Migration to freshwater increases growth rates in a facultatively catadromous tropical fish

Roberts, Brien H.; Morrongiello, John R.; King, Alison J.; Morgan, David L.; Saunders, Thor M.; Woodhead, Jon; Crook, David A.

doi:10.1007/s00442-019-04460-7

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Published: 06 July 2019

Migration to freshwater increases growth rates in a facultatively catadromous tropical fish

Brien H. Roberts ORCID: orcid.org/0000-0002-6126-0012¹,
John R. Morrongiello²,
Alison J. King¹,
David L. Morgan³,
Thor M. Saunders⁴,
Jon Woodhead⁵ &
David A. Crook¹

Oecologia volume 191, pages 253–260 (2019)Cite this article

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Abstract

Diadromy is a form of migration where aquatic organisms undergo regular movements between fresh and marine waters for the purposes of feeding and reproduction. Despite having arisen in independent lineages of fish, gastropod molluscs and crustaceans, the evolutionary drivers of diadromous migration remain contentious. We test a key aspect of the ‘productivity hypothesis’, which proposes that diadromy arises in response to primary productivity differentials between marine and freshwater habitats. Otolith chemistry and biochronology data are analysed in a facultatively catadromous tropical fish (barramundi, Lates calcarifer) to determine the effect of freshwater residence on growth rates. Individuals that accessed freshwater grew ~ 25% faster on average than estuarine residents in the year following migration, suggesting that catadromy provides a potential fitness advantage over non-catadromous (marine/estuarine) life histories, as predicted by the productivity hypothesis. Although diadromous barramundi exhibited faster growth than non-diadromous fish, we suggest that the relative reproductive success of diadromous and non-diadromous contingents is likely to be strongly influenced by local environmental variability such as temporal differences in river discharge, and that this may facilitate the persistence of diverse life history strategies within populations.

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Acknowledgements

We are grateful to Northern Territory Fisheries and anonymous recreational and commercial fishermen for providing the otoliths used in this study. Jonathan Taylor assisted with otolith preparation. The research is supported through funding from the Australian Government’s National Environmental Science Program, Charles Darwin University and an Australian Government Research Training Program Stipend Scholarship.

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Authors and Affiliations

Research Institute for the Environment and Livelihoods, Charles Darwin University, Darwin, NT, Australia
Brien H. Roberts, Alison J. King & David A. Crook
School of BioSciences, The University of Melbourne, Melbourne, VIC, Australia
John R. Morrongiello
Freshwater Fish Group and Fish Health Unit, Centre for Sustainable Aquatic Ecosystems, Harry Butler Institute, Murdoch University, Murdoch, Australia
David L. Morgan
Fisheries Research, Department of Primary Industries and Fisheries, Berrimah, NT, Australia
Thor M. Saunders
School of Earth Sciences, The University of Melbourne, Melbourne, VIC, Australia
Jon Woodhead

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Brien H. Roberts
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John R. Morrongiello
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Alison J. King
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David L. Morgan
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Thor M. Saunders
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Jon Woodhead
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David A. Crook
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Contributions

BR and DC designed the research. BR performed biochronological analyses, analysed the data and wrote the manuscript. TS provided otoliths used in this study. JW and BR conducted microchemical analyses. JM provided statistical expertise. DC, JM, DM, AK and TS discussed and interpreted the results and edited the manuscript.

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Correspondence to Brien H. Roberts.

Additional information

Communicated by Brian Shuter.

Our study provides the first evidence that catadromy confers a growth advantage. We provide new insights into the evolutionary and ecological factors that may shape the expression of diadromy in fish.

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Roberts, B.H., Morrongiello, J.R., King, A.J. et al. Migration to freshwater increases growth rates in a facultatively catadromous tropical fish. Oecologia 191, 253–260 (2019). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00442-019-04460-7

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Received: 09 December 2018
Accepted: 30 June 2019
Published: 06 July 2019
Issue Date: October 2019
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00442-019-04460-7

Keywords

Diadromy
Partial migration
Life history
Biochronology
Otolith chemistry