Population genetic assessment of marine megafauna using seawater environmental DNA: a case study of whale sharks from the Ningaloo Coast World Heritage Area.
Abinaya Meenakshisundaram, Mark Gregory Meekan, Simon Jarman, Shannon L. Duffy, Matilda Lamb, Laurence Dugal, W. Jason Kennington, Luke Thomas
This paper develops a genetic toolkit using seawater environmental DNA to study whale shark populations, showing that microhaplotype markers can reliably genotype individuals and capture population-level genetic diversity.
bioRxiv · Aug 31, 2025 · PreprintGenetics