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Kinship assessment and insights into reproductive behaviour of the Critically Endangered green sawfish Pristis zijsron in Western Australia
Journal article   Open access   Peer reviewed

Kinship assessment and insights into reproductive behaviour of the Critically Endangered green sawfish Pristis zijsron in Western Australia

Jack Ingelbrecht, Karissa O. Lear, Nicole M. Phillips, Barbara E. Wueringer, Alan J. Lymbery, Bradley M. Norman and David L. Morgan
Aquatic conservation, Vol.34(6), e4213
2024
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CC BY V4.0 Open Access

Abstract

Ashburton River philopatry Pristidae Rhinopristiformes sibship single nucleotide polymorphisms
In this study, single nucleotide polymorphisms were used to investigate kinship and philopatry for the Critically Endangered green sawfish, Pristis zijsron, in Western Australia. Sampling was conducted in an important nursery area: the Ashburton River estuary and adjacent tidal creeks. Kinship was inferred from the genotypes of 104 sawfish sampled between 2011 and 2014 (n = 31), and 2020 and 2022 (n = 73). The total number of dams contributing across all sites and time periods was estimated to be between 50 and 56. Fifty‐two full sibling dyads, 90 half sibling dyads and 72 third‐degree dyads were detected, involving 58, 67, and 46 P. zijsron, respectively. Of these, 34 half sibling dyads were related maternally and 56 related paternally, including multiple maternal and paternal half siblings pupped in different years, suggesting both female and male philopatry. Catch data indicated that two groups of maternal half siblings were littermates, demonstrating multiple paternity. A high degree of relatedness was found across the study area, with 88% of P. zijsron related to at least one other individual up to the third‐degree. Evidence for female philopatry in P. zijsron highlights the importance of protecting nursery areas for this species. The occurrence of philopatric behaviour in male and female P. zijsron suggests that dispersal might be limited in both sexes of this species, highlighting the need to investigate the amount of genetic diversity and incidence of inbreeding within remaining populations.

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Collaboration types
Domestic collaboration
International collaboration
Citation topics
3 Agriculture, Environment & Ecology
3.2 Marine Biology
3.2.92 Fisheries Ecology
Web Of Science research areas
Environmental Sciences
Marine & Freshwater Biology
Water Resources
ESI research areas
Environment/Ecology
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