1
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Olin JA, Urakawa H, Frisk MG, Newton AL, Manz M, Fogg M, McMullen C, Crawford L, Shipley ON. DNA metabarcoding of cloacal swabs provides insight into diets of highly migratory sharks in the Mid-Atlantic Bight. JOURNAL OF FISH BIOLOGY 2023; 103:1409-1418. [PMID: 37640692 DOI: 10.1111/jfb.15543] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/26/2023] [Revised: 07/27/2023] [Accepted: 08/26/2023] [Indexed: 08/31/2023]
Abstract
The abundances of migratory shark species observed throughout the Mid-Atlantic Bight (MAB) during productive summer months suggest that this region provides critical habitat and prey resources to these taxa. However, the principal prey assemblages sustaining migratory shark biomass in this region are poorly defined. We applied high-throughput DNA metabarcoding to shark feces derived from cloacal swabs across nine species of Carcharhinid and Lamnid sharks to (1) quantify the contribution of broad taxa (e.g., invertebrates, fishes) supporting shark biomass during seasonal residency in the MAB and (2) determine whether the species displayed distinct dietary preference indicative of resource partitioning. DNA metabarcoding resulted in high taxonomic (species-level) resolution of shark diets with actinopterygian and elasmobranch fishes as the dominant prey categories across the species. DNA metabarcoding identified several key prey groups consistent across shark taxa that are likely integral for sustaining their biomass in this region, including Atlantic menhaden (Brevoortia tyrannus), Atlantic mackerel (Scomber scombrus), and benthic elasmobranchs, including skates. Our results are consistent with previously published stomach content data for the shark species of similar size range in the Northwest Atlantic Ocean, supporting the efficacy of cloacal swab DNA metabarcoding as a minimally invasive diet reconstruction technique. The high reliance of several shark species on Atlantic menhaden could imply wasp-waist food-web conditions during the summer months, whereby high abundances of forage fishes sustain a diverse suite of migratory sharks within a complex, seasonal food web.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jill A Olin
- Department of Biological Sciences, Great Lakes Research Center, Michigan Technological University, Houghton, Michigan, USA
| | - Hidetoshi Urakawa
- Department of Marine and Ecological Sciences, Florida Gulf Coast University, Fort Myers, Florida, USA
| | - Michael G Frisk
- School of Marine and Atmospheric Sciences, Stony Brook University, Stony Brook, New York, USA
| | - Alisa L Newton
- New York Aquarium, Wildlife Conservation Society, Bronx, New York, USA
| | - Maria Manz
- School of Marine and Atmospheric Sciences, Stony Brook University, Stony Brook, New York, USA
| | - Michael Fogg
- School of Marine and Atmospheric Sciences, Stony Brook University, Stony Brook, New York, USA
| | - Colin McMullen
- Department of Marine and Ecological Sciences, Florida Gulf Coast University, Fort Myers, Florida, USA
| | - Lisa Crawford
- School of Marine and Atmospheric Sciences, Stony Brook University, Stony Brook, New York, USA
| | - Oliver N Shipley
- School of Marine and Atmospheric Sciences, Stony Brook University, Stony Brook, New York, USA
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2
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Shum P, Wäge-Recchioni J, Sellers GS, Johnson ML, Joyce DA. DNA metabarcoding reveals the dietary profiles of a benthic marine crustacean, Nephrops norvegicus. PLoS One 2023; 18:e0289221. [PMID: 37910458 PMCID: PMC10619785 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0289221] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/16/2023] [Accepted: 07/13/2023] [Indexed: 11/03/2023] Open
Abstract
Norwegian lobster, Nephrops norvegicus, are a generalist scavenger and predator capable of short foraging excursions but can also suspension feed. Existing knowledge about their diet relies on a combination of methods including morphology-based stomach content analysis and stable isotopes, which often lack the resolution to distinguish prey items to species level particularly in species that thoroughly masticate their prey. DNA metabarcoding overcomes many of the challenges associated with traditional methods and it is an attractive approach to study the dietary profiles of animals. Here, we present the diet of the commercially valuable Nephrops norvegicus using DNA metabarcoding of gut contents. Despite difficulties associated with host amplification, our cytochrome oxidase I (COI) molecular assay successfully achieves higher resolution information than traditional approaches. We detected taxa that were likely consumed during different feeding strategies. Dinoflagellata, Chlorophyta and Bacillariophyta accounted for almost 50% of the prey items consumed, and are associated with suspension feeding, while fish with high fisheries discard rates were detected which are linked to active foraging. In addition, we were able to characterise biodiversity patterns by considering Nephrops as natural samplers, as well as detecting parasitic dinoflagellates (e.g., Hematodinium sp.), which are known to influence burrow related behaviour in infected individuals in over 50% of the samples. The metabarcoding data presented here greatly enhances a better understanding of a species' ecological role and could be applied as a routine procedure in future studies for proper consideration in the management and decision-making of fisheries.
