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ELEMENTAL AND ISOTPOIC FINGERPRINTS OF JUVENILE WINTER FLOUNDER (PLEURONECTES AMERICANUS) FROM NARRAGANSETT BAY, RI (USA) AND SURROUNDING COASTAL PONDS
Citation:
Taplin, B K., R J. Pruell, J. C. Brazner, AND R. Kean. ELEMENTAL AND ISOTPOIC FINGERPRINTS OF JUVENILE WINTER FLOUNDER (PLEURONECTES AMERICANUS) FROM NARRAGANSETT BAY, RI (USA) AND SURROUNDING COASTAL PONDS. Presented at 3rd International Syposium on Fish Otolith Research and Application, Queensland, Australia, July 13-17, 2004.
Description:
Elemental fingerprinting has become a powerful tool in fisheries science for identifying fish migration patterns, seasonal changes in habitat use, and for delineating the nursery origins of adult fish populations. In this study, we investigated whether elemental and isotopic signatures in fish otoliths collected from different habitat types and locations, could be used as natal fingerprints.
We collected juvenile (50-70mm) Winter flounder (Pseudopleuronectes americanus) from nearshore habitats (unvegetated, macroalgae, and eelgrass), as well as from different locations (lower, middle, upper) in Narragansett Bay, RI (USA) and surrounding coastal lagoons. Sagittae otoliths were removed in the laboratory, cleaned under a laminar flow hood, and a single sagittal otolith was digested with high purity nitric acid using a hotblock at 100?C for 1 hour. Samples were diluted to 2.0ml and analyzed for trace metal chemistry using Inductively Coupled Plasma Mass Spectrometry (ICPMS) and or Inductively Coupled Plasma Atomic Emission Spectroscopy (ICPAES). Isotopic analysis (d13C) was conducted on the remaining sagittal otolith using an Isotope Ratio Mass Spectrometer (IRMS).
Both univariate and multivariate statistical analysis were used to analyze and describe elemental and isotopic signatures of fish otoliths. Results of our study provide insight on how habitat composition may affect natal fingerprints of juvenile Winter flounder.