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-Mean pelagic larval durations (PLD; d) by site and year for gray snapper collected from the sites identified in Table 1. P-values are for Tukey pairwise tests comparing pelagic larval duration between sites for 2000 and 2001 and within sites between years; asterisks indicate significant differences at P 0.05.
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Newly recruited juvenile gray snapper Lutjanus griseus were collected each fall for two consecutive years (2000 and 2001) from sites in Florida and North Carolina. Spawning, settlement, and growth patterns were compared across sites based on otolith microstructure. Larval otolith growth trajectories were generally similar for larvae from different...
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Otolith (ear stone) chemistry provides powerful insights into the lives of fish. Although frequently used to reconstruct past environments, the influence of physiology remains unsettled. As such, we investigated the relationships between otolith chemistry, physiological factors and environmental factors in an iconic fishery species, snapper (Chryso...
Sculpins are widely used as key species for monitoring heavy metal pollution near arctic mine sites. Typically, metal concentrations in liver and muscle tissue have been used as a proxy for metal exposure but such analyses lack temporal information of uptake and accumulation. Otoliths (ear bones) are considered metabolically stable and can potentia...
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... Growth data from Gray Snapper have also been reported in multiple previous studies (Johnson et al. 1994, Burton 2001, Allman and Grimes 2002, Fischer et al. 2005 of the range of the species (i.e., similar growth curve parameters). However, a previous study on the Atlantic coast of North America noted differences in growth of juveniles driven by latitude (Denit and Sponaugle 2004), and Andrade and Santos (2019) implied that at the edge of the species' range, variation in growth might be driven by phenotypic plasticity in the face of water temperature extremes. In this context, an age and growth function generated from known-aged individuals in the western GOM would more reliably allow for estimates of age projected backwards onto fishery data sets (e.g., estimates of age based on observed fish lengths) such as the extensive fishery-dependent and fishery-independent data possessed by the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department (TPWD). ...
... We tracked mean GSI by month (with years grouped) to determine whether there was evidence for spawning seasonality in months typically reported from other Gray Snapper studies (June -August; Starck and Schroeder 1971;Domeier et al. 1996;Tzeng et al. 2003;Denit and Sponaugle 2004). An ANOVA was used to determine if there was significant variability in mean GSI among months, and the significance of parameter estimates (individual months) was assessed to determine whether there were months with higher than mean GSI, indicating initiation of the spawning season. ...
... An ANOVA was used to determine if there was significant variability in mean GSI among months, and the significance of parameter estimates (individual months) was assessed to determine whether there were months with higher than mean GSI, indicating initiation of the spawning season. Based on summer and early fall spawning reported in previous studies (Starck and Schroeder 1971;Domeier et al. 1996;Tzeng et al. 2003;Denit and Sponaugle 2004), and an elevated GSI observed in June (see results) we examined oocyte stages in May -September (n = 215) to look for evidence of impending spawning (i.e., oocyte stages > 2). ...
Recent population expansion of Gray Snapper, Lutjanus griseus, in the northern Gulf of Mexico is driving increasing catch in the recreational fishery in Texas. We assessed long term trends in distribution and abundance of Gray Snapper in Texas using fishery dependent and fishery independent data collected by the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department in the years 1980 — 2019. Boosted regression trees (BRT) were used to evaluate factors (water quality, season, depth, bay and inlet distance) driving Gray Snapper presence in fishery independent samples of juveniles (seines) and subadults (gill nets) found in estuaries. Estuarine Gray Snapper were subsequently sampled from gill nets, and otolith age and gonad development were evaluated microscopically to assess patterns of age, growth, and maturity. Increasing Gray Snapper abundance in Texas was coupled with expansion of the population age structure in comparisons before and after 1993. Gray Snapper juveniles and subadults encountered in Texas estuaries are generally associated with lower bays and offshore passes, and are more common in the late summer/early fall. Comparison of size (total length in mm) of recreational catch inshore versus offshore suggests that mature adults recruit to offshore habitats around 409 mm TL, or around 3 years old, which is approximately coincident with the onset of sexual maturity. Increasing abundance coupled with an expanding age structure of Gray Snapper in Texas have co—occurred with increasing winter temperatures over time. Population expansion could be facilitated by management measures that improve overwinter survival of juveniles and subadults in estuaries prior to offshore recruitment.
... 6). Higher water temperature can enhance larval growth and increase survival during the first winter (Denit and Sponaugle, 2004;Kim et al., 2015;Veale et al., 2015), thereby conferring an advantage to eggs from fish that spawn inside the bay over those that spawn outside. The increased supply of nutrients from freshwater influxes during the rainy season (June-August) in this region can result in phytoplankton blooms (Yeo and Park, 1997;Oh et al., 2007;Han et al., 2015;Moon et al., 2010), which can further promote larva growth within the bay through nutrient provision. ...
