Demonstration and implications of habitat‐specific chemical signatures in otoliths of juvenile summer flounder (Paralichthys dentatus Linnaeus) in North Carolina

Abstract

The objective of this pilot study was to determine if otolith signatures of juvenile summer flounder Paralichthys dentatus (Linnaeus) were differentiable between beach and marsh habitat types within two North Carolina (NC), U.S.A., estuarine systems. Elemental signatures were differentiable between habitats in both systems, and in one system at smaller spatial scales (<5 km) than have been reported for any estuarine species using otolith microchemistry. These results indicate the potential for using summer flounder otolith elemental analysis to assess the nursery role of habitats within NC estuaries.