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ELEMENTAL FINGERPRINTS OF JUVENILE WINTER FLOUNDER OTOLITHS FROM NARRAGNSETT BAY, RI AND SURROUNDING COASTAL PONDS
Citation:
Taplin, B K., R J. Pruell, J. C. Brazner, R. Kean, AND J. Yordy. ELEMENTAL FINGERPRINTS OF JUVENILE WINTER FLOUNDER OTOLITHS FROM NARRAGNSETT BAY, RI AND SURROUNDING COASTAL PONDS. Presented at Flatfish Biology Conference, Westbrook, CT, December 1-2, 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 signatures in juvenile winter flounder (Pseudopleuronectes americanus) otoliths, collected from different habitat types and locations, could be used as natal fingerprints.
Juvenile flounder were collected from different nearshore habitats (unvegetated, macroalgae, and eelgrass) and locations (upper, mid, lower) within Narragansett Bay, RI (USA) and surrounding coastal ponds. Sagittal otoliths were removed, cleaned under a laminar flow hood and digested with high purity nitric acid. Elemental analysis was then conducted using Inductively Coupled Plasma Mass Spectrometry (ICP-MS) and/or Inductively Coupled Plasma Atomic Emission Spectroscopy (ICP-AES).
The concentrations of nine elements (Ca, Sr, K, Na, Ba, Rb, Li, Mg and Mn) were measured and statistically analyzed using multivariate techniques. Both canonical discriminant analysis (CDA) and linear discrininant function analysis (LDFA) showed that otolith chemical fingerprints differed between fish collected from Narragansett Bay and the coastal ponds. In addition, significant differences were observed in the otolith chemistry of fish collected from the three habitat types (unvegetated, macroalgae, and eelgrass). These differences were more pronounced for comparisons either within the Bay or the coastal ponds and less pronounced for the combined data including all stations. In order to enhance our ability to differentiate among juvenile nursery areas, additional measurements including stable carbon and oxygen isotopes and rare earth elements will be investigated in the future.