Coastal zone use and migratory behaviour of the southern population of Mugil liza in Brazil |
| |
Authors: | Ana C. G. Mai Cristiano Q. Albuquerque Valéria M. Lemos Paulo R. Schwingel Gian-Franco Ceni Tatiana D. Saint'Pierre João P. Vieira |
| |
Affiliation: | 1. Instituto de Oceanografia, Universidade Federal do Rio Grande, Rio Grande, Brazil;2. Departamento de Ciências Animais, Universidade Rural do Semi-Árido do Rio Grande do Norte, Mossoró, Brazil;3. Centro de Ciências Tecnológicas da Terra e do Mar, Universidade do Vale do Itajaí, Itajaí, Brazil;4. Departamento de Biodiversidade e Ecologia, Pontifícia Universidade Católica do Rio Grande do Sul, Porto Alegre, Brazil;5. Departamento de Química, Pontifícia Universidade Católica do Rio de Janeiro, Gávea - Rio de Janeiro, Brazil |
| |
Abstract: | We analysed the ratios Sr:Ca and Ba:Ca in the otoliths of 55 adults of the southern population of Mugil liza in Brazil (Paraná to Rio Grande do Sul) to investigate its coastal zone use and migratory behaviour. All individual M. liza analysed had Sr:Ca and Ba:Ca values indicating that their birth was in the marine environment, which is consistent with the southern population migration to spawn in the ocean,. Juveniles exhibited at least three coastal use and recruitment strategies (contingents): the majority (89%) of M. liza juveniles migrated toward brackish water. They entered the estuary before completing the first year of life (64%) or after (25%) their first year of life. The remaining 11% did not appear to enter brackish or freshwater water as a nursery or at any point in their life cycle. Some adults returned to the estuary after spawning in the ocean but others (of both sexes) never returned to the estuary after spawning, remaining in the marine environment. The pattern of juvenile habitat use in the Brazilian southern population of M. liza seems to be recurrent throughout the extent of its distribution as a consequence of the reproductive spawning aggregation behaviour, which mixes all contingents (with marine or estuarine preferences). |
| |
Keywords: | contingents Mugil liza mullet otolith chemistry recruitment strategies southern Brazil |
|
|