Age validation and seasonal growth patterns of a subtropical marsh fish: The Gulf Killifish, Fundulus grandis

Vastano, Anthony R.; Able, Kenneth W.; Jensen, Olaf P.; López‐Duarte, Paola C.; Martin, Charles W.; Roberts, Brian J.

doi:10.1007/s10641-017-0645-7

Cited by 12 publications

(5 citation statements)

References 68 publications

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“…First, even small-bodied marsh fishes are capable of detecting and dispersing away from patches of crude oil (Martin 2017). Second, short generation times of small-bodied estuarine fishes and high intrinsic rates of population increase translate to a potential for rapid recovery (Vastano et al 2017;Jensen et al 2019). Third, many fishes and invertebrates are caught as target species or bycatch in commercial and recreational fisheries, and temporary closure of these fisheries may have offset mortality from the oil spill (Van der Ham and De Mutsert 2014; Lewis et al 2021).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Fishery Closures, More Than Predator Release, Increased Persistence of Nearshore Fishes and Invertebrates to the Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill

Oken

Able

Mutsert

et al. 2023

Estuaries and Coasts

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The Deepwater Horizon disaster released 4.9 million barrels of oil into the Gulf of Mexico.Despite clear evidence of exposure and toxicity, there has been little evidence of population-level declines of most nearshore fish and invertebrate populations. Several hypotheses have been proposed to explain this paradox. Two possibilities include a fishing moratorium following the spill and reductions in predation pressure following predator die-offs. We tested both using mass-balance food web models to quantify direct and indirect population sensitivity to perturbations in fishing pressure and bird and dolphin mortality. In doing so, we developed a new method allowing us to quantify responses of one functional group to changes in fishing pressure across all fished groups. We inferred support for a compensatory mechanism, either release from fishing or predation, when populations modeled without any oil-induced mortality displayed large increases to negative perturbations in fishing or predation. We found the fishing moratorium to be the most likely potential mitigating mechanism, especially for penaeid shrimp, menhaden, and blue crabs. Dolphin mortality may explain the stability of small sciaenids.Increased seabird mortality did not lead to major changes in any functional group we examined.The consideration of indirect trophic pathways within the food web model produced a wide range of plausible population responses, especially responses to increases in predator mortality.Broadly, this work shows that oil spills are one driver of population dynamics within a broader socioecological system, and understanding oil spill impacts on populations requires consideration of this complexity.

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Fishery Closures, More Than Predator Release, Increased Persistence of Nearshore Fishes and Invertebrates to the Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill

Oken

Able

Mutsert

et al. 2023

Estuaries and Coasts

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show abstract

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Fishery closures, more than predator release, increased persistence of nearshore fishes and invertebrates to the Deepwater Horizon oil spill

Oken¹,

Able²,

Mutsert³

et al. 2022

Preprint

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The Deepwater Horizon disaster released 4.9 million barrels of oil into the Gulf of Mexico. Despite clear evidence of exposure and toxicity, there has been little evidence of population-level declines of most nearshore fish and invertebrate populations. Several hypotheses have been proposed to explain this paradox. Two possibilities include a fishing moratorium following the spill and reductions in predation pressure following predator die-offs. We tested both using mass-balance food web models to quantify direct and indirect population sensitivity to perturbations in fishing pressure and bird and dolphin mortality. In doing so, we developed a new method allowing us to quantify responses of one functional group to changes in fishing pressure across all fished groups. We inferred support for a compensatory mechanism, either release from fishing or predation, when the magnitude of modeled population increases following perturbations in fishing or predation far exceeded observations. We found the fishing moratorium to be the most likely potential mitigating mechanism, especially for penaeid shrimp, menhaden, and blue crabs. Dolphin mortality may explain the stability of small sciaenids. Increased seabird mortality did not lead to major changes in any functional group we examined. The consideration of indirect trophic pathways within the food web model produced a wide range of plausible population responses, especially responses to increases in predator mortality. Broadly, this work shows that oil spills are one driver of population dynamics within a broader socioecological system, and understanding oil spill impacts on populations requires consideration of this complexity.

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“…Here, we present the result of a series of experiments to test the effects of previous exposure on oilcontaminated sediment avoidance in salt marsh fish. Using the Gulf killifish F. grandis, a widely-used sentinel species for toxicological and ecological studies (Able et al 2015, Vastano et al 2017, Jensen et al 2019), we exposed animals to a range of experimentally oiled marsh conditions and then subsequently tested behavioral avoidance patterns in simple choice tests. The overarching objective of this project is to determine if prior exposure influences avoidance behavior and, if so, to identify what exposure level influences these changes.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Previous oil exposure alters oil avoidance behavior in a common marsh fish, the Gulf KillifishFundulus grandis

Martin

McDonald

Rieucau

et al. 2020

Preprint

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Oil spills threaten the structure and function of ecological communities. In the northern Gulf of Mexico, the 2010 Deepwater Horizon spill was among the largest marine disasters in history. While many predicted catastrophic consequences for nearshore fishes, field studies indicate surprising resilience in populations and communities. One potential mechanism for this resilience is the recognition and behavioral avoidance at small spatial scales of the toxic chemical constituents found in oil. Previous research indicates many marsh fishes have the capacity to avoid oil contaminated areas.Here, we test whether prior oil exposure of a common marsh fish, the Gulf killifish Fundulus grandis, alters this avoidance response. Using choice tests between unoiled and a range of oiled sediments, we found that, even at low levels of previous exposure, killifish lose recognition of oiled sediments.Preference for unoiled sediments was lost across the entire range of oil concentrations tested here after oil exposure, and some evidence for preference of oiled sediments was even demonstrated. These results provide evidence for lack of response to toxic environments in exposed individuals, suggesting sublethal impairment of sensory mechanisms on an individual level despite organism survival. Future research should highlight additional sublethal consequences that affect ecosystem and food web functioning.

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Age validation and seasonal growth patterns of a subtropical marsh fish: The Gulf Killifish, Fundulus grandis

Cited by 12 publications

References 68 publications

Fishery Closures, More Than Predator Release, Increased Persistence of Nearshore Fishes and Invertebrates to the Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill

Fishery Closures, More Than Predator Release, Increased Persistence of Nearshore Fishes and Invertebrates to the Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill

Fishery closures, more than predator release, increased persistence of nearshore fishes and invertebrates to the Deepwater Horizon oil spill

Previous oil exposure alters oil avoidance behavior in a common marsh fish, the Gulf KillifishFundulus grandis

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