The movement of fish eggs and larvae in bay and estuarine systems is affected by freshwater discharge. In this study, the assemblage structures of ichthyoplankton eggs and larvae were assessed for the first time in Jinju Bay, South Korea, to identify the spawning and nursery functions of the bay. Fish eggs and larvae and several environmental parameters were sampled monthly from April 2015 to March 2016 inside and outside of the bay. Within the bay we collected eggs and larvae from 25 and 35 species, respectively, indicating greater diversity than outside the bay, where we collected eggs and larvae of 20 and 28 species, respectively. Fluctuations in water temperature and salinity were larger inside than outside of the bay, and chlorophyll-a concentration was higher within the bay, likely due to discharge from the Namgang Dam, which causes water to flow from the inside to the outside of the bay. This process influences fish larva abundance, such that more larvae are found outside than inside the bay. We also found that 28 fish species use Jinju Bay as a spawning ground. For some species, the timing of egg and larva appearance differed inside and outside of the bay, suggesting that the timing of spawning may differ between the two environments.
... One possible explanation for differences in recruitment age between the 2 sites could be that transport times, via ocean currents, may be longer to coastal inlets north of Florida from presumed spawning grounds off southern Florida and the outer continental shelf in the eastern Gulf of Mexico (Crabtree et al. 1992). For example, Lutjanus griseus (L.) (Gray Snapper) larvae produced from spawning grounds in the outer reef tracts of the Florida Keys and settling in a North Carolina estuary were slightly older (26 days) than those settling in estuaries in south and central Florida (24 days) (Denit and Sponaugle 2004). Another explanation could be that the Tarpon leptocephali we collected in salt marsh pools in South Carolina were the result of spawning in deep, offshore waters along the southeastern US Atlantic coast where Tarpon leptocephali as small as 6.5 mm have been collected (Berrien et al. 1978, Gehringer 1958. ...
... Snook in South Carolina could originate from Florida with larval dispersal by oceanic currents. For comparison, gray snapper spawn on the outer reef tracts in the Florida Keys and can be transported in the Gulf Stream to North Carolina waters in 26 days (Denit and Sponaugle 2004). Thus, it is feasible that snook larvae (larval duration~20 days; Peters et al. 1998) could reach South Carolina from southeastern Florida where spawning takes place at inlets and on offshore reefs close to the continental edge and Gulf Stream (Young et al. 2016). ...
Given recent trends of warming water temperatures and shifting fish distributions, detecting range expansion is important for resource management and planning. The subtropical common snook Centropomus undecimalis (hereafter referred to as snook) is an estuarine species that historically extended from the tropics to southern portions of Florida and Texas, but this range has been expanding for the past decade. We collected juvenile snook (n = 16; size range = 96–210-mm standard length [SL]) in saltmarshes of South Carolina, which is well outside their usual range but not unprecedented. Growth rates of juvenile snook in South Carolina (0.72-mm SL d−1) were similar to those reported for Florida during a cold period, but faster than rates reported for Florida during a recent period of mild winters (0.49-mm SL d−1). Based on collection and estimated hatch dates, and supported by winter water temperature records, juvenile snook overwintered for at least 1 year allowing them to grow to sizes that are typical for emigration from nursery habitats to open estuarine shorelines. Continued work is needed to determine whether there is potential for ongoing range expansion of snook to the region, and a strategy is proposed to focus on future research.
... Previous studies based on long-term catch data of largehead hairtail in the East China Sea have shown that both fishing and climate change have influenced the largehead hairtail population dynamics (Chen, Wang, Bai, Bai, & Ji, 2004;Wang et al., 2011). The growth rate and survival of populations are influenced by physical and biological factors, such as food availability and environmental variables (e.g., Buckel, Steinberg, & Conover, 1995;Denit & Sponaugle, 2004;Miller, Crowder, Rice, & Marschall, 1988;Sogard, 2011;Tupper & Boutilier, 1995). Food availability, which may be influenced by stratification and ocean currents (especially upwelling), has an important role in affecting the growth and survival of early life stages as well as fish population dynamics and ecosystems (e.g., Hjort, 1914;Ljunggren et al., 2010;Morgan, O' Riordan, & Culloty, 2013;Mallo, Ziveri, Mortyn, Schiebel, & Grelaud, 2016;Schismenou et al., 2016;Rozema et al., 2017;Koenker, Laurel, Copeman, & Ciannelli, 2018). ...
