Elemental signatures of Acanthochromis polyacanthus otoliths from the Great Barrier Reef have significant temporal, spatial, and between-brood variation

We evaluated the spatial and temporal scales over which otolith signatures varied in a reef fish on the Great Barrier Reef (GBR) using the non-dispersing damselfish Acanthochromis polyacanthus. We found a robust multi-element separation in otolith signatures from reef clusters in the northern and so...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Coral reefs 2005-11, Vol.24 (3), p.360-369
Main Authors: PATTERSON, Heather M, KINGSFORD, Michael J
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Acanthochromis polyacanthus
Agnatha. Pisces
Animal and plant ecology
Animal, plant and microbial ecology
Biological and medical sciences
Chemistry
Coral reefs
Fish
Fish barriers
Fundamental and applied biological sciences. Psychology
Marine
Marine biology
Otoliths
Reefs
Sea water ecosystems
Synecology
Vertebrates: general zoology, morphology, phylogeny, systematics, cytogenetics, geographical distribution
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Summary:We evaluated the spatial and temporal scales over which otolith signatures varied in a reef fish on the Great Barrier Reef (GBR) using the non-dispersing damselfish Acanthochromis polyacanthus. We found a robust multi-element separation in otolith signatures from reef clusters in the northern and southern GBR. Variance components indicated that this spatial scale accounted for the majority of the variation in two elemental ratios (Ba/Ca and Sr/Ca) over the 2 years of the study. There was also significant variation in elemental signatures between otoliths collected over two consecutive years, as well as within a season. Individual reefs within clusters were less distinguishable based on otolith chemistry and were probably observed by differences within reefs (among sites and broods within sites). These results indicate that it may be difficult to determine the reef of origin for individual fish using otolith chemistry, while determining natal region seems a realistic goal.[PUBLICATION ABSTRACT]
ISSN:0722-4028
1432-0975
DOI:10.1007/s00338-005-0012-6