Premium
Using otolith microchemistry to reconstruct habitat use of A merican eels A nguilla rostrata in the S t. L awrence R iver– L ake O ntario system
Author(s) -
Benchetrit José,
BéguerPon Mélanie,
Sirois Pascal,
Castonguay Martin,
Fitzsimons John,
Dodson Julian J.
Publication year - 2017
Publication title -
ecology of freshwater fish
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.667
H-Index - 55
eISSN - 1600-0633
pISSN - 0906-6691
DOI - 10.1111/eff.12246
Subject(s) - brackish water , habitat , tributary , otolith , strontium , anguilla rostrata , estuary , barium , ecology , fishery , environmental science , geography , biology , fish <actinopterygii> , chemistry , salinity , cartography , organic chemistry , inorganic chemistry
Catadromy among freshwater eels is increasingly recognised as being facultative, with some individuals carrying out growth exclusively in brackish or coastal marine waters, or switching between brackish or marine waters and freshwater habitats. In an attempt to reconstruct habitat use of yellow‐stage American eels in a large river‐lake ecosystem, trace element line scans were obtained, using LA ‐ ICP ‐ MS , from the otoliths of 110 eels sampled at various locations throughout the St. Lawrence River–Lake Ontario ( SLRLO ) system. Elemental profiles for strontium (Sr), barium (Ba), manganese (Mn) and magnesium (Mg) enabled us to distinguish three chemical signatures that appear to represent three distinct habitats within the SLRLO . Of these, one was shown to likely correspond to the brackish estuary (high strontium values). The other two signatures, characterised by low strontium but variable concentrations of barium and manganese, may correspond to habitats within the main‐stem St. Lawrence River and one or more of its tributaries. Most (78%) of the switches among habitats occurred within the first four years after recruitment suggesting an increasing likelihood for eels to maintain residence in one habitat as they grow older. This suggests that tributaries may provide important habitats for American eels during the first several years after recruiting to the SLRLO . In addition, our results suggest that a small proportion American eels in the SLRLO can undertake movements on the order of at least 200 km during the early growth stage. This information has important implications for the management and conservation of this species in the system.