Antonio Medina, Ana Magro, Francisco J Abascal, José L Varela
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引用次数: 0
Abstract
The Atlantic bluefin tuna (ABFT) population ranges throughout the Atlantic Ocean and Mediterranean Sea, and consists of multiple contingents that use diverse habitats and show different movement patterns over the life cycle. Based on body size, elemental and isotopic data of C and N in muscle and liver, we analysed eastern-stock ABFT by comparing mid-sized individuals caught by hook-and-line gears with larger individuals harvested from traps in the Strait of Gibraltar (SoG). Our results show that trophic-related chemical markers have potential for separating temporarily sympatric contingents throughout the ABFT population range, reflecting size-dependent spatial distribution and differential patterns of residency and migration. We present evidence of long-term residency of ABFT in the SoG that persists until the estimated age of ∼5 years (size of ∼140 cm in straight fork length). This age apparently marks a turning point in the life history, where there occurs an ontogenetic switch in the migratory behaviour and distributional pattern. This study contributes new insight into our knowledge about size structure and residency-movement patterns in eastern ABFT. It shows distinct size-dependent migratory and spatial dynamics. The present results encourage further investigation on poorly studied ABFT contingents for a better understanding of the population dynamics towards more comprehensive management plans.
期刊介绍:
Marine Environmental Research publishes original research papers on chemical, physical, and biological interactions in the oceans and coastal waters. The journal serves as a forum for new information on biology, chemistry, and toxicology and syntheses that advance understanding of marine environmental processes.
Submission of multidisciplinary studies is encouraged. Studies that utilize experimental approaches to clarify the roles of anthropogenic and natural causes of changes in marine ecosystems are especially welcome, as are those studies that represent new developments of a theoretical or conceptual aspect of marine science. All papers published in this journal are reviewed by qualified peers prior to acceptance and publication. Examples of topics considered to be appropriate for the journal include, but are not limited to, the following:
– The extent, persistence, and consequences of change and the recovery from such change in natural marine systems
– The biochemical, physiological, and ecological consequences of contaminants to marine organisms and ecosystems
– The biogeochemistry of naturally occurring and anthropogenic substances
– Models that describe and predict the above processes
– Monitoring studies, to the extent that their results provide new information on functional processes
– Methodological papers describing improved quantitative techniques for the marine sciences.