Dispersal in many organisms is asymmetric by sex, a pattern that is often identified through the use of genetic tools. Sex-biased dispersal (SBD) is thought to derive from the varying fitness needs of females and males, as mediated by local ecology and life history. SBD is frequently reported in elasmobranchs (sharks, rays), long-lived fishes that often give live birth to well-developed young and are capable of dispersing thousands of kilometers. While many studies point to male-biased dispersal (MBD) being common, results are highly variable and no clear trends have yet emerged, even as the number of case studies has grown over the past decade. Here, we evaluated patterns in sampling regime, molecular marker type, and analysis method for every genetic structure study published to date that allowed for an assessment of SBD in elasmobranchs. We find that while some degree of MBD in elasmobranchs is likely, factors such as the pooling of life stages during data analysis and the inherent characteristics of different marker types, may lead to an overemphasis on male dispersal and potentially obscure genetic signals of female and male reproductive philopatry. The role of life history and biogeography in determining patterns of SBD in sharks and rays is also discussed.

在许多生物体中的分布是不对称的，这种模式通常通过使用遗传工具来确定。性别偏向传播 (SBD) 被认为源于女性和男性不同的健身需求，以当地生态和生活史为中介。SBD 经常在 elasmobranchs（鲨鱼、鳐鱼）中报道，这些长寿鱼经常活产发育良好的幼鱼，并且能够传播数千公里。虽然许多研究指出男性偏向性传播 (MBD) 很常见，但结果差异很大，尚未出现明确的趋势，即使案例研究的数量在过去十年中有所增加。在这里，我们评估了迄今为止发表的每项遗传结构研究的采样方式、分子标记类型和分析方法，这些研究允许评估弹鳃中的 SBD。我们发现，虽然在弹性鳃中可能存在某种程度的 MBD，但数据分析过程中生命阶段的汇集以及不同标记类型的固有特征等因素可能会导致过分强调雄性扩散，并可能掩盖雌性和雄性的遗传信号。生殖哲学。还讨论了生活史和生物地理学在确定鲨鱼和鳐鱼 SBD 模式中的作用。