResearcherID

G-4080-2013

Document Type

Article

Publication Title

Biology Letters

ISSN

1744-9561

Publication Date

12-22-2006

Keywords

Biodiversity, Marine fish, Sharks, Mitochondrial DNA

Abstract

The basking shark (Cetorhinus maximus) is found in temperate waters throughout the world's oceans, and has been subjected to extensive exploitation in some regions. However, little is known about its current abundance and genetic status. Here, we investigate the diversity of the mitochondrial DNA control region among samples from the western North Atlantic, eastern North Atlantic, Mediterranean Sea, Indian Ocean and western Pacific. We find just six haplotypes defined by five variable sites, a comparatively low genetic diversity of π=0.0013 and no significant differentiation between ocean basins. We provide evidence for a bottleneck event within the Holocene, estimate an effective population size (N_e) that is low for a globally distributed species, and discuss the implications.

DOI

10.1098/rsbl.2006.0513

Volume

2

Issue

4

First Page

639

Last Page

642

Comments

©2006 The Royal Society

NSUWorks Citation

Hoelzel, A. Rus; Mahmood S. Shivji; Jennifer E. Magnussen; and Malcom Francis. 2006. "Low Worldwide Genetic Diversity in the Basking Shark (Cetorhinus maximus)." Biology Letters 2, (4): 639-642. doi:10.1098/rsbl.2006.0513.