Validation and efficacy of transgenerational mass marking of otoliths in viviparous fish larvae |
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| Authors: | M Kuroki R M Buckley L L LeClair L Hauser |
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| Institution: | 1. School of Aquatic and Fishery Sciences, University of Washington, 1122 NE Boat Street, Box 355020, Seattle, WA 98105‐5020, U.S.A.;2. Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife, 600 Capitol Way North, Olympia, WA 98501‐1091, U.S.A. |
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| Abstract: | Transgenerational mass marking of viviparous fish larvae in vivo was validated by intra‐muscular injection of elemental strontium chloride (SrCl2) in gestating females and detection of the Sr in the otoliths of developing larvae. All otoliths of brown rockfish Sebastes auriculatus larvae produced from SrCl2‐injected females showed enriched Sr:Ca ratios near the otolith edges, and the signatures did not appear to be affected by the anterior, centre and posterior positions of larvae within the ovary. Results from the present study indicate that transgenerational marking is a highly reliable technique for marking large numbers of extremely small viviparous fish larvae. |
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| Keywords: | larval dispersal otolith microchemistry rockfish Sebastes auriculatus Sr:Ca ratios tagging |
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