Mucus: aiding elasmobranch conservation through non-invasive genetic sampling

Lilian Lieber; Simon Berrow; Emmett Johnston; Graham Hall; Jackie Hall; Chrysoula Gubili; David W. Sims; Catherine S. Jones; Leslie R. Noble

doi:10.3354/esr00524

ESR

Endangered Species Research

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ESR 21:215-222 (2013) - DOI: https://doi.org/10.3354/esr00524

Mucus: aiding elasmobranch conservation through non-invasive genetic sampling

Lilian Lieber^1,^†, Simon Berrow^2,3,^†, Emmett Johnston², Graham Hall⁴, Jackie Hall⁴, Chrysoula Gubili^1,8, David W. Sims^5,6,7, Catherine S. Jones^1,‡, Leslie R. Noble^1,*^,‡

¹Institute of Biological and Environmental Sciences, School of Biological Sciences, University of Aberdeen, Aberdeen AB24 2TZ, Scotland
²Irish Basking Shark Project, Buncrana, Co. Donegal, Ireland
³Marine and Freshwater Research Centre, Galway-Mayo Institute of Technology, Dublin Road, Galway, Ireland
⁴Manx Basking Shark Watch, Manx Wildlife Trust, Isle of Man IM4 3AE, UK
⁵Marine Biological Association of the United Kingdom, The Laboratory, Citadel Hill, Plymouth, Devon PL1 2PB, UK
⁶Ocean and Earth Science, National Oceanography Centre Southampton, University of Southampton, Waterfront Campus, Southampton SO14 3ZH, UK
⁷Centre for Biological Sciences, Building 85, University of Southampton, Highfield Campus, Southampton SO17 1BJ, UK
⁸Present address: Faculty of Environmental Design, University of Calgary, 2500 University Drive NW, Alberta T2N 1N4, Canada

*Corresponding author. Email: l.r.noble@abdn.ac.uk
†These authors contributed equally; ‡Joint last authors

ABSTRACT: Large-scale genetic sampling by non-invasive methods is of vital importance for the conservation of vulnerable or elusive species. In the marine environment, non-invasive genetic sampling can provide a powerful alternative to conventional biopsies. We designed and implemented mucus swabbing for a free-ranging elasmobranch, thereby demonstrating the utility of this method in the field. We report the first attempt at mucus collection from 30 plankton-feeding basking sharks Cetorhinus maximus from 3 spatially distinct ‘hotspots’ in Irish waters. C. maximus DNA was successfully extracted and verified using DNA barcoding of the mitochondrial DNA cytochrome c oxidase 1 gene (99% sequence similarity) and basking shark species-specific multiplex PCRs derived from the nuclear ribosomal internal transcribed spacer 2 locus. Mitochondrial control region sequencing (1086 bp) showed that Irish samples were dominated by 2 haplotypes previously found to be globally distributed. Additionally, 1 novel haplotype was defined from western County Kerry. On-going genetic tagging will eventually provide more accurate estimates of global basking shark population structuring, abundance and behavioural ecology.

KEY WORDS: Non-invasive sampling · Mucus swabs · Basking shark · Cetorhinus maximus · Elasmobranchs · Genetic monitoring

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Cite this article as: Lieber L, Berrow S, Johnston E, Hall G and others (2013) Mucus: aiding elasmobranch conservation through non-invasive genetic sampling. Endang Species Res 21:215-222. https://doi.org/10.3354/esr00524

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ESR 21:215-222 (2013) - DOI: https://doi.org/10.3354/esr00524

Mucus: aiding elasmobranch conservation through non-invasive genetic sampling

Lilian Lieber1,†, Simon Berrow2,3,†, Emmett Johnston2, Graham Hall4, Jackie Hall4, Chrysoula Gubili1,8, David W. Sims5,6,7, Catherine S. Jones1,‡, Leslie R. Noble1,*,‡

Lilian Lieber^1,^†, Simon Berrow^2,3,^†, Emmett Johnston², Graham Hall⁴, Jackie Hall⁴, Chrysoula Gubili^1,8, David W. Sims^5,6,7, Catherine S. Jones^1,‡, Leslie R. Noble^1,*^,‡