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Interactive effects of ontogeny, food ration and temperature on elemental incorporation in otoliths of a coral reef fish

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Abstract

The potential for environmental and physiological modification of elemental incorporation in otoliths is significant and must be validated before otoliths can be used reliably to estimate water parameters over the life history of a fish. We experimentally manipulated temperature and diet quantity for juvenile, sub-adult, and adult Acanthochromis polyacanthus, a tropical damselfish of the SW Pacific. Significant interactive effects between life history stage, temperature and food quantity were observed for otolith Ba/Ca, while significant interactions between stage and food were observed for Sr/Ca. Specific growth rates were negatively correlated with DBa and DSr for juveniles and sub-adults. These interactions indicated elemental incorporation dynamics varied depending on the life history stage, suggesting variation in effects of stage-specific metabolism or reproductive status. Our results highlight complex responses of elemental incorporation to both endogenous and exogenous factors. Interpretations of life history transects across otoliths must account for these effects to avoid confounding environmental variability with ontogenetic changes in physiology.

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Acknowledgements

BDW was supported by the ARC Centre of Excellence for Coral Reef Studies and Australian Research Council funds awarded to MJK and MTM, respectively. We thank Reef HQ for supplying fish and MARFU staff for assistance with the experiments.

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  1. Benjamin D. Walther

    Present address: Marine Science Institute, The University of Texas at Austin, 750 Channel View Drive, Port Aransas, TX, 78373, USA

Authors and Affiliations

  1. ARC Centre of Excellence for Coral Reef Studies, Research School of Earth Sciences, Australian National University, Canberra, ACT, 0200, Australia

    Benjamin D. Walther & Malcolm T. McCulloch

  2. ARC Centre of Excellence for Coral Reef Studies, School of Marine and Tropical Biology, James Cook University, Townsville, QLD, 4811, Australia

    Michael J. Kingsford & Mark D. O’Callaghan

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  1. Benjamin D. Walther
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Correspondence to Benjamin D. Walther.

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Walther, B.D., Kingsford, M.J., O’Callaghan, M.D. et al. Interactive effects of ontogeny, food ration and temperature on elemental incorporation in otoliths of a coral reef fish. Environ Biol Fish 89, 441–451 (2010). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10641-010-9661-6

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10641-010-9661-6

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