Quantifying euryhaline histories in red drum Sciaenops ocellatus: otolith chemistry and muscle isotope ratios

The combined use of otolith chemistry and tissue isotopes has the potential to reveal movements, habitat associations and food web interactions at a variety of spatial and temporal scales. Here, a combination of otolith Ba:Ca life‐history transects with muscle tissue δ13C and δ15N values has been us...

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Published in:Journal of fish biology 2024-11, Vol.105 (5), p.1389-1405
Main Authors: Walther, Benjamin D., Torrance, Louisa E.
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Animals
Barium
Bays
Brackishwater environment
Carbon 13
Carbon Isotopes - analysis
Chemistry
Drum
Ecosystem
Estuaries
euryhaline
Euryhalinity
Fish
Food chains
Food webs
Freshwater
Gulf of Mexico
Habitat selection
Habitat utilization
Habitats
Inflow
Inland water environment
Isotope ratios
Isotopes
Literature reviews
Muscles
Muscles - chemistry
Nitrogen Isotopes - analysis
otolith chemistry
Otolithic Membrane - chemistry
Perciformes
red drum
Sciaenops ocellatus
Site fidelity
Spatial variations
Stable isotopes
Tissue
Tissues
Water inflow
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Summary:The combined use of otolith chemistry and tissue isotopes has the potential to reveal movements, habitat associations and food web interactions at a variety of spatial and temporal scales. Here, a combination of otolith Ba:Ca life‐history transects with muscle tissue δ13C and δ15N values has been used to assess habitat use and oligohaline residence in red drum Sciaenops ocellatus in subtropical estuaries in the north‐western Gulf of Mexico. Tissue isotopes were distinct among capture locations, particularly between bays with differing proximities to freshwater inflow sources. Otolith edge Ba:Ca values and tissue δ13C values were not correlated. These results indicated that fish were neither residing in nor feeding in oligohaline waters for significant periods of time within the tissue turnover window of several months prior to capture. Nonetheless, spatial differences in tissue isotope values indicated limited mixing among bays and relatively high site fidelity during estuarine occupancy. Lifetime otolith Ba:Ca transects revealed individual variability in the magnitude of residence in oligohaline waters. Using a mean oligohaline occupancy threshold, an estimated 82% of individuals used oligohaline waters at some point in their life. Nonetheless, 66% of individuals spent
ISSN:0022-1112
1095-8649
1095-8649
DOI:10.1111/jfb.15173