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Vertical habitat shift of viviparous and oviparous deep‐sea cusk eels revealed by otolith microstructure and stable‐isotope composition
Author(s) -
Chang N. N.,
Liu E. Y.,
Liao Y. C.,
Shiao J. C.
Publication year - 2015
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/jfb.12605
Subject(s) - otolith , biology , oviparity , habitat , pelagic zone , larva , δ15n , ecology , oceanography , stable isotope ratio , δ13c , fishery , geology , fish <actinopterygii> , physics , quantum mechanics
Otolith stable‐oxygen‐isotope composition and microstructure were analysed in order to investigate the vertical habitat shift of deep‐sea cusk eels (Ophidiiformes). Otolith δ 18 O profiles suggested that both viviparous blind cusk eels and oviparous cusk eels experienced a pelagic larval stage and then settled to the deep‐sea floor over a vertical distance that ranged among individuals from 200 to >1000 m. This result shows that the larvae of viviparous Barathronus maculatus undertake an ontogenetic vertical migration after a period of larval drift that may facilitate their wide distribution on the sea floor.