Lara, M. R., Jones, D. L., Chen, Z., Lamkin, J., Jones, C.

Spatial variation of otolith elemental signatures among juvenile gray snapper (Lutjanus griseus) inhabiting southern Florida waters

2008

Marine Biology

153

235-248

"Juvenile gray snapper, Lutjanus griseus, are believed to use bays and estuaries in southern Florida as nurseries before moving out to the adjoining reef tract as adults. Using high-resolution sector Weld-inductively coupled plasma-mass spectrometry (SF-ICP-MS), the elemental chemistry of the otoliths of juveniles from Wve nursery regions was resolved by establishing elemental "signatures" for each region. In this study we simultaneously analyzed 32 elements including a suite of rare earth elements. A stepwise variable selection procedure retained a subset of eight elements that contributed substantially to separating otolith samples, including two rare earth elements; this is one of the first studies in which rare earth elements in otoliths have contributed to separation of fish stocks. The classifcation success rate in assigning fishes to the correct region of origin was 82%. Resolution of sites less than 10 km apart suggested high site fidelity in juvenile gray snapper and little mixing of water masses between sites. The juvenile nursery signatures will be used to determine the relative contribution of different nurseries to the adult population on an adjoining reef tract."

10.1007/s00227-007-0799-5

FY2008 CRCP Project ID 1067; Project Title: Monitoring Coral Reef Fish Utilization of Marine Protected Areas and Inshore Habitats in Florida Bay; Principal Investigator: John Lamkin