COMBINING OTOLITH SHAPE ANALYSIS AND GENETIC PROFILES FOR THE DELINEATION OF STOCK STRUCTURE IN MARINE FISHES

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Contrasting links between growth and survival in the early life stages of two flatfish species

Publication . Primo, Ana Ligia; Vaz, Ana Catarina; Crespo, Daniel; Costa, Filipe; Pardal, Miguel; Martinho, Filipe

Understanding the causes of variation in recruitment of marine fishes has been a central goal over the last century. However, the relationship between year class strength and larval growth and survival is poorly known for most species. The main goal of this study was to investigate the relationships between larval traits and year class strength of two flatfish species in an nursery estuary. We examined the effects of the variation in the early life characteristics (pelagic larval growth, pelagic larval duration, size-at-hatching and size-at-settlement) on post-settlement survival of flounder Platichthys flesus and common sole Solea solea in the Mondego estuary (Portugal) over a 5-year period (2011–2015). The two flatfish species showed distinct larval traits variation during the study period, mainly related with location of the spawning ground and intrinsic biologic patterns. Flounder was able to delay metamorphosis while gathering energy and/or waiting for suitable environmental cues from estuarine origins while sole take advantage of better environmental conditions due to a later hatching. Early fast growth were strongly related with subsequent growth, affecting larval survival. Both growth and larval traits variation during the studied period were strongly related with temperature. This study highlights the importance of early growth for fish survival and contributes with key information on fish early life stages that will support a better management of fish stocks.

2021Journal article

Restricted access

Water and otolith chemistry: implications for discerning estuarine nursery habitat use of a juvenile flatfish

Publication . Martinho, Filipe; Pina, Beatriz; Nunes, Margarida; Vasconcelos, Rita P.; Fonseca, Vanessa F.; Crespo, Daniel; Primo, Ana Lígia; Vaz, Ana; Pardal, Miguel A.; Gillanders, Bronwyn M.; Tanner, Susanne E.; Reis-Santos, Patrick

Variations in otolith elemental composition are widely used to reconstruct fish movements. However, reconstructing habitat use and environmental histories of fishes within estuaries is still a major challenge due to the dynamic nature of these coastal environments. In this study, we performed a laboratory experiment to investigate the effects of variations in salinity (three levels; 5, 18, 30) and temperature (two levels; 16, 21 C) on the otolith elemental composition (Mg:Ca, Mn:Ca, Sr:Ca, Ba:Ca) of juvenile Senegalese sole Solea senegalensis. Temperature and salinity treatments mirrored the natural conditions of the estuarine habitats occupied by juvenile Senegalese sole, thereby providing information on the applicability of otolith microchemistry to reconstruct habitat use patterns within estuarine nurseries, where individual fish move across complex salinity and temperature gradients. While Sr:Ca and Ba:Ca in otoliths were both positively related to salinity, no temperature effect was observed. Partition coefficients, proxies for element incorporation rates increased with increasing salinity for Sr (DSr) and Ba (DBa). In contrast, salinity and temperature had little influence on otolith Mn:Ca and Mg:Ca, supporting physiological control on the incorporation of these elements. Our results are a stepping stone for the interpretation of otolith chemical profiles for fish collected in their natural habitats and contribute to better understanding the processes involved in otolith element incorporation.

2020Journal article

Open access