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Environ Biol Fish (2011) 90:171181 DOI 10.1007/s10641-010-9728-4
Insight into Danube sturgeon life history: trace element assessment in pectoral fin rays
Ivan Jari & Mirjana Lenhardt & Jan Pallon & Mikael Elfman &
Aleksandar Kalauzi & Radu Suciu & Gorin Cvijanovi & Torbjrn Ebenhard
Received: 11 March 2010 /Accepted: 5 October 2010 /Published online: 16 October 2010 # Springer Science+Business Media B.V. 2010
Abstract Sturgeon populations in the Danube River have experienced severe decline during the last several decades, mostly due to the poorly regulated fishery, river fragmentation and water pollution. This study focuses on gaining better understanding of sturgeon life history primarily by addressing the assessment of microelement accumulation in sturgeon pectoral fin rays, especially of strontium and calcium, as a method that can reveal migration patterns of
anadromous sturgeons. Analysis was performed on pectoral fin samples of three anadromous Danube sturgeon species (beluga, Russian sturgeon and stellate sturgeon) by the use of a Nuclear Microprobe technique. The most frequent pattern in analyzed samples was represented by a low Sr:Ca ratio in the innermost annuli, followed by an increased ratio in the middle annuli segment, and often with a decreased ratio in the outermost annuli. Probability density estimate has revealed three distinguished maxima of the Sr:Ca ratio, 7.08103, 8.98103 and 9.90 103, which might correspond, respectively, to fresh, brackish and saltwater. Although the analysis of the Sr:Ca ratio in sturgeon pectoral fin rays has revealed changes that might indicate probable migration between habitats with different water salinity, further studies are needed for improvement of this method. This study represents the first analysis of this kind that was conducted on sturgeon species from the Black Sea basin.
Keywords Acipenser . Huso . Migration patterns . Pectoral fin microchemistry. Sr:Ca ratio . Nuclear microprobe
Introduction
Sturgeons are one of the most endangered groups of fish and, due to a specter of different anthropogenic impacts, such as poorly regulated fisheries, habitat
I. Jari (*) : A. Kalauzi : G. Cvijanovi Institute for Multidisciplinary Research, Kneza Viseslava 1,11000 Belgrade, Serbiae-mail: [email protected]
M. LenhardtInstitute for Biological Research, Despota Stefana 142,11000 Belgrade, Serbia
J. Pallon : M. ElfmanDepartment of Nuclear Physics,Lund Institute of Technology, Lund University, P.O. Box 118, 221 00 Lund, Sweden
R. SuciuDanube Delta National Institute, Badabag Str. 165,Ro-820...