MEPS

Marine Ecology Progress Series

MEPS is a leading hybrid research journal on all aspects of marine, coastal and estuarine ecology. Priority is given to outstanding research that advances our ecological understanding.

Online: ISSN 1616-1599

Print: ISSN 0171-8630

DOI: https://doi.org/10.3354/meps

Volume contents
Mar Ecol Prog Ser 201:273-286 (2000)

Elemental fingerprints of otoliths of fish may distinguish estuarine 'nursery' habitats

ABSTRACT: The elemental fingerprints or composition of otoliths of fish may provide a natural tag of the 'nursery' habitat of juvenile fish. The natural tag could then be used to determine the 'nursery' habitat of adult fish found on coastal reefs. Wecollected juvenile Pelates sexlineatus from 2 to 5 sites within each of 7 estuaries to determine whether elemental composition of otoliths differed among estuaries and among sites within estuaries. In addition, fish were collected in 2 successiveyears to determine whether temporal differences may be found in elemental fingerprints that could then confound subsequent assignment of adults to 'nursery' estuaries. Significant differences in elemental fingerprints (Sr, Ba and Mn) were found within andamong estuaries, but there was often an interaction with time suggesting that there were differences among estuaries/sites but the difference varied between times. Quadratic discriminant functions (QDFs) generated to discriminate among estuariessuggested that the QDFs calculated from a single year class were more successful at assigning fish to the correct estuary than either (1) QDFs based on both years combined or (2) using the QDFs generated from the first year class to classify the secondyear class. Small-scale variability among sites within an estuary suggested that for an estuarine fishery we may be able to classify fish to their site of origin; this warrants further investigation. Adult fish from a coastal fishery can now be assignedto their 'nursery' estuary by analysing the juvenile region of their otoliths, provided that discriminant functions are generated from the appropriate year class of recruits.

KEYWORDS

Bronwyn M. Gillanders (Co-author)

Michael J. Kingsford (Co-author)