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Title: In search of the dead zone: Use of otoliths for tracking fish exposure to hypoxia

Abstract

Otolith chemistry is often useful for tracking provenance of fishes, as well as examining migration histories. Whereas elements such as strontium and barium correlate well with salinity and temperature, experiments that examine manganese uptake as a function of these parameters have found no such correlation. Instead, dissolved manganese is available as a redox product, and as such, is indicative of low-oxygen conditions. Here we present evidence for that mechanism in a range of habitats from marine to freshwater, across species, and also present ancillary proxies that support the mechanism as well. For example, iodine is redox-sensitive and varies inversely with Mn; and sulfur stable isotope ratios provide evidence of anoxic sulfate reduction in some circumstances. Further, S may be incorporated trophically whereas other elements appear to be taken up directly from water. In conclusion, this research suggests a potential means to identify individual fish exposure to hypoxia, over entire lifetimes. With further testing and understanding, in the future fish may be able to be used as “mobile monitors” of hypoxic conditions.

Authors:
 [1];  [2];  [3];  [4];  [2];  [5];  [6];  [7];  [8]
  1. State Univ. of New York College of Environmental Science and Forestry, Syracuse, NY (United States)
  2. The Univ. of Texas at Austin, Port Aransas, TX (United States)
  3. Syracuse Univ., Syracuse, NY (United States)
  4. Queens College, Flushing, NY (United States)
  5. Swedish Univ. of Agricultural Sciences, Karlskrona (Sweden)
  6. Uppsala Univ., Visby (Sweden)
  7. Lawrence Livermore National Lab. (LLNL), Livermore, CA (United States)
  8. Univ. of California at Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA (United States)
Publication Date:
Research Org.:
Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL), Livermore, CA (United States)
Sponsoring Org.:
USDOE
OSTI Identifier:
1201670
Alternate Identifier(s):
OSTI ID: 1313555
Report Number(s):
LLNL-JRNL-650136
Journal ID: ISSN 0924-7963; PII: S0924796314000438
Grant/Contract Number:  
DMR00936384; AC52-07NA27344
Resource Type:
Accepted Manuscript
Journal Name:
Journal of Marine Systems
Additional Journal Information:
Journal Volume: 141; Journal Issue: C; Journal ID: ISSN 0924-7963
Publisher:
Elsevier
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English
Subject:
54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES; 59 BASIC BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES; 37 INORGANIC, ORGANIC, PHYSICAL, AND ANALYTICAL CHEMISTRY; fish otoliths; biogeochemical markers; hypoxia proxies; 58 GEOSCIENCES; 37 INORGANIC, ORGANIC, PHYSICAL AND ANALYTICAL CHEMISTRY

Citation Formats

Limburg, Karin E., Walther, Benjamin D., Lu, Zunli, Jackman, George, Mohan, John, Walther, Yvonne, Nissling, Anders, Weber, Peter K., and Schmitt, Axel K. In search of the dead zone: Use of otoliths for tracking fish exposure to hypoxia. United States: N. p., 2015. Web. doi:10.1016/j.jmarsys.2014.02.014.
Limburg, Karin E., Walther, Benjamin D., Lu, Zunli, Jackman, George, Mohan, John, Walther, Yvonne, Nissling, Anders, Weber, Peter K., & Schmitt, Axel K. In search of the dead zone: Use of otoliths for tracking fish exposure to hypoxia. United States. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jmarsys.2014.02.014
Limburg, Karin E., Walther, Benjamin D., Lu, Zunli, Jackman, George, Mohan, John, Walther, Yvonne, Nissling, Anders, Weber, Peter K., and Schmitt, Axel K. Thu . "In search of the dead zone: Use of otoliths for tracking fish exposure to hypoxia". United States. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jmarsys.2014.02.014. https://www.osti.gov/servlets/purl/1201670.
@article{osti_1201670,
title = {In search of the dead zone: Use of otoliths for tracking fish exposure to hypoxia},
author = {Limburg, Karin E. and Walther, Benjamin D. and Lu, Zunli and Jackman, George and Mohan, John and Walther, Yvonne and Nissling, Anders and Weber, Peter K. and Schmitt, Axel K.},
abstractNote = {Otolith chemistry is often useful for tracking provenance of fishes, as well as examining migration histories. Whereas elements such as strontium and barium correlate well with salinity and temperature, experiments that examine manganese uptake as a function of these parameters have found no such correlation. Instead, dissolved manganese is available as a redox product, and as such, is indicative of low-oxygen conditions. Here we present evidence for that mechanism in a range of habitats from marine to freshwater, across species, and also present ancillary proxies that support the mechanism as well. For example, iodine is redox-sensitive and varies inversely with Mn; and sulfur stable isotope ratios provide evidence of anoxic sulfate reduction in some circumstances. Further, S may be incorporated trophically whereas other elements appear to be taken up directly from water. In conclusion, this research suggests a potential means to identify individual fish exposure to hypoxia, over entire lifetimes. With further testing and understanding, in the future fish may be able to be used as “mobile monitors” of hypoxic conditions.},
doi = {10.1016/j.jmarsys.2014.02.014},
journal = {Journal of Marine Systems},
number = C,
volume = 141,
place = {United States},
year = {Thu Jan 01 00:00:00 EST 2015},
month = {Thu Jan 01 00:00:00 EST 2015}
}

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Cited by: 119 works
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Elemental Concentrations of Water and Otoliths as Salinity Proxies in a Northern Gulf of Mexico Estuary
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Using trace elements in otoliths to discriminate between wild and farmed European sea bass (Dicentrarchus labrax L.) and Gilthead sea bream (Sparus aurata L.)
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Otolith chemistry indicates recent worsened Baltic cod condition is linked to hypoxia exposure
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Otolith microchemistry: a useful tool for investigating stock structure of yellowfin tuna (Thunnus albacares) in the Indian Ocean
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Unravelling the life history of Amazonian fishes through otolith microchemistry
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Reconciling differences in natural tags to infer demographic and genetic connectivity in marine fish populations
journal, July 2018


Otolith chemistry indicates recent worsened Baltic cod condition is linked to hypoxia exposure
journal, December 2019