Cross ocean-basin population genetic dynamics in a pelagic top predator of high conservation concern, the oceanic whitetip shark, Carcharhinus longimanus

The oceanic whitetip shark, Carcharhinus longimanus, is a Critically Endangered, circumtropical, and highly migratory, pelagic shark. Yet, little information exists on its population genetic dynamics to guide conservation management practice. We present a first worldwide, mitochondrial and nuclear DNA assessment of the population genetic status of this imperiled species based on sequences of the complete mitochondrial control region (n = 173) and partial ND4 gene (n = 172), and genotypes from 12 nuclear microsatellites (n = 164). Statistically significant mitochondrial and nuclear DNA population genetic differentiation was detected across all marker datasets between Western Atlantic and Indo-Pacific oceanic whitetip sharks. Additionally, our data, combined with previously published, partial (701-base pairs) mitochondrial control region sequences from additional locations in the Atlantic and Indian Oceans, confirmed significant matrilineal population structure between the Western and Eas..., Oceanic whitetip shark samples were genotyped at 14 microsatellite loci including three loci from Carcharhinus longimanus (OCS_08, OCS_13, OCS_19) previously described by Mendes et al. (2015) and 11 loci isolated in other shark species that also cross-amplified in C. longimanus [Cl13, Cl15, Cl17 from Carcharhinus leucas (Pirog et al. 2015); Cli107 from Keeney and Heist (2003); Cpe141, Cpe334, Cpe352 from Carcharhinus perezi (Bernard et al. 2017); Pgla-02 from Prionace glauca (Fitzpatrick et al. 2011); Ct06 from Carcharhinus tilstoni (Ovenden et al. 2006); and A2ASY, CY92Z from Prionace glauca (Taguchi et al. 2013)]
Electrophoresis of amplified microsatellite loci was performed on an Applied Biosystems 3130 Genetic Analyzer. Alleles were sized using GeneScan LIZ 600 size standard and scored using the software GeneMapper v.3.7 (Applied Biosystems Inc.).

Bernard AM, Horn RL, Chapman DD, Feldheim KA, Garla RC, Brooks EJ, Gore MA, Shivji MS (2017) Genetic connectivity of a coral reef ecosys..., , # Cross ocean-basin population genetic dynamics in a pelagic top predator of high conservation concern, the oceanic whitetip shark, *Carcharhinus longimanus*

---

Abstract
The oceanic whitetip shark, *Carcharhinus longimanus*, is a Critically Endangered, circumtropical, and highly migratory, pelagic shark. Yet,
little information exists on its population genetic dynamics to guide conservation management practice. We present a first worldwide,
mitochondrial and nuclear DNA assessment of the population genetic status of this imperiled species based on sequences of the complete
mitochondrial control region (n = 173) and partial ND4 gene (n = 172), and genotypes from 12 nuclear microsatellites (n = 164). Statistically
significant mitochondrial and nuclear DNA population genetic differentiation was detected across all marker datasets between Western Atlantic
and Indo-Pacific oceanic whitetip sharks. Additionally, our data, combined with previously published, partial (701-base pairs) mitocho...