Changes in morphology and growth of the mudskipper (Periophthalmus argentilineatus) associated with coastal pollution

In this paper a comparison is made between the growth and morphology of barred mudskippers (Periophthalmus argentilineatus) from six mangrove forests along the coast of Tanzania. The fish populations from unpolluted sites consisted of different size classes, whereas only small sized fish were presen...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Marine biology 2006-05, Vol.149 (2), p.201-211
Main Authors: KRUITWAGEN, G, HECHT, T, PRATAP, H. B, BONGA, S. E. Wendelaar
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Animal and plant ecology
Animal, plant and microbial ecology
Applied ecology
Biological and medical sciences
Comparative analysis
Ecotoxicology, biological effects of pollution
Fish
Fish populations
Fundamental and applied biological sciences. Psychology
Hypotheses
Industrial wastes
Isotopic enrichment
Mangroves
Marine
Marine biology
Otoliths
Periophthalmus
Physical growth
Sea water ecosystems
Synecology
Water pollution
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Summary:In this paper a comparison is made between the growth and morphology of barred mudskippers (Periophthalmus argentilineatus) from six mangrove forests along the coast of Tanzania. The fish populations from unpolluted sites consisted of different size classes, whereas only small sized fish were present in the polluted Mtoni mangroves. Age estimation based on the examination of otoliths revealed that the mudskippers followed similar growth patterns in all sites with limited pollution. However, the age estimates from the polluted Mtoni site revealed an abnormal growth pattern. The occurrence of unilateral anophthalmia in the Mtoni mudskippers suggested that these fish were affected by pollutants during early development. The study showed that the presence of urban and industrial wastes from Dar es Salaam city, as indicated by isotopic enrichment, correlated with abnormal growth and developmental effects in mudskippers. We hypothesize that pollution might also affect fish species that use the mangroves as a temporary habitat.[PUBLICATION ABSTRACT]
ISSN:0025-3162
1432-1793
DOI:10.1007/s00227-005-0178-z