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Affiliation(s)
- Peter Shum
- Faculty of Science, Liverpool John Moores University, Liverpool, United Kingdom
- School of Natural Sciences, University of Hull, Hull, United Kingdom
| | - Janine Wäge-Recchioni
- School of Natural Sciences, University of Hull, Hull, United Kingdom
- Leibniz Institute for Baltic Sea Research Warnemünde (IOW), Rostock, Germany
| | - Graham S. Sellers
- School of Natural Sciences, University of Hull, Hull, United Kingdom
| | - Magnus L. Johnson
- School of Environmental Sciences, University of Hull, Hull, United Kingdom
| | - Domino A. Joyce
- School of Natural Sciences, University of Hull, Hull, United Kingdom
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3
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Li M, Lei T, Wang G, Zhang D, Liu H, Zhang Z. Monitoring insect biodiversity and comparison of sampling strategies using metabarcoding: A case study in the Yanshan Mountains, China. Ecol Evol 2023; 13:e10031. [PMID: 37091562 PMCID: PMC10121320 DOI: 10.1002/ece3.10031] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/26/2022] [Revised: 03/31/2023] [Accepted: 04/07/2023] [Indexed: 04/25/2023] Open
Abstract
Insects are the richest and most diverse group of animals and yet there remains a lack, not only of systematic research into their distribution across some key regions of the planet, but of standardized sampling strategies for their study. The Yanshan Mountains, being the boundary range between the Inner Mongolian Plateau and the North China Plain, present an indispensable piece of the insect biodiversity puzzle: both requiring systematic study and offering opportunities for the development of standardized methodologies. This is the first use of DNA metabarcoding to survey the insect biodiversity of the Yanshan Mountains. The study focuses on differences of community composition among samples collected via different methods and from different habitat types. In total, 74 bulk samples were collected from five habitat types (scrubland, woodland, wetland, farmland and grassland) using three collection methods (sweep netting, Malaise traps and light traps). After DNA extraction, PCR amplification, sequencing and diversity analysis were performed, a total of 7427 Operational Taxonomic Units (OTUs) at ≥97% sequence similarity level were delimited, of which 7083 OTUs were identified as belonging to Insecta. Orthoptera, Diptera, Coleoptera and Hemiptera were found to be the dominant orders according to community composition analysis. Nonmetric multidimensional scaling (NMDS) analysis based on Bray-Curtis distances revealed highly divergent estimates of insect community composition among samples differentiated by the collection method (R = .524802, p = .001), but nonsignificant difference among samples differentiated according to habitat (R = .051102, p = .078). The study therefore appears to indicate that the concurrent use of varied collection methods is essential to the accurate monitoring of insect biodiversity.
