Sharks are true evolutionary explorers. Unlike other vertebrates, the rate of change in epaulette sharks is only about one-twentieth that of humans. This is the lowest mutation rate ever known in vertebrates.
This has advantages and disadvantages for fish living in Australia, explains the research team led by Manfred Schartl from the University of Würzburg.
The fact that changes in the genetic makeup of the animals occur so rarely may explain their exceptionally low risk of cancer. However, for the same reason, they may adapt to environmental changes more slowly than other animals.
Genetic changes form the basis for evolution
Some provide a survival advantage to the affected animals and are therefore more likely to be retained, as these specimens have a greater chance of producing more offspring. But the disease cancer is also based on spontaneous small changes in the DNA, which lead to malfunctions in the affected cells and unbridled cell proliferation.
The low mutation rate could be a disadvantage for sharks, especially if their population has already been significantly reduced and they then have to adapt to a rapidly changing environment, the researchers explain.
Epaulet sharks (Hemiscyllium ocellatum) live in warm, tropical coral reefs up to a depth of 60 meters. They grow only slightly larger than a meter, are usually out at night and rarely swim. Instead, they use their fins as feet and ‘walk’ across the ocean floor.
Source: Krone
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