Carcharodon carcharias (White Shark)
Credit: Katie Moon
about the species
The white shark genome project is one with both conservation and scientific implications. Being apex predators, white sharks exert top down control of their ecosystem but a number of aspects of their life history and ecology make them extremely vulnerable (e.g. long lifespans and generation times, sea surface temperature sensitivity, long migration routes) and the species is in decline worldwide. Further complicating conservation efforts is that their protection is internationally administered (with serious consequences for efficacy) and the market for white sharks in fisheries remains a constant threat.
why species was selected
Despite being circumglobally distributed with considerable migratory potential, tracking and genetic data suggest the white shark population off the coast of California is very small and genetically distinct, and therefore potentially inbred. Little is known about the extent of population structure in the species, and so any genomic study aiming to quantify this would be of great interest to worldwide conservation efforts.