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Affiliation(s)
- Min Li
- College of Biological Science and TechnologyTaiyuan Normal UniversityJinzhongChina
| | - Ting Lei
- College of Biological Science and TechnologyTaiyuan Normal UniversityJinzhongChina
| | - Guobin Wang
- College of Biological Science and TechnologyTaiyuan Normal UniversityJinzhongChina
| | - Danli Zhang
- College of Biological Science and TechnologyTaiyuan Normal UniversityJinzhongChina
| | - Huaxi Liu
- Department of Life SciencesNatural History MuseumLondonUK
| | - Zhiwei Zhang
- College of Forestry, Shanxi Agricultural UniversityJinzhongChina
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4
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Graça Aranha S, Teodósio A, Baptista V, Erzini K, Dias E. A glimpse into the trophic ecology of deep-water sharks in an important crustacean fishing ground. JOURNAL OF FISH BIOLOGY 2023; 102:655-668. [PMID: 36625079 DOI: 10.1111/jfb.15306] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/21/2022] [Accepted: 01/04/2023] [Indexed: 06/17/2023]
Abstract
Deep-water sharks are among the most vulnerable deep-water taxa because of their extremely conservative life-history strategies (i.e., late maturation, slow growth, and reproductive rates), yet little is known about their biology and ecology. Thus, this study aimed at investigating the trophic ecology of five deep-water shark species, the birdbeak dogfish (Deania calcea), the arrowhead (D. profundorum), the smooth lanternshark (Etmopterus pusillus), the blackmouth catshark (Galeus melastomus) and the knifetooth dogfish (Scymnodon ringens) sampled onboard a crustacean bottom-trawler off the south-west coast of Portugal. We combined carbon and nitrogen stable isotopes with RNA and DNA (RD) ratios to investigate the main groups of prey assimilated by these species and their nutritional condition, respectively. Stable isotopes revealed overall small interspecific variability in the contribution of different taxonomic groups to sharks' tissues, as well as in the origin of their prey. S. ringens presented higher δ15 N and δ13 C values than the other species, suggesting reliance on bathyal cephalopods, crustaceans and teleosts; the remaining species likely assimilated bathy-mesopelagic prey. The RD ratios indicated that most of the individuals had an overall adequate nutritional condition and had recently eaten. This information, combined with the fact that stable isotopes indicate that sharks assimilated prey from the local or nearby food webs (including commercially important shrimps), suggests a potential overlap between this fishing area and their foraging grounds, which requires further attention.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sofia Graça Aranha
- CCMAR - Centre of Marine Sciences, Universidade do Algarve, Faro, Portugal
| | - Alexandra Teodósio
- CCMAR - Centre of Marine Sciences, Universidade do Algarve, Faro, Portugal
| | - Vânia Baptista
- CCMAR - Centre of Marine Sciences, Universidade do Algarve, Faro, Portugal
| | - Karim Erzini
- CCMAR - Centre of Marine Sciences, Universidade do Algarve, Faro, Portugal
| | - Ester Dias
- CIIMAR/CIMAR - Interdisciplinary Centre of Marine and Environmental Research, Universidade do Porto, Terminal de Cruzeiros do Porto de Leixões, Matosinhos, Portugal
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5
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Yao M, Zhang S, Lu Q, Chen X, Zhang SY, Kong Y, Zhao J. Fishing for fish environmental DNA: Ecological applications, methodological considerations, surveying designs, and ways forward. Mol Ecol 2022; 31:5132-5164. [PMID: 35972241 DOI: 10.1111/mec.16659] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/18/2022] [Revised: 07/20/2022] [Accepted: 07/27/2022] [Indexed: 12/15/2022]
Abstract
Vast global declines of freshwater and marine fish diversity and population abundance pose serious threats to both ecosystem sustainability and human livelihoods. Environmental DNA (eDNA)-based biomonitoring provides robust, efficient, and cost-effective assessment of species occurrences and population trends in diverse aquatic environments. Thus, it holds great potential for improving conventional surveillance frameworks to facilitate fish conservation and fisheries management. However, the many technical considerations and rapid developments underway in the eDNA arena can overwhelm researchers and practitioners new to the field. Here, we systematically analysed 416 fish eDNA studies to summarize research trends in terms of investigated targets, research aims, and study systems, and reviewed the applications, rationales, methodological considerations, and limitations of eDNA methods with an emphasis on fish and fisheries research. We highlighted how eDNA technology may advance our knowledge of fish behaviour, species distributions, population genetics, community structures, and ecological interactions. We also synthesized the current knowledge of several important methodological concerns, including the qualitative and quantitative power eDNA has to recover fish biodiversity and abundance, and the spatial and temporal representations of eDNA with respect to its sources. To facilitate ecological applications implementing fish eDNA techniques, recent literature was summarized to generate guidelines for effective sampling in lentic, lotic, and marine habitats. Finally, we identified current gaps and limitations, and pointed out newly emerging research avenues for fish eDNA. As methodological optimization and standardization improve, eDNA technology should revolutionize fish monitoring and promote biodiversity conservation and fisheries management that transcends geographic and temporal boundaries.
