Vertical movement rates and habitat use of Atlantic tarpon

Abstract

MEPS Marine Ecology Progress Series Contact the journal Facebook Twitter RSS Mailing List Subscribe to our mailing list via Mailchimp HomeLatest VolumeAbout the JournalEditorsTheme Sections MEPS 467:167-180 (2012) - DOI: https://doi.org/10.3354/meps09957 Vertical movement rates and habitat use of Atlantic tarpon Jiangang Luo*, Jerald S. Ault University of Miami, Rosenstiel School of Marine and Atmospheric Science, Division of Marine Biology and Fisheries, 4600 Rickenbacker Causeway, Miami, FL 33149, USA *Email: jluo@rsmas.miami.edu ABSTRACT: We evaluated vertical depth and thermal habitat utilization of Atlantic tarpon Megalops atlanticus from high-resolution temporal data on 42 recovered pop-up archival transmitting (PAT) tags deployed and recovered from 2002 to 2010 to estimate vertical movement rates (swim speeds) during descents and ascents. All individuals strongly preferred shallow waters, spending >80% of their time in water depths <10 m. Diel vertical distributions followed 4 patterns, but there was substantial variation within and among individuals. Vertical descent and ascent rates, defined as changes in depths extending ≥2 m over time, were estimated from tag data with 1 s sampling intervals. Descent rates ranged from 0.01 to 2.74 m s−1, while ascent rates ranged from 0.01 to 4.5 m s−1. Relatively uncommon deep diving behaviors might be associated with spawning activity. The most preferred water temperature was ~26°C, particularly during the spring and fall migratory periods. However, these reached >29°C in summer when tarpon were at their feeding grounds at the northern extreme of their range. Peaks of ‘rolling and jumping’ behaviors inferred from relative conductivity sensor data occurred with greatest frequency just after sunset and sunrise. KEY WORDS: Megalops atlanticus · Satellite tracking · Thermal habitat · Rolling and jumping · Diel patterns Full text in pdf format PreviousNextCite this article as: Luo J, Ault JS (2012) Vertical movement rates and habitat use of Atlantic tarpon. Mar Ecol Prog Ser 467:167-180. https://doi.org/10.3354/meps09957 Export citation RSS - Facebook - Tweet - linkedIn Cited by Published in MEPS Vol. 467. Online publication date: October 25, 2012 Print ISSN: 0171-8630; Online ISSN: 1616-1599 Copyright © 2012 Inter-Research.