Browsing by Author "Shabani, Maulidi"

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    Population expansion but limited gene flow in kuhl's blue-­spotted maskray along the Tanzanian coast
    (2024) Nehemia, Alex; Shabani, Maulidi; Malisa, Allen Lewis
    The blue-­spotted maskray Neotrygon kuhlii (Müller & Henle, 1841) is a member of the Dasyatidae family of stingrays which grows slowly. Members of this group mature late and have a low fecundity rate. The ICUN Red List of Threatened Species lists N. kuhlii species as data deficient (DD) because information on its ecology and life history is not readily available. The purpose of this study was to determine the genetic diversity, demographic history and population structure of N. kuhlii, all of which are critical information for efforts aimed at conserving the species. The investigation was carried out along Tanzania's coastline using 595 base pairs of partial mitochondrial cytochrome oxidase subunit I (COI) sequence. The haplotype diversity ranged between 0.37 and 0.70 and nucleotide diversity between 0.11% and 0.50%. The findings show that samples from Unguja had higher mean molecular diversity indices than those from other sampling sites. Nonetheless, samples from Mafia and Unguja were found to have the largest effective population size. Genetic variations were found between the subpopulations under study, suggesting limited genetic connectivity among the studied subpopulations. The COI sequences of N. kuhlii from most subpopulations studied showed signs of past population expansion, which are typical for most Western Indian Ocean (WIO) fauna. The findings highlight the need for enhanced management and conservation strategies for N. kuhlii and other coastal stingray species in Tanzania, particularly in areas where sampling sites showed low levels of genetic diversity and effective population size.
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    Population genetic status of endangered whitespotted whipray Maculabatis gerrardi (Gray, 1851) in Tanzania
    (Western Indian Occen Journal of Marine Science, 2024) Shabani, Maulidi; Malisa, Allen L.; Nehemia, Alex
    The whitespotted whipray Maculabatis gerrardi is exploited in Tanzania for its meat, skin and Accepted:cartilage, and is classified as an endangered species by the IUCN. A mitochondrial COI gene April 12, 2024fragment from 105 M. gerrardi individuals obtained from four unprotected and one protected Published:marine area in Tanzania was used to determine the present genetic diversity, demographics, and July xx, 2024effective population size of whiprays. Lower levels of nucleotide and haplotype diversity and Copyright:mean mutational effective population size were apparent in unprotected than in protected areas. Owned by the journal.Analysis of molecular variance (AMOVA) identified a significant genetic difference between sub- The articles are open accesspopulations of M. gerrardi and hierarchical AMOVA identified separate genetic stocks, indicative articles distributed underof high levels of philopatry or individual sedentarity in M. gerrardi. The importance of marine the terms and conditions of the Creative Commons Attribution (CC BY 4.0) licence. protected areas to conserve genetic diversity of whiprays is highlighted.