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Low-temperature tolerance of juvenile tarpon Megalops atlanticus

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Abstract

The tarpon Megalops atlanticus is a tropical to subtropical species whose pole-ward distribution is thought to be limited by low water temperatures. In the western north Atlantic Ocean juvenile tarpon occur in estuaries of the South Atlantic Bight (SAB) north of Florida near the northern limit of its distribution, but it is currently unknown whether these individuals can survive winter, grow to maturity, and contribute to the adult population. As a first step to determine whether juvenile tarpon can survive winter conditions in the SAB, we conducted laboratory experiments to estimate minimum lethal temperatures of tarpon exposed to 1) ambient fluctuating winter water conditions and 2) a constant rate of temperature decline. Juvenile tarpon exposed to ambient winter water conditions had a mean ± standard deviation (SD) minimum lethal temperature of 13.7 ± 3.4 °C. When exposed to a constant rate of temperature decline (2 °C day−1), mean ± SD minimum lethal temperature (9.2 ± 0.8 °C) was lower than when tarpon were exposed to ambient fluctuating conditions. A combination of our results with all published data on the cold tolerance of juvenile tarpon resulted in an overall mean ± SD minimum lethal temperature of 12.0 ± 2.8 °C. Based on available long-term temperature records from SAB estuaries, overwinter survival of juvenile tarpon is unlikely in most aquatic habitats (e.g., tidal creeks, flats, open water). Similar to other estuarine transient fishes, juvenile tarpon likely exploit seasonably favorable nursery habitats and then migrate to other locations to overwinter.

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Acknowledgements

This project was funded by the Bonefish and Tarpon Trust and we especially thank A. Adams and J. Wilson at BTT for their assistance. We would also like to thank J. Collington, J. Dozier, H. Evans, B. Gamble, J. Lee, F. Sim, and Z. Simpson from the South Carolina Department of Natural Resources Tom Yawkey Wildlife Center as well as D. Allen, J. Blakely, S. Forehand, P. Kenny, K. Powers, and T. Thomas at the USC Baruch Marine Field Laboratory for their assistance during this study. The suggestions of L. Rozas, D. Allen, and two anonymous reviewers improved the manuscript. This research was conducted in accordance with the guidelines set forth in the University of South Carolina IACUC Animal Care and Use Protocols #2273-101047-093015 and #2154-100810-040814.

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  1. Baruch Marine Field Laboratory, University of South Carolina, PO Box 1630, Georgetown, SC, 29442, USA

    Marvin M. Mace III, Eric R. Haffey & Matthew E. Kimball

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  1. Marvin M. Mace III
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  2. Eric R. Haffey
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Correspondence to Marvin M. Mace III.

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Mace, M.M., Haffey, E.R. & Kimball, M.E. Low-temperature tolerance of juvenile tarpon Megalops atlanticus . Environ Biol Fish 100, 913–922 (2017). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10641-017-0619-9

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