Environmental signature in the otolith elemental fingerprint of the tapertail anchovy, Coilia mystus, from the Changjiang estuary, China |
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| Authors: | J Yang T Arai H Liu N Miyazaki |
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| Institution: | Key Laboratory of Ecological Environment and Resources of Inland Fisheries, Freshwater Fisheries Research Center, Chinese Academy of Fishery Sciences, Wuxi, China;;International Coastal Research Center, Ocean Research Institute, University of Tokyo, Iwate, Japan;;Center for International Cooperation, Ocean Research Institute, University of Tokyo, Tokyo, Japan |
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| Abstract: | The ontogenetic patterns of habitat use and the migratory history of the tapertail anchovy, Coilia mystus, collected in the Changjiang estuary around Chongming Island, China, were studied by examining the environmental signature in the otolith strontium (Sr) and calcium (Ca) fingerprints using electron probe microanalysis (EPMA). Our results suggest that the migration strategy of C. mystus is much more flexible than supposed in the literature to date. The spring spawning population of C. mystus from the studied area was found to consist of individuals with different migration histories. Although the tapertail anchovy seems to be an anadromous fish that spawns and hatches in a freshwater habitat, it can also use a freshwater environment in non‐spawning seasons. The otolith EPMA of the elemental fingerprint (Sr x‐ray maps and Sr : Ca ratios) is an environmental indicator that can be applied to the migratory ecology of other important diadromous species in China. |
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