Minimizing Stress in White Sharks: Non-Invasive Epidermal Biopsies for Isotopic and Vitellogenin Analyses.

ABSTRACT: The great white shark (Carcharodon carcharias), a keystone predator vital to marine ecosystem stability, is increasingly exposed to anthropogenic threats, including endocrine-disrupting chemicals (EDCs). This study highlights the use of non-invasive epidermal biopsies to assess physiological and ecological parameters in 28 live specimens sampled from the Dyer Island Nature Reserve, South Africa. Epidermal tissue was analyzed for vitellogenin (Vtg), a biomarker of estrogenic exposure, while dermal tissue was used for stable isotope analyses of carbon and nitrogen, essential for understanding the feeding habitat of white sharks. Vitellogenin, typically restricted to sexually mature females, was unexpectedly detected in males and immature females, indicating significant exposure to est

SUBMITTER: Consales G 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC11852308 | biostudies-literature | 2025 Feb

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature