Parthenogenesis in a large-bodied requiem shark, the blacktip Carcharhinus limbatus

Authors: Chapman; Firchau¹; Shivji²

Source: Journal of Fish Biology, Volume 73, Number 6, October 2008 , pp. 1473-1477(5)

Publisher: Blackwell Publishing

Key:

- Free Content

- New Content

- Subscribed Content

- Free Trial Content

Abstract:

Genetic evidence is provided for parthenogenesis in a large-bodied shark, the blacktip Carcharhinus limbatus, from the speciose and commercially important family Carcharhinidae, the first verified case of asexual development in this lineage and only the second for any chondrichthyan. The parthenogenetic embryo exhibited elevated homozygosity relative to its mother, indicating that automictic parthenogenesis is the most likely mechanism. Although this finding shows that parthenogenesis is more common and widespread in sharks than previously realized and supports the early existence of parthenogenetic abilities in vertebrates, the adaptive significance of automixis in these ancient fishes remains unclear.

Keywords: automixis; Carcharhinidae; diversity; evolution; genetic management

Document Type: Research article

DOI: 10.1111/j.1095-8649.2008.02018.x

Affiliations: 1: Virginia Aquarium & Marine Science Center, 717 General Booth Boulevard, Virginia Beach, VA 23451, U.S.A. 2: Guy Harvey Research Institute, Oceanographic Center, Nova Southeastern University, 8000 North Ocean Drive, Dania Beach, FL 33004, U.S.A.

The full text electronic article is available for purchase. You will be able to download the full text electronic article after payment.

$50.16 plus tax Refund Policy

Key:

- Free Content

- New Content

- Subscribed Content

- Free Trial Content

Share this item with others: These icons link to social bookmarking sites where readers can share and discover new web pages.

Click here for Page Help

Advanced search

Search History

Tools

Need to register?
Sign up here

Text size: A | A | A | A