New insights into population structure, demographic history, and effective population size of the critically endangered blue shark Prionace glauca in the Mediterranean Sea.

ABSTRACT: The blue shark, Prionace glauca, is the most abundant pelagic shark in the open ocean but its vulnerability remains poorly understood while being one of the most fecund sharks. In the Mediterranean Sea, the blue shark is listed as Critically Endangered (CR) by the International Union for Conservation of Nature. The species is facing a strong decline due to fishing, and scientific data regarding its genetic structure and vulnerability are still lacking. Here, we investigated the genetic diversity, demographic history, and population structure of the blue shark within the Mediterranean Sea, from samples of the Gulf of Lion and Malta, using sequences of the mtDNA control region and 22 microsatellite markers. We also compared our mitochondrial data to previous studies to examine the Atlantic-M

SUBMITTER: Dolfo V 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC11182550 | biostudies-literature | 2024

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature