Lemon sharks

 

Joey DiBattista, a PhD student in my lab from 2005-2009, forged an NSF-funded collaboration between Drs. Hendry (McGill), Gruber (Florida), and Feldheim (Chicago Field Museum) to study the evolutionary dynamics of a natural population of lemon sharks at Bimini, Bahamas. Part of the novelty is that were able to bring some of the typical tools of evolutionary biology, such as selection analyses and quantitative genetics, to a large marine vertebrate, which had not (for logistical reasons) previously been attempted. Here are some of the fruits of his labors.

 

Publications:

 

1.     Feldheim, K.A., S.H. Gruber, J.D. DiBattista, E.A. Babcock, S.A. Kessel, A.P. Hendry, E.K. Pikitch, M.V. Ashley, and D.D. Chapman. 2014. Two decades of genetic profiling yields first evidence of natal philopatry and long-term fidelity to parturition sites in sharks. Molecular Ecology 23:111-117. PDF

 

2.     DiBattista, J.D., K.A. Feldheim, D. Garant, S.H. Gruber, and A.P. Hendry. 2011. Anthropogenic disturbance and evolutionary parameters: a lemon shark population experiencing habitat loss. Evolutionary Applications 4:1-17. PDF

 

3.     DiBattista, J.D., K.A. Feldheim, D. Garant, S.H. Gruber, and A.P. Hendry. 2009. Evolutionary potential of a large marine vertebrate: quantitative genetic parameters in a wild population. Evolution 63:1051-1067. PDF

 

4.     DiBattista, J.D., K.A. Feldheim, S.H. Gruber, and A.P. Hendry. 2008a. Are indirect genetic benefits associated with polyandry? Testing predictions in a natural population of lemon sharks. Molecular Ecology 17:783-795. PDF

 

5.     DiBattista, J.D., K.A. Feldheim, X. Thibert-Plante, S.H. Gruber, and A.P. Hendry. 2008b. A genetic assessment of polyandry and breeding site fidelity in lemon sharks. Molecular Ecology 17:3337-3351. PDF

 

6.     DiBattista, J.D., K.A. Feldheim, S.H. Gruber, and A.P. Hendry. 2007. When bigger is not better: selection against large size, high condition, and fast growth in juvenile lemon sharks. Journal of Evolutionary Biology 20:201-212. PDF