Impact of salinity on early life history traits of three estuarine fish species in Senegal

The adaptive mechanisms on the early life stages of fishes to hypersaline stress are still poorly understood and probably determine the resistance of a population to disruption, compared with other less plastic species. The Casamance River in Senegal is an ideal location to test the adaptation to salinity as a dam was built in 1998 to exclude saline water intrusion. This lowered the salinity from 70 to 5 upstream and 60 downstream. The salinity influence on the growth in the early life of three West African fish species (Ethmalosa fimbriata, Sarotherodon melanotheron, and Tilapia guineensis) was studied using the width of microstructures in the otoliths and the individual migratory behaviour analysed from strontium (Sr) to calcium (Ca) ratios in the otoliths. The Sr:Ca ratio was quantified along individual transects measured from the posterior edge of the otolith to the core. The fishes were sampled on both sides of the dam that separated water with low salinity upstream from metahaline and hyperhaline water downstream.The results showed that salinity has different influence on the growth of each species. Ethmalosa fimbriata has the highest growth during the first 180 days in the freshwaters, indicating growth inhibition in the hyperhaline areas. For the two other species no growth difference were found. The Sr/Ca ratio varied widely, in Tilapia and Sarotherodon from below the dam. Individual life histories were more heterogeneous than upstream and showed a crossing of the dam for some individuals which could reach half of the fishes analysed. On the contrary in E. fimbriata, despite the large range of salinity, identical Sr/Ca profiles were found both upstream and downstream. This indicated that Sr/Ca ratio was not appropriate to evaluate life history patterns linked to salinity for this specie.     

The effect of Prestige oil ingestion on the growth and chemical composition of turbot otoliths

Juvenile turbot (Scophthalmus maximus) were kept in captivity and were fed a prepared food contaminated with five different concentrations of seawater-accommodated fuel oil from 2.4+/-0.35 to 48.2+/-2.2 mg g(-1) food, with a control group receiving uncontaminated food. The growth and survival of individually tagged fish (N=202) were measured after a six-week treatment period. The otolith growth rate was measured and otolith composition was determined before and after the treatments using LA-ICPMS. Fish and otolith growth were negatively affected by the fuel oil treatment, and the response decreased with the level of contamination. Otolith growth and element incorporation peaked at mid level exposures and decreased at the highest level. The otolith elemental composition reflected the presence of some elements in the Prestige fuel that may have been incorporated through the diet into the otolith.     

Can the Movements of Barramundi in the Fly River Region, Papua New Guinea be Traced in their Otoliths?

To determine whether the concentrations of heavy metals in fish otoliths could be used to infer the fish's movement into water contaminated by heavy metals, we collected barramundi Lates calcarifer from two sites below the outfall from a large copper mine. It was first demonstrated that otolith Sr concentration could be used to separate the marine and freshwater life phases. Twelve elements were then examined (in particular Cu, Mn, Zn, Cd and Pb) in the otoliths by laser-ablation inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (LA-ICPMS). Cadmium concentrations were rarely above the detection level of the instrument. There were low concentrations of Cu in the otoliths of most fish during the freshwater phase of their life history. Three fish out of 10 had higher levels of Cu at some ablations, coinciding with higher concentrations of both Zn and Pb. However, further analysis found no correlation between the Cu concentration of replicate ablations in the same growth zone to those with initially higher Cu values. Copper concentration in the otoliths did not rise during the period the fish were in freshwater, despite the concentration of dissolved Cu in the water being several times greater than in the lower estuary and adjacent coast.These results and other data from recent studies of heavy metals in fish tissues suggest that very little of the dissolved Cu in the Fly River is in the form of free ions that can be adsorbed across the gills and into the blood and the otoliths. It can be concluded that otoliths are not a good indicator of the history of barramundi movements into water contaminated with heavy metals. Our data support recent studies that suggest that the concentration of many elements, such as Cu, may vary in the endolymph around the otolith and thus may be attached to the calcium-binding proteins that form the matrix around the aragonite. Hence, high concentrations of heavy metals in some ablations may be related to the relative amount of aragonite and protein in each ablation rather than reflect environmental differences.     

赣江发现溯河洄游型刀鲚(Coilia nasus)

基于鱼类江海洄游与否的电子探针耳石锶和钙微化学判别手段,对2020年5月采于赣江炉子窑江段的21尾刀鲚的生态表型进行了生活史重建的探索.研究发现,16尾为典型的溯河洄游型刀鲚,其占总刀鲚标本数量的比例达76%,远高于迄今鄱阳湖及其通湖水系所报道的相关比率.赣江中应该存在洄游型刀鲚的产卵场.这些首次确证了赣江中溯河洄游型刀鲚的存在,并体现出了在长江生态大保护及2019年2月1日业已开始的相关禁渔等国策下,赣江水域洄游型刀鲚资源量和栖息地有恢复向好的趋势.宜尽快开展赣江下游相关类群分布区和产卵场等及水利工程、河道挖沙等潜在威胁因素影响的全面调查,以便有效保护该水域的刀鲚资源及其关键栖息地.     

黄、渤海小黄鱼耳石元素指纹分析及其在种群补充群体识别中的应用

利用电感耦合等离子质谱ICP-MS元素分析方法,测定了黄、渤海125尾小黄鱼的耳石元素指纹图谱,共检测到Mg、Al、Mn、Cu、Zn、Sr、Ba、Ca等8种指纹元素。不同采样站位小黄鱼耳石元素含量均存在显著性差异,线性判别分析可以有效识别不同站位的小黄鱼群体,判别成功率为65%~96%,整体判别成功率为86%。基于耳石元素指纹图谱特征进行聚类分析,可以将黄、渤海小黄鱼早期补充群体划分为渤海种群、黄海中部种群和南黄海种群,其中黄海中部种群站位交叉明显。     

基于耳石微化学的南海北部海域两种枪乌贼洄游路线初步研究

根据2016年5月于南海北部采集的中国枪乌贼（Uroteuthis chinensis）和剑尖枪乌贼（U.edulis）样本,分析其不同时期耳石微量元素的差异,推测两种枪乌贼类可能的洄游路线。研究结果表明,选取的枪乌贼样本均孵化于2015年10月-2016年2月,其中主要分布于11-12月。中国枪乌贼耳石Sr/Ca随着月份推移呈现出先降低后回升的趋势;剑尖枪乌贼耳石Sr/Ca在不同月份间有更多的变化,稚鱼期的Sr/Ca为最低;中国枪乌贼耳石的Ba/Ca值随着生长而下降,成鱼期迅速上升,剑尖枪乌贼耳石Ba/Ca由仔鱼期后开始逐渐下降,至成鱼期逐步回升。根据耳石Ba/Ca与水深关系确定了不同生长时期对应的水层,随后将对应水层的平均温度与Sr/Ca建立关系,发现除1月孵化的中国枪乌贼外其耳石Sr/Ca与水温均呈正相关,而剑尖枪乌贼耳石Sr/Ca与水温均呈负相关。根据上述结果,最后推测两种枪乌贼的洄游方式均在大陆架范围内进行南北定向洄游。