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Affiliation(s)
- Meng Yao
- Institute of Ecology, College of Urban and Environmental Sciences, Peking University, Beijing, China.,School of Life Sciences, Peking University, Beijing, China
| | - Shan Zhang
- Institute of Ecology, College of Urban and Environmental Sciences, Peking University, Beijing, China.,School of Life Sciences, Peking University, Beijing, China
| | - Qi Lu
- Institute of Ecology, College of Urban and Environmental Sciences, Peking University, Beijing, China.,School of Life Sciences, Peking University, Beijing, China
| | - Xiaoyu Chen
- Institute of Ecology, College of Urban and Environmental Sciences, Peking University, Beijing, China.,School of Life Sciences, Peking University, Beijing, China
| | - Si-Yu Zhang
- Institute of Ecology, College of Urban and Environmental Sciences, Peking University, Beijing, China.,School of Life Sciences, Peking University, Beijing, China
| | - Yueqiao Kong
- Institute of Ecology, College of Urban and Environmental Sciences, Peking University, Beijing, China.,School of Life Sciences, Peking University, Beijing, China
| | - Jindong Zhao
- Institute of Ecology, College of Urban and Environmental Sciences, Peking University, Beijing, China.,School of Life Sciences, Peking University, Beijing, China
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6
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Morrill A, Kaunisto KM, Mlynarek JJ, Sippola E, Vesterinen EJ, Forbes MR. Metabarcoding prey DNA from fecal samples of adult dragonflies shows no predicted sex differences, and substantial inter-individual variation, in diets. PeerJ 2021; 9:e12634. [PMID: 35003931 PMCID: PMC8686731 DOI: 10.7717/peerj.12634] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/23/2021] [Accepted: 11/22/2021] [Indexed: 11/20/2022] Open
Abstract
Sexes often differ in foraging and diet, which is associated with sex differences in size, trophic morphology, use of habitats, and/or life history tactics. Herein, strikingly similar diets were found for adult sexes of a dragonfly (Leucorrhinia intacta), based on comparing 141 dietary taxa identified from the metabarcoding of mitochondrial DNA archived in feces. Arthropods in > 5% of samples included five species of dipterans, two hemipterans, two spider species and one parasitic mite. The mite was not traditional prey as its presence was likely due to DNA contamination of samples arising through parasitism or possibly via accidental consumption during grooming, and therefore the mite was excluded from diet characterizations. Common prey species were found with statistically indistinguishable frequencies in male and female diets, with one exception of an aphid more often found in male diets, although this pattern was not robust to corrections for multiple statistical tests. While rare prey species were often found in diets of only one sex, instances of this were more frequent in the more oft-sampled females, suggesting sampling artefact. Sexes did not differ in the mean prey species richness in their diets. Overall, sexes showed statistically indistinguishable diets both on a prey species-by-species basis and in terms of multivariate characterizations of diet composition, derived from presence-absence data of prey species analyzed via PERMANOVA and accumulation curves. Males and females may have similar diets by being both opportunistic and generalist predators of arthropods, using the same foraging habitats and having similar sizes and flight agilities. Notably, similarities in diet between sexes occur alongside large interindividual differences in diet, within sexes. Researchers intending on explaining adaptive sex differences in diet should consider characteristics of species whose sexes show similar diets.
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Affiliation(s)
- André Morrill
- Department of Biology, Carleton University, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada
| | | | | | - Ella Sippola
- Biodiversity Unit, University of Turku, Turku, Finland
- Department of Ecology and Genetics, University of Oulu, Oulu, Finland
| | - Eero J. Vesterinen
- Department of Biology, University of Turku, Turku, Finland
- Department of Ecology, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences, Uppsala, Sweden
| | - Mark R. Forbes
- Department of Biology, Carleton University, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada
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7
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Secondary predation constrains DNA-based diet reconstruction in two threatened shark species. Sci Rep 2021; 11:18350. [PMID: 34526519 PMCID: PMC8443726 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-021-96856-w] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/26/2021] [Accepted: 08/04/2021] [Indexed: 02/08/2023] Open
Abstract
Increasing fishing effort, including bycatch and discard practices, are impacting marine biodiversity, particularly among slow-to-reproduce taxa such as elasmobranchs, and specifically sharks. While some fisheries involving sharks are sustainably managed, collateral mortalities continue, contributing towards > 35% of species being threatened with extinction. To effectively manage shark stocks, life-history information, including resource use and feeding ecologies is pivotal, especially among those species with wide-ranging distributions. Two cosmopolitan sharks bycaught off eastern Australia are the common blacktip shark (Carcharhinus limbatus; globally classified as Near Threatened) and great hammerhead (Sphyrna mokarran; Critically Endangered). We opportunistically sampled the digestive tracts of these two species (and also any whole prey; termed the 'Russian-doll' approach), caught in bather-protection gillnets off northern New South Wales, to investigate the capacity for DNA metabarcoding to simultaneously determine predator and prey regional feeding ecologies. While sample sizes were small, S. mokkaran fed predominantly on stingrays and skates (Myliobatiformes and Rajiformes), but also teleosts, while C. limbatus mostly consumed teleosts. Metabarcoding assays showed extensive intermixing of taxa from the digestive tracts of predators and their whole prey, likely via the predator's stomach chyme, negating the opportunity to distinguish between primary and secondary predation. This Russian-doll effect requires further investigation in DNA metabarcoding studies focussing on dietary preferences and implies that any outcomes will need to be interpreted concomitant with traditional visual approaches.