Largehead hairtail (Trichiurus japonicus ) in the China Seas shows an increasing catch trend, despite continued overexploitation, which could be attributed to improved recruitment as a result of strengthened early growth. To understand the early growth variability of largehead hairtail, we examined the linkages between early growth, as revealed by otolith microstructure, and the associated environmental variables over both spatial and temporal scales. Young‐of‐the‐Year largehead hairtail were collected from three regions in the Bohai, Yellow and East China Seas between 29° and 39° N. Daily increment widths of sagittal otoliths were measured and used as a proxy for somatic growth. We found two spawning cohorts, Spring‐ and Summer‐spawned cohorts, that showed latitudinal differences in both mean growth and growth pattern. The transition time from larval to juvenile stage was identified at around 40 days. Daily increment widths of two cohorts showed similar growth pattern in the first 40 days, while location had a marked effect on daily growth over 41–110 days. This suggests physiologically constrained growth pattern in larval stage, but more plastic growth subject to habitat‐specific influences in juvenile stage. The gradient forest analysis identified sea bottom temperature, vertical temperature gradient, and sea surface salinity, as the most important variables in determining early growth. Latitudinal differences in early growth pattern and their response to environmental variables suggest adaptive plasticity of early growth, which has notable implication for the management and sustainable utilization of this important but heavily exploited resource in the China Seas.
... Its distribution expands over two warm (temperate and tropical) biogeographical regions in the eastern Atlantic (sensu Briggs and Bowen 2012). Although juveniles have been collected in Massachusetts, the species is more prominent southwards along the United States coast, Bermuda, the Bahamas, Gulf of Mexico, the Caribbean, and Venezuela (Denit and Sponaugle 2004;Lindeman et al. 2016). A thermal tolerance model has been used to predict northward range expansion of tropical species Morley et al. 2018), but forecasts did not consider potential life history adaptations. ...
Knowledge of the life history of populations at the warm edge of their distributional range can provide a better understanding of how they will adapt to climate warming, including potential poleward redistribution. The range of Gray Snapper Lutjanus griseus has the potential to expand along its northern temperate fringe, but little is known about this species in the warmest portion of its range. We studied the age, growth, reproduction, and mortality of commercially caught Gray Snapper in the Guatemalan Caribbean, where sea surface temperature consistently exceeds 26°C. Longevity was estimated as 10 years, and von Bertalanffy growth parameters that were consolidated through Bayesian estimation incorporating earlier estimates from the Caribbean region were as follows: asymptotic length (L∞) was 35 cm, the growth coefficient (K) was 0.56 year−1, and the theoretical age at zero length (t0) was −0.7 year. Gray Snapper grew slowest in April, prior to the rainy season, and at the onset of the reproductive season, which lasted to September. Fifty percent of the Gray Snapper matured at 31 cm and at 3.5 years of age. Gray Snapper had a lower maximum size, longevity, and peak reproductive investment, a protracted spawning season and reproductive life span, and elevated natural mortality at the warm edge of their distribution relative to temperate climates. Despite the plasticity in life history of Gray Snapper observed in this study, their potential to further adapt to warming remains unknown.
... For example, phenotypic growth rates of fishes are positively correlated with temperature (Gislason et al., 2010;Thresher et al., 2007), but increases in temperature, beyond a critical level, can result in reduced asymptotic length (Baudron et al., 2011;Lorenzen, 2016). The impact of temperature on growth is demonstrated by species that inhabit large latitudinal ranges; individuals that inhabit higher latitudes exhibit slower phenotypic growth rates, but also higher asymptotic lengths (Denit and Sponaugle, 2004;Trip et al., 2014). Growth is positively related to prey availability, and food limitation can result in reduction of length-at-age (Bjornsson, 2001;Lorenzen, 2016). ...
... By contrast, growth coefficients generally decreased with latitude, with the greatest values observed from Mississippi to Texas. Spatial variation in length-at-age and weightat-length of Sheepshead was similar to latitudinal variation in growth observed from other fish species (Braaten and Guy, 2002;Denit and Sponaugle, 2004), suggesting similar mechanisms may drive variability in the demographic processes of Sheepshead. However, improvement in model fit due to the inclusion of random effects suggests other smallscale spatial processes impact growth of Sheepshead. ...
... A component underlying such variability is likely latitudinal differences in temperature among regions. Cooler temperatures, found in higher latitudes, generally lead to lower initial growth rates and larger body size for ectotherms (Braaten and Guy, 2002;Denit and Sponaugle, 2004;Trip et al., 2014), reflecting the influence of temperature on metabolism (Bjornsson, 2001;Charnov and Gillooly, 2004). Variation in median growth parameters estimated in the present study follow such latitudinal thermal gradients; median predicted asymptotic length of females in the Virginia Atlantic was 1.33%, 1.18%, and 1.24% greater than individuals from the Florida Gulf, Alabama, and Mississippi, respectively. ...
