{"id":12785,"date":"2017-02-08T12:33:42","date_gmt":"2017-02-08T12:33:42","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/fiualumni.com\/?p=12785"},"modified":"2018-05-08T20:36:57","modified_gmt":"2018-05-08T20:36:57","slug":"12785","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/fiualumni.com\/stay-connected\/alumni-news\/newsroom\/index.php\/2017\/02\/08\/12785\/","title":{"rendered":"Discovered: Possible new species of hammerhead shark"},"content":{"rendered":"

DNA finding could have major implications for conservation<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n

Scientists have discovered what they believe to be a new species of hammerhead shark, prompting concerns about the species\u2019 vulnerability and whether conservation practices in place today are widespread enough to protect them.<\/p>\n

The bonnethead, a small species of hammerhead shark found in the United States, Bahamas, Caribbean and Latin America, has been considered abundant, productive, and widely distributed. However, when scientists recently sequenced the DNA of what they believed to be bonnethead sharks in Belize, they were shocked to find that they are likely an entirely different species based on large genetic differences between them and other bonnetheads in the region.<\/p>\n

\"\"\u201cNow we have to define the range of each of these species individually and assess them independently against where the potential threats are,\u201d said\u00a0FIU marine scientist<\/a>\u00a0Demian Chapman, who is the lead researcher of the team making the discovery. \u201cFor example, there are published reports that bonnetheads have nearly been wiped out by unregulated fishing in Brazil. We do not know which species this is and our finding of a new species in Belize highlights that there could be more undescribed ones out there, each one facing a unique set of threats.\u201dCurrently, the International Union for the Conservation of Nature lists bonnetheads as \u201cLeast Concern\u201d for extinction risk, in part because they are described as a single species spread across a large area. The discovery that there might actually be two species with smaller distributional ranges and overall numbers means scientists must reassess each of their extinction vulnerabilities.<\/p>\n

Currently, Chapman is leading a global shark survey project,\u00a0Global FinPrint<\/a>, a Paul G. Allen initiative that brings together an international research team and collaborators around the world to fill a critical information gap about the diminishing number of sharks and rays. Identifying abundance and diversity of species in a given area are critical components of this work.<\/p>\n

While it can be difficult to determine when one species becomes two, a trait that defines this process is the end of interbreeding between the two groups. The DNA analysis conducted by Andrew Fields from Stony Brook University enabled the team in Belize to estimate bonnethead sharks around the nation stopped interbreeding with those from Mexico, the United States and the Bahamas several million years ago. Over time, genetic differences accumulated between the two groups. While their appearances haven\u2019t changed, their DNA definitely has.<\/p>\n

The data that lead to this definitive finding was obtained in part during a 2016 shark tagging\u00a0expedition, funded by a grant from\u00a0Louis Bacon<\/a>\u2019s\u00a0Moore Bahamas Foundation<\/a>.<\/p>\n

\u201cDiscoveries like this have the potential to significantly advance shark conservation efforts and\u00a0underscore the need for increased protection,\u201d said Louis Bacon, founder and chairman of\u00a0The\u00a0Moore Charitable Foundation<\/a>\u00a0and its affiliates. \u201cWe\u00a0are delighted by this finding and commend the research team on their important work.\u201d<\/p>\n

Bonnethead sharks are commercially fished in the United States, throughout the Caribbean and in\u00a0South America. Currently, only the United States has strong management measures in place for the\u00a0species. While the team is conducting genetic surveys of bonnetheads in the Caribbean and are\u00a0focused on formally describing and naming the new species, they point out that continued efforts\u00a0in DNA sequencing of sharks and rays throughout the world is likely to uncover even more\u00a0unknown species. Currently, citizen scientists can aid the Belize expedition team by participating\u00a0in a\u00a0volunteer program\u00a0hosted by Earthwatch, a global environmental non-profit organization that\u00a0supported the research.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe research team\u2019s discovery of a new shark species is a testament to how much we still need to\u00a0learn about the world we live in,\u201d said Earthwatch CEO Scott Kania. \u201cWhile we can\u2019t anticipate\u00a0breakthrough findings as profound as this one, Earthwatch is committed to connecting citizens\u00a0with scientists who seek to understand and conserve our planet.\u201d<\/p>\n

The research team that made the finding includes scientists from Stony Brook University, Florida International University,\u00a0University of North Florida and the Field Museum of Chicago.<\/p>\n

via FIU News<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

DNA finding could have major implications for conservation Scientists have discovered what they believe to be a new species of hammerhead shark, prompting concerns about the species\u2019 vulnerability and whether conservation practices in place today are widespread enough to protect them. The bonnethead, a small species of hammerhead shark found in the United States, Bahamas, […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":24,"featured_media":12787,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[22],"tags":[381,172],"class_list":["post-12785","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-community","tag-newsletter","tag-research"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/fiualumni.com\/stay-connected\/alumni-news\/newsroom\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/12785"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/fiualumni.com\/stay-connected\/alumni-news\/newsroom\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/fiualumni.com\/stay-connected\/alumni-news\/newsroom\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/fiualumni.com\/stay-connected\/alumni-news\/newsroom\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/24"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/fiualumni.com\/stay-connected\/alumni-news\/newsroom\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=12785"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/fiualumni.com\/stay-connected\/alumni-news\/newsroom\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/12785\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":15063,"href":"https:\/\/fiualumni.com\/stay-connected\/alumni-news\/newsroom\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/12785\/revisions\/15063"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/fiualumni.com\/stay-connected\/alumni-news\/newsroom\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/12787"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/fiualumni.com\/stay-connected\/alumni-news\/newsroom\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=12785"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/fiualumni.com\/stay-connected\/alumni-news\/newsroom\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=12785"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/fiualumni.com\/stay-connected\/alumni-news\/newsroom\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=12785"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}