Abstract
In recent years, thicklip grey mullet Chelon labrosus has shown increasing expansion of its native habitats in the north-eastern Atlantic into northerly adjacent areas including the North Sea and the brackish Baltic Sea. Despite the regular annual and seasonal occurrence of C. labrosus in the western Baltic during the warm months, nothing is known of the origin or whereabouts of the mullet during the cold season. As different possible migration scenarios can be considered, we performed otolith microchemistry analyses on specimens from the western Baltic Sea to identify the origin of this nonindigenous species. Comparison with North Sea samples revealed common habitat preferences and underlined the highly euryhaline nature of C. labrosus in different recently occupied habitats. Occasional fluctuations of Sr/Ca ratio along the growth axis suggest periodical migration between waters of different salinities but did not reveal distinct migration pathways.
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Disclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.