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- Title
Effects of salinity on strontium:calcium ratios in the otoliths of the West African black-chinned tilapia Sarotherodon melanotheron in a hypersaline estuary.
- Authors
Diouf, Khady; Panfili, Jacques; Labonne, Maylis; Aliaume, Catherine; Tomás, Javier; Do Chi, Thang
- Abstract
The biology and the behaviour of fish populations in hypersaline environments are poorly known. The habitat occupation strategy of the tilapia Sarotherodon melanotheron has been studied along a salinity gradient in the Saloum hypersaline estuary in Senegal (salinity between 32 and 100). The individual migratory behaviour has been analysed from otolith strontium-to-calcium concentration ratios from fish sampled in five locations during the 2003 wet season and the 2004 dry season. In the upper part of the estuary (salinities > 50), the Sr:Ca ratio in the otolith showed high variations, from 2.51 to 33.30 × 10-3. These maximum observed values have never been reported in the literature. The individual mean of Sr:Ca ratios increased according to the salinity gradient in the estuary, with significantly higher values in the upper part (Sr:Ca mean = 16 × 10-3) than in the lower part (salinity < 50, Sr:Ca mean = 12 × 10-3). No significant difference in the Sr:Ca mean was observed between locations with comparable salinities. Sr concentration in the water at the different locations was positively correlated with ambient salinity. The mean of Sr:Ca in the otoliths was then in relationship with the level of Sr in the water. Thus, the Sr:Ca ratios in the otolith of S. melanotheron allowed to discriminate the populations of this species and to hypothesize that they did not undertake large scale movements within the estuary.
- Subjects
SAROTHERODON; SALINITY; OTOLITHS; CICHLIDS; WEST Africans; LIFE sciences; ESTUARINE fishes; ESTUARINE animals; FISHES; TILAPIA
- Publication
Environmental Biology of Fishes, 2006, Vol 77, Issue 1, p9
- ISSN
0378-1909
- Publication type
Article
- DOI
10.1007/s10641-006-9048-x