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Special Issue "Rays and Sharks: Biology, Ecology, Conservation and Distribution of Predators"

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A special issue of Biology (ISSN 2079-7737). This special issue belongs to the section "Conservation Biology and Biodiversity".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 16 February 2024 | Viewed by 3816

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Dr. Cristina Porcu

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Guest Editor

Department of Life and Environmental Sciences, University of Cagliari, Via T. Fiorelli, 1, 09126 Cagliari, Italy
Interests: reproduction; histology; anatomy; elasmobranchs
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Dr. Andrea Bellodi

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Department of Life and Environmental Sciences, University of Cagliari, Via T. Fiorelli, 1, 09126 Cagliari, Italy
Interests: age; growth; conservation; elasmobranchs

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Cartilaginous fish (sharks, skates, rays, and chimaeras) occupy the top of aquatic food webs, playing an important functional role in the control of coastal and oceanic ecosystem structure and operation. They are also commonly recognized as extremely evocative species in most of the world’s cultures. Due to their k-selected life history, they are particularly sensitive to habitat degradation, pollution, and changes in biological communities’ compositions (e.g., alien species or biodiversity loss). Moreover, they are considered as bycatch for the majority of worldwide industrial and artisanal fisheries, with low rates of post-release survival, an issue that essentially led to a dramatic decline in many stocks. Nonetheless, data on their stock status still remain poor or nonexistent.

In this Special Issue, we invite contributors to submit research articles on life history traits (e.g., reproduction, age, and growth), trophic ecology, genetic information, and updated data on their distribution in order to collect information helpful to developing conservation plans for these top marine predators.

We look forward to receiving your contributions.

Dr. Cristina Porcu
Dr. Andrea Bellodi
Guest Editors

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Keywords

cartilaginous fish
reproduction
age and growth
trophic ecology
genetic information
conservation
distribution
management

Published Papers (3 papers)

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Research

Open AccessArticle

Ontogenetic Shifts in Body Morphology of Demersal Sharks’ Species (Order: Squaliformes) Inhabiting the Western-Central Mediterranean Sea, with Implications for Their Bio-Ecological Role

and

Maria Cristina Follesa

Biology 2023, 12(8), 1150; https://doi.org/10.3390/biology12081150 - 19 Aug 2023

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Abstract

Several elasmobranch species undergo shifts in body proportions during their ontogenetic growth. Such morphological changes could reflect variation in diet, locomotion, or, more broadly, in the species’ interactions with their environment. However, to date, only a few studies have been conducted on this topic, and most of them focused on particular body regions. In the present study, the ontogenetic growth of five different demersal shark species was investigated by using both traditional linear morphometry of the entire body and shape analysis of the caudal fin. A total of 449 sharks were analysed: 95 little gulper sharks, 80 longnose spurdogs, 103 kitefin sharks, 124 velvet belly lanternsharks, and 47 angular roughsharks. From each specimen, 36 linear morphometric measurements were taken. While a first canonical analysis of principal coordinates ruled out the possibility of different growth patterns between males and females, the same analysis statistically discriminated between small and large individuals in every species based on their morphology. A Similarity Percentage analysis revealed that the most important measurements in distinguishing these two groups were those related to body lengths, indicating that large individuals are more elongated than small individuals. The shape analysis of caudal fins revealed allometric growth during ontogenetic development, with adult individuals having a wider fin (discriminant analysis, p < 0.05). These findings could be related to changes in predatory skills, supporting the hypothesis of a shift in the ecological role that these sharks play in their environment, thus providing new essential information for their conservation. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Rays and Sharks: Biology, Ecology, Conservation and Distribution of Predators)

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Open AccessArticle

Updated Checklist of Chondrichthyan Species in Croatia (Central Mediterranean Sea)

and

Biology 2023, 12(7), 952; https://doi.org/10.3390/biology12070952 - 03 Jul 2023

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Abstract

Almost half of all chondrichthyan species in the Mediterranean Sea are threatened with extinction, according to the IUCN Red List. Due to a substantial lack of access to data on chondrichthyan catches in the Mediterranean Sea, especially of threatened species, the implementation of conservation measures is extremely insufficient. This also concerns the Adriatic Sea. Here we present a detailed and up-to-date assessment of the species occurring in Croatian waters, as the last checklist of chondrichthyans in Croatian waters was conducted in 2009. Occurrence records from historical data, literature and citizen science information have been compiled in order to present a comprehensive list of species occurrences. We found 54 chondrichthyan species between 1822 and 2022, consisting of a single chimaera, 23 rays and skates, and 30 shark species. Here, four additional species are listed but are considered doubtful. Five species are reported here for the first time for Croatian waters that were not listed in the survey from 2009. Nearly one-third of the species reported here are critically endangered in the entire Mediterranean Sea, based on the IUCN Red List. Additionally, we revisited the Croatian records of the sandtiger shark Carcharias taurus Rafinesque, 1810 and discussed its potential confusion with the smalltooth sandtiger shark Odontaspis ferox (Risso, 1810). Our results thus provide novel insights into the historical and current distribution patterns of chondrichthyan fishes in the Croatian Sea and provide a basis for further research as well as conservation measures. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Rays and Sharks: Biology, Ecology, Conservation and Distribution of Predators)

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Open AccessArticle

Gradients of Variation in the At-Vessel Mortality Rate between Twelve Species of Sharks and Skates Sampled through a Fishery-Independent Trawl Survey in the Asinara Gulf (NW Mediterranean Sea)

Umberto Scacco

Tomaso Fortibuoni

Matteo Baini

Gianluca Franceschini

and

Biology 2023, 12(3), 363; https://doi.org/10.3390/biology12030363 - 24 Feb 2023

Cited by 1 | Viewed by 1386

Abstract

Elasmobranchs are priority species for conservation due to their rapid decline determined by the unbalanced struggle between a fragile bio-ecology and strong anthropogenic impacts, such as bycatch from professional fishing. In this context, measuring species resistance to catch of poorly selective gear is of paramount importance. During June–October 2022, five experimental fishing campaigns were carried out in the Asinara Gulf (northern Sardinia) through 35 geographically and bathymetrically representative hauls of an area between 30 and 600 m in depth. Skates prevailed over sharks in the number of species, with seven and five species, respectively. We first evaluated the status of each individual with respect to stress due to the trawl’s catch using a three-graded scale. We also recorded individual biometrics (total and disk length, weight and sex, and maturity for males) on board by implementing the best practices in manipulating individuals for physiological recovery and release at sea. After capture, skates resulted in generally better conditions than sharks, although deepwater species of both groups exhibited a worse state than coastal species. The estimated vitality rates also depended on the size of the individuals. This work provides standardized data on the intermingled effect of size, species type, and inhabited depth on the resistance response of some elasmobranch species against capture by trawl fishery activities. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Rays and Sharks: Biology, Ecology, Conservation and Distribution of Predators)

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Special Issue "Rays and Sharks: Biology, Ecology, Conservation and Distribution of Predators"

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