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Regional variation and the effect of lake: river area on sex distribution of American eels
Author(s) -
Oliveira K.,
McCleave J.D.,
Wippelhauser† G. S.
Publication year - 2001
Publication title -
journal of fish biology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.672
H-Index - 115
eISSN - 1095-8649
pISSN - 0022-1112
DOI - 10.1111/j.1095-8649.2001.tb00546.x
Subject(s) - anguilla rostrata , habitat , biology , anguillidae , sex ratio , range (aeronautics) , ecology , fluvial , nova scotia , latitude , home range , fishery , zoology , geography , fish <actinopterygii> , population , paleontology , materials science , demography , archaeology , geodesy , structural basin , sociology , composite material
Silver phase American eels, Anguilla rostrata , were collected while migrating from five rivers in Maine, U.S.A. Sex ratios varied from 49 to 98% male for these rivers and had a range of 46% over a 30 km distance between the mouths of three rivers. The proportion of male eels was inversely related to the amount of lacustrine habitat in the five drainage areas ( r =−0·95, P =0·014). A combination of these sex ratios and published data from two Nova Scotia rivers showed large variation in the proportion of male eels within 1° of latitude. Thus, the hypothesis from the literature that the distribution of the sexes is dependent upon distance of larval transport was not supported. Eels migrating from lacustrine habitats within a river were predominately female, while eels migrating from fluvial habitats were predominately male, regardless of upstream distance. Apparently river habitat influences the distribution of the sexes and may play a role in sex determination.