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The use of 87Sr/86Sr isotopic ratios to assess natal areas and movement of juvenile Gulf Sturgeon Acipenser oxyrinchus desotoi in the Pascagoula and Pearl River systems

The effects of water and dietary influence, and time duration for discernment, of pectoral fin spine 87Sr/86Sr were evaluated in Atlantic Sturgeon Acipenser oxyrinchus oxyrinchus. Fish were subjected to 87Sr-enriched water (0.1 mg/L) or diet (0.25 migrogram/g or 0.5 microgram/g) for 1, 2, 3, 6, or 12 weeks. Fish were also held at 15 or 25°C to determine if temperature influenced 87Sr/86Sr. Results found fin spine 87Sr/86Sr changed in water after 1 week and diet after 12 weeks suggesting water is the primary influence. In wild Gulf Sturgeon A. o. desotoi, spot ablations closest to the fin spine core separated fish into four 87Sr/86Sr groups (0.7110, 0.7105, 0.7100, and 0.7906) for both the Pascagoula and Pearl Rivers from 2016-2021. In the Pearl River system, 87.5% of fish (pre-first annuli) had stable 87Sr/86Sr indicating minimal movement, whereas decreasing 87Sr/86Sr in the second and third growth zones indicated downriver movement towards estuaries.

Identiferoai:union.ndltd.org:MSSTATE/oai:scholarsjunction.msstate.edu:td-6674
Date09 December 2022
CreatorsNeary, Joshua
PublisherScholars Junction
Source SetsMississippi State University
Detected LanguageEnglish
Typetext
Formatapplication/pdf
SourceTheses and Dissertations

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