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Otolith chemistry chimes in: migratory environmental histories of Atlantic tarpon (Megalops atlanticus) caught from offshore waters of French Guiana

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Abstract

The migratory life histories of 37 Atlantic tarpon (Megalops atlanticus) caught from offshore waters of French Guiana were quantified using otolith Sr:Ca and Ba:Ca ratios. In general Sr:Ca ratio was more informative marker for inferring movements along salinity gradients, but Ba:Ca ratio was used to infer movements to estuarine mixing zones with high Ba availability. All sampled individuals had made use of marine and brackish water but only 8 % had experienced fresh water and 24 % hypersaline water. The newly-hatched post-metamorphic larvae recruited to brackish (49 %), sea (43 %), fresh (5 %) and hypersaline (3 %) water nursery areas. Following the settlement to nursery areas Atlantic tarpon likely displayed facultative habitat selection and complex set of inter-habitat shifting among waters of various salinity. The combined use of both markers allowed us to conclude that brackish (estuarine) areas are likely the main habitat for Atlantic tarpon in French Guiana, and fresh water use is surprisingly rare. As no general migratory life-history emerged, and because Atlantic tarpon seemed rather facultative in its habitat use, it should be regarded as ‘euryhaline marine migrantʼ.

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Acknowledgments

M.R. received travelling funds from the European Social Fund financed by European Union and universities, which in Estonia is managed by Doctoral School of Earth Sciences and Ecology. We thank A. Ungerer (Oregon State University) for his help with the otolith analyses. We also thank two anonymous reviewers for their comments.

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  1. Estonian Marine Institute, University of Tartu, Vanemuise 46a, 51008, Tartu, Estonia

    Mehis Rohtla & Markus Vetemaa

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  1. Mehis Rohtla
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  2. Markus Vetemaa
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Correspondence to Mehis Rohtla.

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Rohtla, M., Vetemaa, M. Otolith chemistry chimes in: migratory environmental histories of Atlantic tarpon (Megalops atlanticus) caught from offshore waters of French Guiana. Environ Biol Fish 99, 593–602 (2016). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10641-016-0501-1

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10641-016-0501-1

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