Unmasking continental natal homing in goliath catfish from the upper Amazon

Abstract

1. Amazonian goliath catfishes are widespread in the Amazon Basin. Recently, otolith 87 Sr: 86 Sr analyses using laser ablation-multi-collector-inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (LA-MC-ICPMS) revealed a >8,000 km trans-Amazonian natal homing in Brachyplatystoma rousseauxii among fish caught and hatched in the largest Amazon River tributary, the upper Madeira basin. Although also suspected for fish in the upper Amazon, homing could not be demonstrated owing to less distinct environmental 87 Sr: 86 Sr gradients along the Amazon mainstem. Using scanning X-ray fluorescence microscopy (SXFM), a separate study provided evidence that Se:Ca and Sr:Ca are useful markers for identifying migration into Andean headwaters and the estuarine environment. 2. We analysed otoliths of known 87 Sr: 86 Sr profiles using SXFM mapping to test if Sr:Ca and Se:Ca patterns could demonstrate natal homing for three fish caught in the upper Amazon, using as reference two individuals that were natal homers and two forced residents (hatched after the construction of hydroelectric dams on the Madeira River) from the upper Madeira River.

Conservation of migratory fishes in the Amazon basin

“…One species, Brachyplatystoma rousseauxii , performs a trans‐Amazonian round‐trip migration of up ~12,000 km between its hatching areas in the Andean piedmont of Bolivia, Colombia, Ecuador, and Peru and its nursery in the lower Amazon and estuary in Brazil (Barthem & Goulding, 1997; Barthem et al, 2017). In this exceptional migration, most adult fish return to the geographical area (sub‐basin) where they were hatched (Duponchelle et al, 2016; Hauser et al, 2020), a process called ‘natal homing’. Intermediate migrations on the scale of hundreds of kilometres are performed by several species of the orders Siluriformes, Characiformes, and Clupeiformes, for reproductive or feeding purposes between the floodplains and river channel, headwaters, and tributaries (see synthesis by Araujo‐Lima & Ruffino, 2003; Diaz‐Sarmiento & Alvarez‐León, 2003; Figure 1).…”

FISHING PRODUCTION OF <i>Pinirampus pirinampu</i> AND <i>Brachyplatystoma platynemum</i> CATFISH HAS BEEN AFFECTED BY LARGE DAMS OF THE MADEIRA RIVER (BRAZILIAN AMAZON)

“…Currently, one of the main problems for the sustainability of large migratory catfish fisheries in the Amazon basin is the construction and operation of hydroelectric dams along the main channels of its largest tributaries, restricting the reproductive and trophic migrations of fish species that live in or utilize the flood basin's aquatic environments as a migratory route (Gubiani et al, 2011;Winemiller et al, 2016). Recent records indicate a decrease in the amount of fish able to cross these barrages (Hauser et al, 2019), which is reflected in the decrease seen in records of fish production reported in the fishery landing sites, especially in upstream regions of these enterprises (Damme et al, 2019). This has been a direct source of harm to small-scale fisheries, which are traditionally responsible for maintaining the supply of animal protein in the riverine communities of the study area (Fearnside, 2013;Lima et al, 2017;Santos et al, 2018).…”

Application of the analysis of trace elements composition for calcified structures of fish to solve fundamental and applied scientific tasks: a review

“…Другим примером использования метода стал анализ динамики величин соотношений 87 Sr/ 86 Sr, Se : Ca и Sr : Ca от ядра к периферии отолита, проведенный у сома Brachyplatystoma rousseauxii р. Амазонки. Исследователи подтвердили хоминг и протяженность миграций вида на расстояние > 8000 км, что на сегодня является рекордной величиной для пресноводных рыб [Duponchelle et al, 2016;Hauser et al, 2020].…”