Identification of species of sharks, through DNA Barcoding commercially exploited in the coast of São Paulo

Author(s)

Maíce Giovanini Ramos

• Document type: Master's Dissertation
• Press: Botucatu. 2017-04-11.
• Institution: Universidade Estadual Paulista (Unesp). Instituto de Biociências. Botucatu
• Defense date: 2016-06-24
• Advisor: Fábio Porto Foresti

Abstract

Nowadays we are in a race between the description of the Earth's biodiversity and extinction. It is estimated that most of this biodiversity is being extinguished before being described. Among this great diversity, fishes are vertebrate’s greatest evolutionary success, featuring a striking diversity. Sharks, for example, are characterized as top predators of the food chain. There are 500 described species of them and more and more new discoveries are made with respect to new species. However, shark populations are declining due to unbridled consumption of their fins by the market and Asian trade. Moreover, the practice of removing the head and body part adds great difficulty in morphological identification. The mischaracterization can make it difficult or, in the case of some species, even impossible identification. Therefore, the need to identify species faster and more efficiently led to the development of molecular markers that can serve as support for the monitoring and control of trading of these animals. One such tool is the DNA barcode. It was used in this work for fins identification collected at fish markets in some cities such as Santos, Ubatuba and Cananéia from São Paulo State. Firstly, the sequencing of the mitochondrial gene Cytochrome Oxidase subunit I was made. Afterwards the sequences were analyzed in the System BOLD site for species identification. It was possible to identify 13 different species, some of them in Appendix II of CITES, IUCN red list and the official list of endangered species of the Ministry of Environment. Observing the great need for greater oversight regarding their catch. A comparison was also made to identify which species were more collected and are no longer, inferring over-fishing of some of the remaining species. Finally, besides the characterization of regional fisheries exploitation, molecular identification techniques may enable more comprehensive statistics to determine the right exploration levels per species and allowing the implementation of management plans and organization of fisheries exploitation. (AU)

• FAPESP's process: 14/00552-6 - DNA barcoding to identify species of sharks exploited commercially on the coast São Paulo
• Grantee: Maíce Giovanini Ramos
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships in Brazil - Master