<i>In situ</i>Underwater Tagging of Aquatic Organisms: A Test Using the Cave-Dwelling Olm,<i>Proteus anguinus</i>

Balázs, Gergely; Lewarne, Brian; Herczeg, Gábor

doi:10.5735/086.052.0303

Cited by 12 publications

(13 citation statements)

References 20 publications

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“…The weak structure detected by the Bayesian assignment method could be caused by the effects of parent–offspring relatedness. On the other hand, cases of extreme philopatry over several years (Balázs, Lewarne, & Herczeg, ) and very restricted range sizes of some populations (Sket, ) indicate that other factors might confine dispersal in the karstic groundwater network.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

First microsatellite data on Proteus anguinus reveal weak genetic structure between the caves of Postojna and Planina

Zakšek

Konec

Trontelj

2017

Aquatic Conservation

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1. The European cave salamander, Proteus anguinus, or proteus, is the largest obligate cave animal in the world. It is an endangered and charismatic species of high conservation importance for subterranean waters. Conservation genetic studies are hampered by the extreme size and repetitiveness of its nuclear genome.2. The aim of the study was to develop and characterize the first microsatellite markers for proteus, and test their informativeness at the level of individuals, populations and between populations in the Postojna and Planina caves in Slovenia.3. Twenty-three novel polymorphic microsatellite markers were amplified in 201 individuals from both caves using three multiplex reactions. The number of alleles per locus varied from three to nine. The loci are largely unlinked and conform to Hardy-Weinberg genotype frequencies.Genetic equilibrium and an F ST value of 0.0024 suggest a nearly panmictic population in both caves separated by some 10 km of subterranean river course, while Bayesian clustering detected weak genetic structure. 4. The microsatellites described fill the gap of urgently needed nuclear markers in Proteus that can be applied in genetic mark-recapture studies, population monitoring and identification of management units to assist conservation efforts.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

First microsatellite data on Proteus anguinus reveal weak genetic structure between the caves of Postojna and Planina

Zakšek

Konec

Trontelj

2017

Aquatic Conservation

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“…The detailed methodology of tagging can be found in Balázs et al (). Briefly, individuals were caught by hand and a black colour Visible Implant Elastomer (VIE, Northwest Marine Technology Inc., Shaw Island, WA, USA) was administered under their tail ‐ fin skin with a standard 29 gauge needle.…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Thirteen individuals out of the 19 were recaptured later. During our pilot study (Balázs et al , ), we also tagged seven adults in 2010. Two individuals out of the seven were also recaptured during the 2016 tagging period and again afterwards; hence, these individuals were also included in the analyses.…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…The lack of field studies on P. anguinus is easy to understand; their characteristic habitats are hard to access for researchers and in situ observations are challenging to perform. Previously, we developed a method for underwater tagging of aquatic amphibians with minimal manipulation and without even temporary removal from the site of capture (Balázs, Lewarne & Herczeg, ), which opened up the possibilities for long‐term CMR studies on P. anguinus .…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Extreme site fidelity of the olm (Proteus anguinus) revealed by a long‐term capture–mark–recapture study

Balázs

Lewarne²,

Herczeg

2020

Journal of Zoology

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The biology of cave-dwelling species is a fascinating area, yet it is understudied due to logistic constraints, especially in regard to aquatic organisms. The olm (Proteus anguinus) is the largest known troglobiont vertebrate, showing extreme lifehistory characteristics such as a possible lifespan of over 100 years and a reproductive cycle of over 12 years. However, most studies carried out on the species to date are based on laboratory studies, resulting in a severe lack of ecological data from natural populations studied in their original habitat. We applied a capturemark-recapture approach on an Eastern Herzegovinian population for eight years to reveal its spatial strategy and general movement patterns. We found that P. anguinus is sedentary, can often be found within a few square metres over several years, and their moving distance is uncorrelated with the time elapsed between recaptures. Previous laboratory studies constrained to confined space and artificial environments have already suggested site fidelity and our results from a natural population confirm this. The low reproductive activity of the species together with the reported extreme site fidelity makes this top predator of aquatic cave communities highly vulnerable and a sensitive bio-indicator of habitat-changing human activities.

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“…Tagging sh in situ with acoustic transmitters at the same depth as capture and release has become more popular as studies have shown the negative effects of barotrauma on sh survival (Rummer and Bennett 2005; Rundershausen et al 2014). Externally tagging sh in situ has been reported for multiple studies (Atkins et al 2014, Balázs et al 2015, Sigurdsson et al 2006, and internally tagging sh in situ has become more common. For example, Starr et al (2000) captured deep-sea greenspotted rock sh (Sebastes chlorostictus) at depths between 100-200 m, brought them up to 20 m where they were internally tagged, then lowered them back down to depth and released them.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Under Pressure: Comparing Fish Survivorship Between in Situ and Boat Tagging Methods Using Internal Acoustic Tags

Keller

Morley

Herbig

et al. 2020

Preprint

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Background: With the increase in telemetry studies over the past decade, improving understanding of how different tagging methods influence fish survivorship is critical. By examining the effects of tagging methods, we can maximize the information gained from telemetry studies. Mortality resulting from internally tagging fish on a boat may be due to barotrauma injuries, increased stress from prolonged handling times, or predation after fish have been released back into the water. Conducting in situ internal acoustic tagging at depth of capture completely removes barotrauma stresses and simplifies the release method, which may improve fish survival. In this study, we used 8 years of acoustic tagging data to determine if the tagging method (in situ versus on the boat) influenced fish survivorship and evaluated the role of other tagging variables.Results: At 6 days after tagging, Kaplan–Meier survival curves revealed that the survival probability of fish tagged on the boat was 66% while survival probability of fish tagged in situ was 90%. Tagging method was the only variable to significantly affect survival probability based on Cox proportional hazards models, with fish tagged in situ ~75% less likely to have an “event” (mortality, tag loss, or emigration) compared to fish tagged on the boat at both 4 and 6 days after tagging. Examining tagging methods separately, handling time only marginally influenced survival probability of boat-tagged fish and no variables had a significant effect on survival of in situ tagged fish. Conclusions: In this study, tagging method was the only variable to significantly affect survival of internally tagged fish. Implanting internal acoustic tags in situ is not a practical method for every species and for every environment, but given the increased fish survivorship demonstrated here, we strongly suggest it be considered as the preferred tagging methodology where applicable.

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In situUnderwater Tagging of Aquatic Organisms: A Test Using the Cave-Dwelling Olm,Proteus anguinus

Cited by 12 publications

References 20 publications

First microsatellite data on Proteus anguinus reveal weak genetic structure between the caves of Postojna and Planina

First microsatellite data on Proteus anguinus reveal weak genetic structure between the caves of Postojna and Planina

Extreme site fidelity of the olm (Proteus anguinus) revealed by a long‐term capture–mark–recapture study

Under Pressure: Comparing Fish Survivorship Between in Situ and Boat Tagging Methods Using Internal Acoustic Tags

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