Abstract
Although the relationship between the incorporation of an element into otoliths and the concentration of the element in water has been extensively investigated in many fish species, the interactive effects of multiple elements in water on the otolith incorporation of an element are not adequately explored or well understood. In this study, 16 treatments in triplicate using strontium (Sr; 1, 2, 3 and 4 times the ambient baseline, 6.5 mg l-1) and barium (Ba; 1, 2, 4 and 6 times the ambient baseline, 40 μg l-1) as categorical variables in an orthogonal design were established to evaluate the relative or interactive effects of water elements on otolith elemental incorporation in juvenile flounder Paralichthys olivaceus (from 15 to 116 days post hatching). The results revealed that otolith incorporation (Me:CaOtolith) of Sr and Ba were positively dependent on the concentrations of the elements in water (Me:CaWater). Overall, Sr was incorporated into otoliths more efficiently than was Ba, and the partition efficiency (DMe) of both elements decreased with increasing water elemental concentrations. Increasing Sr concentrations in water appeared to negatively affect the uptake of Ba into otoliths rather than facilitate it, as previously reported in fish reared in freshwater and brackish water, or showed no effect on fish in seawater. Conversely, the Ba concentration in water did not influence the otolith uptake of Sr, which agrees with the findings for other fish species. When applying otolith microchemistry to fish ecology studies, it is essential to cautiously address the interactive effects of multiple elements in the environment on otolith elemental incorporation.
Highlights
Fish otoliths are chemically composed of calcium (Ca) and a variety of trace elements, which are primarily incorporated from ambient water throughout their life
The elemental errors of the measured water elemental concentrations across treatments ranged from 0.3% to 9.4% for Sr and 1.4% to 9.1% for Ba (Table 1)
One of the fundamental assumptions for applying otolith microchemistry to fish ecology studies is that variations in otolith elemental incorporation primarily reflect changes in ambient water chemistry [1, 2, 4, 12]
Summary
Fish otoliths are chemically composed of calcium (Ca) and a variety of trace elements, which are primarily incorporated from ambient water throughout their life. Once crystallized and deposited in the inner ears of fish, otoliths are physiologically stable because of metabolic inertness [1, 2]. It is commonly assumed that trace elements deposited in otoliths during. Elemental effects of strontium and barium on otolith incorporation in juvenile flounder collection and analysis, decision to publish, or preparation of the manuscript
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