1. Species identification of sharks under catch or trade regulations is important for law enforcement and species conservation. Rapid detection of Convention on the International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES)-listed species is needed for on-site screening.2. Species-specific primers were designed to target three mitochondrial genes (ND2, COI, and CytB) in both the simplex and multiplex loop-mediated isothermal amplification (LAMP) assay for the pelagic thresher shark (Alopias pelagicus), the bigeye thresher shark (Alopias superciliosus), and the scalloped hammerhead shark (Sphyrna lewini), respectively. Another primer set designed to target S. lewini was used for detection-limit testing of the LAMP assay.3. The refined direct multiplex LAMP was used to detect the three CITES-listed shark species and omitted the lengthy DNA extraction process. A homogenizer was used to release the DNA from the shark tissues, and a simplex or multiplex LAMP reaction was conducted for 30 min in an incubator at 65 C using speciesspecific primer sets. 4. Positive LAMP reactions showed a colour change from pink to yellow, whereas negative reactions showed no colour change. Multiplex LAMP assays were performed using 84 samples, which successfully identified the target and non-target species and provided a fast (<1 h), simple, and reliable method to distinguish three CITES-listed shark species from the other non-target species, for either fresh or dry fin products.5. Results of this study and the method developed will play a critical role in assisting fishery agencies and customs officials in identifying the illegal catch and trade of CITES-listed shark species.
In line with contemporary changes in oceanic conditions, reef communities could be declining at the equator and expanding polewards, having previously happened in the past. Yet, some tropical organisms are now decimated at their distributional cores and observed beyond their inferred range limits. However, it remains unclear if this is happening at the community scale, especially due to the challenges of collecting quantitative and comparable data across latitudes. Here, we propose that monitoring sentinel plots via photogrammetry could help to assess abiding changes in benthic communities and trajectories of reef‐building populations across the Kuroshio region. We think that as oceans are becoming warmer, accretive reef communities may shift their distribution northwards which may be primarily due to a change in the relative biomass‐abundance of resident taxa. Consistent trends among latitudes will resolve the possibility of contraction or expansion of accretive reef communities, providing further insight into the variety of responses and dynamics observed across latitudes in the context of the Anthropocene.
Aim Reef fishes are commonly recognized as sentinels of the ongoing tropicalization in biogeographic transition zones between temperate and tropical areas. Despite the reliance of these marine ectotherms on the benthos, the importance of benthic habitat has rarely been considered as a factor constraining fish distribution. Therefore, our study aims at examining the consequences of both temperature and benthic variations on the fish fauna and diagnosing potential sentinels of these environmental changes. Location Taiwan, West Pacific. Taxon Teleostei (184 species). Methods We examined how the partitioning of habitats can influence the specialization of fish fauna along a latitudinal gradient. We diagnosed ‘specialist’ and ‘generalist’ fishes in this partitioning. For each specialist, we further evaluated whether its distribution is constrained by temperature, benthic habitat or both factors combined. The change in sea surface temperature over the last three decades was also monitored. Results Fish fauna showed the highest specialization when tropical and subtropical partitions of habitat were considered. Fifty‐one tropical specialists, 7 subtropical specialists and 21 possible generalists were identified. Among specialists, 13 species were associated with temperature, 19 with habitat and 26 with both factors. Steady warming occurred across latitudes, but was accentuated in the winter of subtropical habitat. Main Conclusions Our results suggested that the distribution of some specialist fishes was constrained only by temperature while the distribution of some others also depended on the availability of benthic habitats. Consequently, under global warming, the distribution of some specialists might shift in a manner that follows the movement of isotherms, while the distribution of others might also be conditioned by the poleward shifts of benthos. A temporal mismatch between the emergence of suitable thermal environments and the arrival of some specialists may exist. Therefore, the tropicalization of high‐latitude areas may be characterized by different waves of colonization.
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