Using otolith microchemistry to reconstruct habitat use of American eelsAnguilla rostratain the St. Lawrence River-Lake Ontario system
| Autor: | Mélanie Béguer-Pon, Pascal Sirois, Martin Castonguay, José Benchetrit, John D. Fitzsimons, Julian J. Dodson |
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| Rok vydání: | 2015 |
| Předmět: |
0106 biological sciences
Anguilla rostrata chemistry.chemical_element Aquatic Science Biology 010603 evolutionary biology 01 natural sciences Tributary medicine Ecosystem 14. Life underwater Ecology Evolution Behavior and Systematics Otolith geography Strontium geography.geographical_feature_category Ecology Brackish water 010604 marine biology & hydrobiology Estuary biology.organism_classification Fishery medicine.anatomical_structure Habitat chemistry |
| Zdroj: | Ecology of Freshwater Fish. 26:19-33 |
| ISSN: | 0906-6691 |
| Popis: | Catadromy among freshwater eels is increasingly recognised as being facultative, with some individuals carrying out growth exclusively in brackish or coastal marine waters, or switching between brackish or marine waters and freshwater habitats. In an attempt to reconstruct habitat use of yellow-stage American eels in a large river-lake ecosystem, trace element line scans were obtained, using LA-ICP-MS, from the otoliths of 110 eels sampled at various locations throughout the St. Lawrence River-Lake Ontario (SLRLO) system. Elemental profiles for strontium (Sr), barium (Ba), manganese (Mn) and magnesium (Mg) enabled us to distinguish three chemical signatures that appear to represent three distinct habitats within the SLRLO. Of these, one was shown to likely correspond to the brackish estuary (high strontium values). The other two signatures, characterised by low strontium but variable concentrations of barium and manganese, may correspond to habitats within the main-stem St. Lawrence River and one or more of its tributaries. Most (78%) of the switches among habitats occurred within the first four years after recruitment suggesting an increasing likelihood for eels to maintain residence in one habitat as they grow older. This suggests that tributaries may provide important habitats for American eels during the first several years after recruiting to the SLRLO. In addition, our results suggest that a small proportion American eels in the SLRLO can undertake movements on the order of at least 200 km during the early growth stage. This information has important implications for the management and conservation of this species in the system. |
| Databáze: | OpenAIRE |
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