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

Author

Joshua Neary, Mississippi State UniversityFollow

Issuing Body

Mississippi State University

Advisor

Allen, Peter J.

Committee Member

Pracheil, Brenda M.

Committee Member

Gabitov, Rinat I.

Date of Degree

12-9-2022

Document Type

Graduate Thesis - Open Access

Major

Wildlife, Fisheries, and Aquaculture

Degree Name

Master of Science (M.S.)

College

College of Forest Resources

Department

Department of Wildlife, Fisheries and Aquaculture

Abstract

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.

Recommended Citation

Neary, Joshua, "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" (2022). Theses and Dissertations. 5731.
https://scholarsjunction.msstate.edu/td/5731