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Diet and condition of mesopredators on coral reefs in relation to shark abundance
Published on 19. April 2017 Diet and condition of mesopredators on coral reefs in relation to shark abundance Shanta C. Barley, Mark G. Meekan, Jessica J. Meeuwig ABSTRACT: Reef sharks may influence the foraging behaviour of mesopredatory teleosts on coral reefs via both risk effects and competitive exclusion. We used a “natural experiment” to test
Genetic structure and signatures of selection in grey reef sharks
Published on 19. April 2017 Genetic structure and signatures of selection in grey reef sharks (Carcharhinus amblyrhynchos) P Momigliano, R Harcourt, W D Robbins, V Jaiteh, G N Mahardika, A Sembiring, A Stow ABSTRACT: With overfishing reducing the abundance of marine predators in multiple marine ecosystems, knowledge of genetic structure and local adaptation may provide
Spatial overlap of shark nursery areas and the salmon farming industry
Published online on 18. April 2017 Spatial overlap of shark nursery areas and the salmon farming industry influences the trophic ecology of Squalus acanthias on the southern coast of Chile Juan Diego Gaitán-Espitia, Daniela Gómez, Alistair J. Hobday, Ross Daley, Julio Lamilla, Leyla Cárdenas ABSTRACT: Potential interactions between marine predators and humans arise in the
A Brief Look at Human Impacts on Sharks
Published on 05. April 2017 A Brief Look at Human Impacts on Sharks Strickland J. ABSTRACT: This brief review examines the many human activities that threaten sharks, their impacts, and the implications for the ecosystems that rely upon these apex predators. As keystone species, sharks play a crucial role in maintaining healthy ecosystems by asserting
No persistent behavioural effects of SCUBA diving on reef sharks
Published on 13. March 2017 No persistent behavioural effects of SCUBA diving on reef sharks Darcy Bradley, Yannis P. Papastamatiou, Jennifer E. Caselle ABSTRACT: Despite rapid growth in the marine tourism sector, the impacts of recreation on the marine environment are generally not well understood. Most existing studies of marine recreation ecology have focused on
Molecular basis of ancestral vertebrate electroreception
Published online on 06. March 2017 Molecular basis of ancestral vertebrate electroreception Nicholas W. Bellono, Duncan B. Leitch, David Julius ABSTRACT: Elasmobranch fishes, including sharks, rays, and skates, use specialized electrosensory organs called ampullae of Lorenzini to detect extremely small changes in environmental electric fields. Electrosensory cells within these ampullae can discriminate and respond to
Preliminary recovery of coastal sharks in the south-east United States
Published online on 10. February 2017 Preliminary recovery of coastal sharks in the south-east United States Cassidy D Peterson, Carolyn N Belcher, Dana M Bethea, William B Driggers III, Bryan S Frazier, Robert J Latour ABSTRACT: Relative abundance of many shark species in the Atlantic is assessed by compiling data from several independently conducted, but
Horizontal and vertical movements of Caribbean reef sharks
Published on 15. February 2017 Horizontal and vertical movements of Caribbean reef sharks (Carcharhinus perezi): conservation implications of limited migration in a marine sanctuary Oliver N. Shipley, Lucy A. Howey, Emily R. Tolentino, Lance K. B. Jordan, Jonathan L. W. Ruppert, Edward J. Brooks ABSTRACT: Despite the ecological and economic importance of the Caribbean reef
Long-term satellite tracking reveals variable seasonal migration strategies of basking sharks in the north-east Atlantic
Published on 20. February 2017 Long-term satellite tracking reveals variable seasonal migration strategies of basking sharks in the north-east Atlantic P. D. Doherty, J. M. Baxter, F. R. Gell, B. J. Godley, R. T. Graham, G. Hall, J. Hall, L. A. Hawkes, S. M. Henderson, L. Johnson, C. Speedie, M. J. Witt ABSTRACT: Animal migration
Resetting predator baselines in coral reef ecosystems
Published on 21. February 2017 Resetting predator baselines in coral reef ecosystems Darcy Bradley, Eric Conklin, Yannis P. Papastamatiou, Douglas J. McCauley, Kydd Pollock, Amanda Pollock, Bruce E. Kendall, Steven D. Gaines, Jennifer E. Caselle ABSTRACT: What did coral reef ecosystems look like before human impacts became pervasive? Early efforts to reconstruct baselines resulted in
Towards sustainable fishery management for skates in South America
Published on 16. February 2017 Towards sustainable fishery management for skates in South America: The genetic population structure of Zearaja chilensis and Dipturus trachyderma (Chondrichthyes, Rajiformes) in the south-east Pacific Ocean Carolina Vargas-Caro, Carlos Bustamante, Michael B. Bennett, Jennifer R. Ovenden ABSTRACT: The longnose skates (Zearaja chilensis and Dipturus trachyderma) are the main component of
Semi-automated software for dorsal fin photographic identification of marine species: Carcharodon carcharias
Published on 21. January 2017 Semi-automated software for dorsal fin photographic identification of marine species: application to Carcharodon carcharias S. Andreotti, P. Holtzhausen, M. Rutzen, M. Meÿer, S. van der Walt, B. Herbst, C. A. Matthee ABSTRACT: When dealing with large marine species, individual photographic identification plays a very important part in capture–mark–recapture studies. The
The contemporary economic value of elasmobranchs in The Bahamas
Published on 30. January 2017 The contemporary economic value of elasmobranchs in The Bahamas: Reaping the rewards of 25 years of stewardship and conservation Andrea R. Haas, Tony Fedler, Edward J. Brooks ABSTRACT: Elasmobranch populations in The Bahamas offer a unique juxtaposition to the widespread decline of many species around the world, largely due to
Bright spots of sustainable shark fishing
Published on 06. February 2017 Bright spots of sustainable shark fishing Colin A. Simpfendorfer, Nicholas K. Dulvy SUMMARY: Sharks, rays and chimeras (class Chondrichthyes; herein ‘sharks’) today face possibly the largest crisis of their 420 million year history. Tens of millions of sharks are caught and traded internationally each year, many populations are overfished to
Assessing the effectiveness of a large marine protected area for reef shark conservation
Published online 31 January 2017 Assessing the effectiveness of a large marine protected area for reef shark conservation Timothy D. White, Aaron B. Carlisle, David A. Kroodsma, Barbara A. Block, Renato Casagrandi, Giulio A. De Leo, Marino Gatto, Fiorenza Micheli, Douglas J. McCauley ABSTRACT: Large marine protected areas (MPAs) have recently been established throughout the