Abstract
Lowe et al. (Estuar Coast 34:630–639, 2011) used Sr/Ca in the otoliths of juvenile southern flounder (Paralichthys lethostigma) to demonstrate the importance of low-salinity habitats in the northern Gulf of Mexico during early life. While otolith cores indicated that most southern flounder originated in high-salinity environments (elevated Sr/Ca in otolith core) and moved into lower salinity habitats (decreased Sr/Ca outside of the otolith core), approximately one third of the sampled individuals had otolith core chemistry that indicated spawning or hatching in or near freshwater habitats (low Sr/Ca throughout the otolith). Morais (Estuar Coast 34:630–639, 2012) proposes a different interpretation: he suggests that the high Sr/Ca found in 68 % of juvenile otolith cores (and low Sr/Ca just outside of the core region) may be due to females hydrating their eggs in offshore (high-salinity) waters, with spawning, hatching, and egg/larval development all actually occurring in low-salinity environments (his “sea-run mother” hypothesis). While there is ample literature supporting the importance of maternal contributions to otolith microchemistry during vitellogenesis, it is our contention that such contributions ultimately depend on the ecology and reproductive physiology of each species. Further, a mass inshore migration of adult southern flounder during their spawning season is counter to the well-documented life history patterns for this species throughout its range. While we appreciate Morais' perspective, we continue to stand by the conclusion of our original paper.
References
Beacham, T.D., and C.B. Murray. 1989. Variation in developmental biology of sockeye salmon (Oncorhynchus nerka) and Chinook salmon (O. tshawytscha) in British Columbia. Canadian Journal of Zoology 67: 2081–2089.
Beacham, T.D., and C.B. Murray. 1990. Temperature, egg size, and development of embryos and alevins of five species of Pacific salmon: A comparative analysis. Transactions of the American Fisheries Society 119: 927–945.
Browder, L.W., C.A. Erickson, and W.R. Jeffery. 1991. Oogenesis. In Developmental biology, ed. S.F. Gilbert, 55–115. Philadelphia: Saunders College Publishing.
Burke, J.S., J.M. Miller, and D.E. Hoss. 1991. Immigration and settlement pattern of Paralichthys dentatus and P. lethostigma in an estuarine nursery ground, North Carolina, USA. Netherlands Journal of Sea Research 27: 393–405.
Daniels, H.V. 2000. Species profile: southern flounder. Southern Regional Aquaculture Center (SRAC). SRAC Pub. No. 726. p. 4.
Daniels, H.V., D.L. Berlinsky, R.G. Hodson, and C.V. Sullivan. 1996. Effects of stocking density, salinity, and light intensity on growth and survival of southern flounder Paralichthys lethostigma larvae. Journal of the World Aquaculture Society 27: 153–159.
Fabra, M.D., D.A. Raldúa, P.M.T. Power, J. Deen, and Cerdà. 2005. Marine fish egg hydration is aquaporin-mediated. Science 307: 545.
Fisher, A.J., and B.A. Thompson. 2004. The age and growth of southern flounder, Paralichthys lethostigma, from Louisiana estuarine and offshore waters. Bulletin of Marine Science 75: 63–77.
Fleming, I.A., and M.R. Gross. 1990. Latitudinal clines: A trade-off between egg number and size in Pacific salmon. Ecology 71: 1–11.
Froeschke, B.F., B. Sterba-Boatwright, and G.W. Stunz. 2011. Assessing southern flounder (Paralichthys lethostigma) long-term population trends in the northern gulf of Mexico using time series analyses. Fisheries Research 108: 291–298.
Kalish, J.M. 1989. Otolith microchemistry: Validation of the effects of physiology, age and environment on otolith composition. Journal of Experimental Marine Biology and Ecology 132: 151–178.
Kalish, J.M. 1990. Use of otolith microchemistry to distinguish the progeny of sympatric anadromous and non-anadromous salmonids. Fishery Bulletin 88: 657–666.
Lowe, M.R., D.R. DeVries, R.A. Wright, S.A. Ludsin, and B.J. Fryer. 2011. Otolith microchemistry reveals substantial use of freshwater by southern flounder in the Northern Gulf of Mexico. Estuaries and Coasts 34: 630–639.
Lubzens, E., G. Young, J. Bobe, and J. Cerdà. 2010. Oogenesis in teleosts: How fish eggs are formed. General and Comparative Endocrinology 165: 367–389.
McFadden, J.T., E.L. Cooper, and J.K. Andersen. 1965. Some effects of environment on egg production in brown trout (Salmo trutta). Limnology and Oceanography 10: 88–95.
Morais, P. 2012. Comment on “Otolith microchemistry reveals substantial use of freshwater by southern flounder in the northern Gulf of Mexico” by Lowe et al. 2011. Estuaries and Coasts 34: 630–639.
Morais, P., E. Dias, J. Babaluk, and C. Antunes. 2011. The migration patterns of the European flounder Platichthys flesus (Linnaeus, 1758) (Pleuronectidae, Pisces) at the southern limit of its distribution range: ecological implications and fishery management. Journal of Sea Research 65: 235–246.
Murua, H., and F. Saborido-Rey. 2003. Female reproductive strategies of marine fish species of the north Atlantic. Journal of the Northwest Atlantic Fisheries Scientist 33: 23–31.
Smith, W.E., and F.S. Scharf. 2010. Demographic characteristics of southern flounder, Paralichthys lethostigma, harvested by an estuarine gillnet fishery. Fisheries Management and Ecology 17: 532–543.
Smith, T.I.J., M.R. Denson, L.D. Heyward, W.E. Jenkins, and L.M. Carter. 1999. Salinity effects on early life stages of southern flounder Paralichthys lethostigma. Journal of the World Aquaculture Society 30: 236–244.
Stokes, G.M. 1977. Life history studies of southern flounder (Paralichthys lethostigma) and gulf flounder (P. albigutta) in the Aransas Bay area of Texas. Texas Parks and Wildlife Technical Series 25: 1–37.
Volk, E.C., A. Blakley, S.L. Schroder, and S.M. Kuehner. 2000. Otolith chemistry reflects migratory characteristics of Pacific salmonids: Using otolith core chemistry to distinguish maternal associations with sea and freshwaters. Fisheries Research 46: 251–266.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Additional information
Order of authors, aside from the first author, was assigned using a random number generator.
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Lowe, M.R., Ludsin, S.A., Fryer, B.J. et al. Response to “Comment on ‘Otolith Microchemistry Reveals Substantial Use of Freshwater by Southern Flounder in the Northern Gulf of Mexico’” by Pedro Morais. Estuaries and Coasts 35, 907–910 (2012). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12237-012-9493-z
Received:
Revised:
Accepted:
Published:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s12237-012-9493-z