Interactive effects of ontogeny, food ration and temperature on elemental incorporation in otoliths of a coral reef fish

The potential for environmental and physiological modification of elemental incorporation in otoliths is significant and must be validated before otoliths can be used reliably to estimate water parameters over the life history of a fish. We experimentally manipulated temperature and diet quantity fo...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Environmental biology of fishes 2010-11, Vol.89 (3-4), p.441-451
Main Authors: Walther, Benjamin D, Kingsford, Michael J, O'Callaghan, Mark D, McCulloch, Malcolm T
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Acanthochromis
Acanthochromis polyacanthus
Agnatha. Pisces
Animal and plant ecology
Animal Systematics/Taxonomy/Biogeography
Animal, plant and microbial ecology
Animals
Autoecology
Biological and medical sciences
Biomedical and Life Sciences
Coral reefs
Diet
Elemental chemistry
Environment
Experiment
Fish
Food
Freshwater & Marine Ecology
Fundamental and applied biological sciences. Psychology
Incorporation
Life cycles
Life history
Life Sciences
Nature Conservation
Otolith
Otoliths
Physiology
Pomacentridae
Temperature
Vertebrata
Vertebrates: general zoology, morphology, phylogeny, systematics, cytogenetics, geographical distribution
Zoology
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Summary:The potential for environmental and physiological modification of elemental incorporation in otoliths is significant and must be validated before otoliths can be used reliably to estimate water parameters over the life history of a fish. We experimentally manipulated temperature and diet quantity for juvenile, sub-adult, and adult Acanthochromis polyacanthus, a tropical damselfish of the SW Pacific. Significant interactive effects between life history stage, temperature and food quantity were observed for otolith Ba/Ca, while significant interactions between stage and food were observed for Sr/Ca. Specific growth rates were negatively correlated with DBa and DSr for juveniles and sub-adults. These interactions indicated elemental incorporation dynamics varied depending on the life history stage, suggesting variation in effects of stage-specific metabolism or reproductive status. Our results highlight complex responses of elemental incorporation to both endogenous and exogenous factors. Interpretations of life history transects across otoliths must account for these effects to avoid confounding environmental variability with ontogenetic changes in physiology.
ISSN:0378-1909
1573-5133
DOI:10.1007/s10641-010-9661-6