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Reproductive Science in Sharks and Rays

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Reproductive Sciences in Animal Conservation

Part of the book series: Advances in Experimental Medicine and Biology ((AEMB,volume 1200))

Abstract

Sharks and rays make up 96% of the class Chondrichthyes. They are among the most endangered of any taxa, threatened through habitat loss, overfishing and hunting for shark fin soup, traditional medicines or sport, and because many species are slow to mature and produce low numbers of offspring. Sharks and rays are ecologically and reproductively diverse, though basic knowledge of their reproductive physiology is lacking for many species. There has been a move towards non-lethal approaches of data collection in sharks and rays, especially with reproductive technologies such as ultrasound and hormone analysis. Additionally, technologies such as semen collection and artificial insemination are lending themselves to develop tools to manage small or closed populations, with cold-stored sperm being shipped between institutions to maximize genetic diversity in managed populations. The role of steroid hormones in elasmobranch reproduction appears broadly conserved, though heavily influenced by environmental cues, especially temperature. For this reason elasmobranchs are likely at risk of reproductive perturbations due to environmental changes such as ocean warming. Current reproductive technologies including computer assisted sperm assessments to study warming effects on sperm motility and intra-uterine satellite tags to determine birthing grounds will serve to generate data to mitigate anthropogenic changes that threaten the future of this vulnerable groups of fish.

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Acknowledgements

There are numerous elasmobranch scientists who have been working in this field for far longer than us and we are grateful to them all for their work that has influenced our studies. We are also grateful to Jim Gelsleichter and James Sulikowski for their thoughtful edits and additions to this manuscript. We are especially indebted to the combined efforts of the dedicated staff of AZA institutions that have funded and supported elasmobranch research, especially the Sand Tiger Shark Consortium [North Carolina Aquariums, Florida Aquarium, Georgia Aquarium and affiliate Marineland Dolphin Adventure, Ripley’s Aquariums, New York Aquarium, Norwalk Aquarium, Aquarium of the Pacific, Adventure Aquarium, National Aquarium, Shark Reef at Mandalay Bay, Jenkinson’s Aquarium, Minnesota Zoo and Aquariums and Omaha’s Henry Doorly Zoo]. We are grateful for in situ samples collected through collaboration and support from North Carolina Aquariums, Ripley’s Aquariums, the National Aquarium and the Cooperative Atlantic States Pupping and Nursery Survey (COASTSPAN) and Cooperative Shark Tagging Program (CSTP) administered by the Apex Predators Program (APP). We especially thank the Morris Animal Foundation and SeaWorld/Busch Gardens Conservation Fund for critical funding to support this research.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. South-East Zoo Alliance for Reproduction & Conservation, Yulee, FL, USA

    Linda M. Penfold & Jennifer T. Wyffels

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  1. Linda M. Penfold
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  2. Jennifer T. Wyffels
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Correspondence to Linda M. Penfold .

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Editors and Affiliations

  1. Smithsonian Conservation Biology Institute, National Zoological Park, Washington, DC, USA

    Pierre Comizzoli

  2. Smithsonian Conservation Biology Institute, National Zoological Park, Front Royal, VA, USA

    Janine L. Brown

  3. Academic Unit of Reproductive and Developmental Medicine, The University of Sheffield, Sheffield, UK

    William V. Holt

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Penfold, L.M., Wyffels, J.T. (2019). Reproductive Science in Sharks and Rays. In: Comizzoli, P., Brown, J., Holt, W. (eds) Reproductive Sciences in Animal Conservation. Advances in Experimental Medicine and Biology, vol 1200. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-23633-5_15

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