Multiple paternity, the fertilization of a single brood of offspring by multiple males, is a common reproductive strategy with known fitness benefits.  Although this strategy is used by many diverse taxa, little is known about the use of this strategy by populations of large apex marine predators such as sharks. This research will investigate the frequency, mechanism, and role of multiple paternity in sharks in Hawaii.  Maintaining populations of large apex predators is critical to the health and well-being of the marine environment.  Results from this study will expand the body of knowledge on the reproductive biology of sandbar sharks, and enable conservation biologists to better protect shark populations throughout the world.

     This work is being done with the help of Dr. Dean Grubbs and with the support of the Holland and Toonen/Bowen labs at the Hawaii Institute of Marine Biology, which is located on Coconut Island in Kaneohe Bay, Oahu. For more information on the project, you can contact me at tengel@hawaii.edu or see a pdf of my CV.

 

The lab at Coconut Island