Diadromous life cycle and behavioural plasticity in freshwater and estuarine Kuhliidae species (Teleostei) revealed by otolith microchemistry

Abstract

Otolith microchemistry and microstructure were examined in juveniles of 3 Kuhlia species (Teleostei) from fresh and brackish environments in order to examine their migratory histories. All species presented with strontium:calcium (Sr:Ca) and barium:calcium (Ba:Ca) profiles in the inner region of the otoliths that suggested an obligatory marine larval phase. At approximately 0.3 to 0.6 mm from the otolith core, all individuals showed a sharp increase in Ba:Ca ratios that were generally associated with variation in the Sr:Ca ratio, indicating recruitment into rivers. Microchemical profiles in the outer region of the otoliths indicated a freshwater habitat for most K. rupestris and K. sauvagii and an estuarine habitat for most K. munda. Microstructure analyses validated the presence of an otolith check mark deposited during the habitat shift in K. rupestris and K. sauvagii, but not in K. munda. We hypothesise that this difference was due to lower osmotic stress for the fish moving from the sea to estuaries than from the sea to freshwater. This study demonstrated the ability of otolith multi-elemental microchemistry and microstructure to provide important insights on life history traits of species that lack basic biological information, such as those in the genus Kuhlia. The information provided in this study is critical for the conservation and management of these species.KEY WORDS: Kuhlia spp. · Otolith · Microchemistry · Microstructure · Diadromy · Femtosecond laser ablation inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry · fs LA-ICP-MS Aquat Biol 15: 195-204, 2012 ern Australia (Merrick & Schmida 1984), while the other riverine species are a source of food in many countries such as Madagascar or Vanuatu. Resale or republication not permitted without written consent of the publisherSimilar distributions are also observed in other aquatic taxa typical of insular systems, such as Anguil lidae, Gobiidae and Eleotridae for fish, Atyidae and Palaemonidae for decapod crustaceans and Neritidae for molluscs (McDowall 2004). All these groups are diadromous and share a particular life history trait, an obligatory marine phase in their life cycle. According to Myers' definition (Myers 1949), Anguillidae found in freshwater are catadromous, migrating from freshwater to the ocean to reproduce, whereas the other taxa given as examples above are mainly amphidromous (migrate between fresh and salt water, but not to reproduce). Commonly among amphidromous species, adults live and reproduce in streams, but after hatching, their larvae are swept to the ocean, where they spend several weeks or months before recruitment into freshwater. Because stream habitats on oceanic islands are relatively scarce and subject to climatic or hydrological variations, these types of life histories are the more successful ones ). Marine larval dispersion is the only way to insure regular recruitment and connectivity among remote islands (MacArthur & Wilson 1963) and seems to be one of the main life history traits of the freshwater Kuhliidae....

Evolution of Diadromy in Fish: Insights from a Tropical Genus (KuhliaSpecies)

“…Recent studies have found that some individuals within species (Kuhlia malo, K. rupestris, Kuhlia munda, and Kuhlia xenura) are polytypic for migratory traits, and this primarily occurs with juvenile life stages (Benson and Fitzsimons 2002;Feutry et al 2011Feutry et al , 2012aMcRae et al 2011). In addition, juveniles of Kuhlia caudavittata and K. mugil are sometimes captured in freshwater (P. Feutry, personal observation).…”

Life history of anadromous burbot (Lota lota, Linneaus) in the brackish Baltic Sea inferred from otolith microchemistry

“…This result is principally verified by Paragamian & Wakkinen (2008) who reported multiple burbot movement patterns in a river-lake system of North America, using telemetry and limited sample size. Although widespread in salmonids (e.g., Thorpe 1994), it is only recently when such examples amongst nonsalmonid fish have emerged (Daverat et al 2006(Daverat et al , 2012Feutry et al 2012). For example, Daverat et al (2012) have shown that European flounder Platichthys flesus may spawn in coastal, brackish or freshwater environments, and multiple habitat use patterns exist.…”

“…In some areas, however, Sr:Ca in a low-salinity environment may exceed that of high (Kraus & Secor 2004). Several studies have also used barium to calcium ratio (Ba:Ca) as a tracker of fish migratory history (Elsdon & Gillanders 2005;Feutry et al 2012). Several studies have also used barium to calcium ratio (Ba:Ca) as a tracker of fish migratory history (Elsdon & Gillanders 2005;Feutry et al 2012).…”

“…Therefore, one should assure that Sr:Ca variation in the study area is as expected. Several studies have also used barium to calcium ratio (Ba:Ca) as a tracker of fish migratory history (Elsdon & Gillanders 2005;Feutry et al 2012). There should be a negative relationship between salinity and Ba:Ca in the water and otolith (Elsdon & Gillanders 2005), but this depends on estuarine particle dynamics and riverine sediment supply (Coffey et al 1997).…”

Amphidromy and marine larval phase of ancestral gobioids Rhyacichthys guilberti and Protogobius attiti (Teleostei: Rhyacichthyidae)

“…Several studies on Gobiidae have revealed a check-mark deposition at the time of post-larval recruitment linked to a decrease in the calcareous growth rate (Shen and Tzeng 2002;Keith et al 2008). The number of increments between the core and the metamorphosis check mark is therefore an estimation of their pelagic larval duration (PLD) (Yamasaki et al 2007;Feutry et al 2012). The elemental composition of the otolith is used to reconstruct the migratory environmental history (Daverat and Tomas 2006;Shiao et al 2006).…”