Strontium:cakium concentration ratios in otoliths of herring larvae as indicators of environmental histories

Abstract

SynopsisElemental analyses, using wave-length dispersive electron microprobe techniques on otoliths from reared Atlantic herring larvae, Clupea harengus, showed trace quantities of strontium relative to that of calcium, and an inverse relationship between Sr/Ca concentration ratios and rearing temperature. These data are consistent with those for coral aragonite, in that there appears to be an inverse temperature effect on physiological incorporation of strontium in the otolith aragonite. Our determinations of Sr/Ca concentration ratios of lab-reared herring larvae showed that the deposition of strontium relative to calcium and the rearing temperature were related, where: T ("C) = -2.955 [S&a] x 1000 + 19.172. This principle thus makes it possible to use Sr/Ca concentration ratios in fish otoliths to delineate past temperatures experienced by an individual. Further, combining electron microprobe analyses with scanning electron microscope (SEM) examinations of daily increments in the same otolith makes it possible to reconstruct the temperature history for an individual fish on a time scale of days. An example of the application of the technique to an approximately six-month-old field-caught herring larva is given, and the limitations of the technique are discussed.

Facultative catadromy of the eel Anguilla japonica between freshwater and seawater habitats

“…Recent chemical analytical techniques have enabled identification of life history events in individual fish by detecting trace elements in the microstructure of their otoliths (Kalish 1989, Radtke 1989, Radtke et al 1990). Oxygen isotope ratios (Nelson et al 1989, Tsukamoto et al 1989) and strontium (Sr) incorporation (Kalish 1989, Radtke 1989, Radtke et al 1990, Secor 1992, Townsend et al 1992, Tzeng and Tsai 1994, Secor et al 1995, Arai et al 1997 in fish otoliths are of special interest because of their potential utility as indicators of past environmental (temperature, salinity) and physiological conditions (ontogeny, migration).…”

“…Oxygen isotope ratios (Nelson et al 1989, Tsukamoto et al 1989) and strontium (Sr) incorporation (Kalish 1989, Radtke 1989, Radtke et al 1990, Secor 1992, Townsend et al 1992, Tzeng and Tsai 1994, Secor et al 1995, Arai et al 1997 in fish otoliths are of special interest because of their potential utility as indicators of past environmental (temperature, salinity) and physiological conditions (ontogeny, migration). The deposition of strontium (Sr) and calcium (Ca) in fish otoliths during their growth varies between freshwater and marine habitats (Casselman 1982, Kalish 1989, 1990, Radtke 1989, Secor 1992, Secor et al 1995, Tzeng et al 1997, Arai & Tsukamoto 1998).…”

Disparities in habitat use and migratory behavior between tropical eel Anguilla marmorata and temperate eel A. japonica in four Taiwanese rivers

“…The concentration of Sr is approximately 100-fold greater in seawater (8.7 × 10 -5 M) than freshwater (9 × 10 -7 M) (Campana 1999) and the Sr:Ca ratios in fish otoliths are higher in marine and brackish waters than in freshwater (Tzeng 1996a). Thus, otolith Sr:Ca ratios are extensively used to study the migratory environmental history of diadromous fishes (Radtke et al 1988(Radtke et al , 1990, including freshwater eels (Otake et al 1994, Tzeng & Tsai 1994, Arai et al 1997, 1999, Tzeng et al 1997, 2000a, Kawakami et al 1998, Jessop et al 2002.…”

Strontium:calcium ratios in statoliths of Japanese common squid Todarodes pacificus (Cephalopoda: Ommastrephidae) as indicators of migratory behavior

“…Trace elements, especially strontium:calcium (Sr:Ca) ratios, in the calcified tissue of marine organisms have shown good correlation with ambient water temperature in corals (Smith et al 1979), bivalves (Masuda 1976), and fishes (Gauldie et al 1986, Radtke et al 1990, Arai et al 1996. Sr:Ca ratios have been used to examine migratory behavior in the ommastrephid squid Martialia hyadesi (Rodhouse et al 1994), and ontogenetic variation was measured in 9 individuals of Ommastrephes bartrami (Yatsu et al 1998), but Sr:Ca ratios have seldom been applied to squid migratory behavior in the field due to the difficulty in accounting for factors (e.g.…”