Abstract
Statolith trace elemental concentrations can be used as natural tracers to better understand life history and stock structure of squid. A highly variable Humboldt squid population was targeted to determine if ontogenic patterns could be revealed and to compare variations among squid collected from three geographic areas. Statoliths from Humboldt squid collected off Westport, WA; Oceanside, CA; and the Galapagos Islands were sampled for ten trace elements using laser ablation inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry. Similar patterns were found for some elements despite geographic collection site distances indicating a potential to explain ontogenic shifts experienced by this species. Other elements displayed high variation in spatial pattern, which suggests the potential to distinguish among the squid collected from the three geographic regions and better understand stock structure. Within the California and Washington squid, eight of the elements varied in relation to calcium across the statolith with only yttrium and zirconium remaining statistically invariant. In addition to these two elements, copper and zinc also did not vary significantly across the statoliths collected from Galapagos squid. All elements demonstrate potential to influence a multivariate elemental fingerprint, which may provide a useful measure of population discrimination needed for stock assessment.
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a callDisclaimer: 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.