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8
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Perry CT, Pratte ZA, Clavere-Graciette A, Ritchie KB, Hueter RE, Newton AL, Fischer GC, Dinsdale EA, Doane MP, Wilkinson KA, Bassos-Hull K, Lyons K, Dove ADM, Hoopes LA, Stewart FJ. Elasmobranch microbiomes: emerging patterns and implications for host health and ecology. Anim Microbiome 2021; 3:61. [PMID: 34526135 PMCID: PMC8444439 DOI: 10.1186/s42523-021-00121-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/04/2021] [Accepted: 08/21/2021] [Indexed: 12/20/2022] Open
Abstract
Elasmobranchs (sharks, skates and rays) are of broad ecological, economic, and societal value. These globally important fishes are experiencing sharp population declines as a result of human activity in the oceans. Research to understand elasmobranch ecology and conservation is critical and has now begun to explore the role of body-associated microbiomes in shaping elasmobranch health. Here, we review the burgeoning efforts to understand elasmobranch microbiomes, highlighting microbiome variation among gastrointestinal, oral, skin, and blood-associated niches. We identify major bacterial lineages in the microbiome, challenges to the field, key unanswered questions, and avenues for future work. We argue for prioritizing research to determine how microbiomes interact mechanistically with the unique physiology of elasmobranchs, potentially identifying roles in host immunity, disease, nutrition, and waste processing. Understanding elasmobranch–microbiome interactions is critical for predicting how sharks and rays respond to a changing ocean and for managing healthy populations in managed care.
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Affiliation(s)
- Cameron T Perry
- School of Biological Sciences, Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta, GA, USA.
| | - Zoe A Pratte
- School of Biological Sciences, Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta, GA, USA.,Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Montana State University, Bozeman, MT, USA
| | | | - Kim B Ritchie
- Department of Natural Sciences, University of South Carolina Beaufort, Beaufort, SC, USA
| | - Robert E Hueter
- Sharks and Rays Conservation Research Program, Mote Marine Laboratory, Sarasota, FL, USA.,OCEARCH, Park City, UT, USA
| | - Alisa L Newton
- Disney's Animals, Science and Environment, Orlando, FL, USA
| | - G Christopher Fischer
- OCEARCH, Park City, UT, USA.,Marine Science Research Institute, Jacksonville University, Jacksonville, FL, USA
| | - Elizabeth A Dinsdale
- College of Science and Engineering, Flinders University, Bedford Park, SA, Australia
| | - Michael P Doane
- College of Science and Engineering, Flinders University, Bedford Park, SA, Australia
| | - Krystan A Wilkinson
- Sharks and Rays Conservation Research Program, Mote Marine Laboratory, Sarasota, FL, USA.,Chicago Zoological Society's Sarasota Dolphin Research Program ℅ Mote Marine Laboratory, Sarasota, FL, USA
| | - Kim Bassos-Hull
- Sharks and Rays Conservation Research Program, Mote Marine Laboratory, Sarasota, FL, USA
| | - Kady Lyons
- Research and Conservation Department, Georgia Aquarium, Atlanta, GA, USA
| | - Alistair D M Dove
- Research and Conservation Department, Georgia Aquarium, Atlanta, GA, USA
| | - Lisa A Hoopes
- Research and Conservation Department, Georgia Aquarium, Atlanta, GA, USA
| | - Frank J Stewart
- School of Biological Sciences, Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta, GA, USA.,Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Montana State University, Bozeman, MT, USA
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