Evidence of Fine‐Scale Genetic Structure in Tiger Sharks (Galeocerdo cuvier) Highlights the Importance of Stratified Sampling Regimes

Jessica J. Fish; Christine Dudgeon; Adam Barnett; Paul A. Butcher; Bonnie J. Holmes; Charlie Huveneers; Lauren Meyer; Laurent Vigliola; Craig D. H. Sherman; Adam D. Miller

doi:10.1111/eva.70117

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Evidence of Fine‐Scale Genetic Structure in Tiger Sharks (Galeocerdo cuvier) Highlights the Importance of Stratified Sampling Regimes

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Evidence of Fine‐Scale Genetic Structure in Tiger Sharks (Galeocerdo cuvier) Highlights the Importance of Stratified Sampling Regimes

Jessica J. Fish, Christine Dudgeon, Adam Barnett, Paul A. Butcher, Bonnie J. Holmes, Charlie Huveneers, Lauren Meyer, Laurent Vigliola, Craig D. H. Sherman and Adam D. Miller

Evolutionary Applications, Vol.18(6), pp.1-12

2025

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1111/eva.70117

PMCID: PMC12146213

PMID: 40495934

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Abstract

eastern Australia

elasmobranch

local genetic structure

ontogeny

population genomics

sex

Understanding the biological connections between populations is essential to wildlife management and conservation. Genetic studies play a central role in characterizing these connections, but typically require stratified sampling regimes to assess the spatial extent and strength of gene flow, and the relative influences of sex and ontogeny on patterns of connectivity. Yet, this can be challenging in some study systems, particularly in large marine species such as sharks, where genetic studies often rely on opportunistic and/or sampling conducted over large spatial scales. We demonstrate the importance of stratified sampling to identify previously undetected genetic structure in tiger sharks (Galeocerdo cuvier) off eastern Australia, where panmixia has been previously reported. We performed population genomic analyses on 414 tiger sharks, representing males and females and both juvenile‐subadult and adult‐life stages, and 21 locations spanning approximately 3000 km of eastern Australia and the Indo‐Pacific region. Similar to previous studies, we demonstrate a lack of overall genetic structure across the sampling area; however, our analysis shows evidence of spatial autocorrelation and local genetic structuring in juvenile‐subadult female tiger sharks. These results point to potential influences of sex and ontogeny on patterns of population genetic structure and connectivity in Australian tiger sharks. We discuss these findings in the context of essential habitats supporting tiger shark populations and risks of overstating the strength of biological connections among shark populations in the absence of appropriate sampling regimes.

Details

Title: Evidence of Fine‐Scale Genetic Structure in Tiger Sharks (Galeocerdo cuvier) Highlights the Importance of Stratified Sampling Regimes
Authors: Jessica J. Fish - Deakin University
Christine Dudgeon - University of the Sunshine Coast, Queensland, School of Science, Technology and Engineering
Adam Barnett - Biopixel Oceans Foundation (Australia)
Paul A. Butcher - Deakin University
Bonnie J. Holmes - University of the Sunshine Coast, Queensland, School of Science, Technology and Engineering
Charlie Huveneers - Flinders University
Lauren Meyer - Flinders University
Laurent Vigliola - Institut de Recherche pour le Développement
Craig D. H. Sherman - Deakin University
Adam D. Miller (Corresponding Author) - Flinders University
Publication details: Evolutionary Applications, Vol.18(6), pp.1-12
Publisher: Wiley-Blackwell Publishing, Inc.
Date published: 2025
DOI: 10.1111/eva.70117
ISSN: 1752-4571
PMID: 40495934; PMC12146213
Copyright note: © 2025 The Author(s). Evolutionary Applications published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd. This is an open access article under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits use, distribution and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.
Data Availability: Files containing filtered SNPs used for population genomic analyses are deposited in the Zenodo archive for samples from New Caledonia (https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.14279842) and in the Dryad archive for all other samples (https://doi.org/10.5061/dryad.1rn8pk128).
Grant note: This project was funded and supported by the Queensland Government, New South Wales Department of Primary and Regional Development – Shark Management Program, and Deakin University.
Organisation Unit: School of Science, Technology and Engineering
Language: English
Record Identifier: 991136304402621
Output Type: Journal article

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Collaboration types: Domestic collaboration; International collaboration
Web Of Science research areas: Evolutionary Biology

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