Understanding geographic variation in growth dynamics is essential for the management of exploited fish populations because such variation can be used to define stock structure and influence perceptions of stock productivity. Sheepshead (Archosargus probatocephalus) is a species targeted by both commercial and recreational fisheries, and is distributed throughout the north and central Atlantic Ocean and Gulf of Mexico. We analyzed fishery-dependent and-independent length-at-age and weight-at-length data from Texas, to investigate the geographic variation in growth of Sheepshead. We constructed a series of von Bertalanffy growth functions (VBGF) and length-weight power equations using a Bayesian framework that included sex, latitudinal, and regional effects. Median posterior VBGF parameter estimates of asymptotic length (L ∞) for females ranged from 561 mm fork length in the Virginia Chesapeake Bay to 418 mm in Florida Gulf coast, while the posterior median growth coefficient (k) ranged from 0.42 yr −1 in Texas to 0.20 yr −1 in the Florida Atlantic. Predicted length-at-age and weight-at-length varied considerably among States. Predicted length-at-age for age-1 and-5 individuals was greater in the Gulf of Mexico than the Atlantic. However, predicted length-at-age for older age classes was greater in the Atlantic. Predicted weight-at-length decreased along latitudinal gradients in the Atlantic and the lowest values were found in Mississippi. Given the impact of growth on fisheries reference points, such geographic variation in growth can inform the development of assessment efforts for Sheepshead in the Gulf of Mexico and Atlantic.
... A pelagic larval duration (PLD) of around 29 days has been estimated for L. cyanopterus based on larval otolith analysis (Victor et al. 2009). Some variation in PLD estimates was reported for other lutjanid species, which may be related to water temperature and habitat availability (Zapata andHerrón 2002, Denit andSponaugle 2004). Assuming that cubera snapper larvae take longer to develop at lower temperatures and are able to delay settlement until suitable habitat is reached, larvae transported eastwards from the American coast during a period of strong Gulf Stream and Azores Current flows may have just had enough time to reach the Azores and settle. ...
Background. A lutjanid recently captured in Flores Island represents the first documented record of a snapper for the Azores Islands. Since this specimen was not made available to us besides photographs and a muscle sample, a genetic study approach was necessary in order to accurately describe and discuss this somewhat unexpected occurrence. The main objective of this paper was to explain and discuss the presence of this single specimen in this part of the north-eastern Atlantic. Materials and methods. The specimen was caught by spear fishers on 30 July 2014 off Flores Island. We analysed all available photographs and a sample of muscle tissue that was taken and preserved frozen to be used for DNA barcoding. Results. The specimen was a reproductively mature female with a total length of 108.7 cm and weighing 14.84 kg. The body depth of the specimen from the Azores was 2.9 in SL and the analyses conducted showed no divergence from the Canary Islands specimen reported by García-Mederos and Tuset (2014) as Lutjanus dentatus (Duméril, 1861) with the body depth of 2.5 in SL, which demonstrates that this character is highly variable and not useful for species identification. Conclusions. The snapper specimen from the Island of Flores is a Lutjanus cyanopterus (Cuvier, 1828) and confirmed as first record for this part of the north-eastern Atlantic. Comparisons with a L. dentatus from the Canary Islands point towards synonymy although the available molecular evidence is too scarce and by no means conclusive.
... In this study, snapper larvae were competent to settle at 25 d of age and could be transported for up to a maximum pelagic larval duration (PLD) of 40 d (e.g. reviews in Denit & Sponaugle 2004, Lindeman et al. 2006. ...
... Overall, we found that most predicted connections from that initial work remain plausible, but that dispersal into Mesoamerica is less probable according to our more analytically advanced results from a longer time series. In addition, we used a PLD range that included an upper estimate of 40 d for the species (Denit & Sponaugle 2004). Incorporating a longer PLD and not directly imposing mortality rates is a more conservative approach to projecting retention because it expands the potential dispersal kernel of the modeled larvae. ...
Variability in environmental conditions and ocean currents can influence population connectivity and the exchange of larvae among locations. This is especially true for species that spawn in aggregations during a limited temporal window, such as many of the commercially and ecologically valuable species of snapper (Lutjanidae) in Cuba. Biophysical modeling has been used for over a decade to describe the pelagic pathways, sources, and sinks of lutjanid larvae. Here, we build on earlier studies by incorporating more advanced modeling techniques, higher resolution oceanography, and an expanded temporal scope using circulation from 2004 to 2013. Our goal was to revisit the relative linkages of Cuban snapper larvae among regions of the Cuban shelf and neighboring countries by investigating their interannual variability and spatial patterns. Biophysical simulations suggest the majority of larvae produced from snapper spawning aggregations are retained on-island, often within the region where they were spawned, with the exception of an aggregation in northwest Cuba. We used multinomial logistic regression to identify consistency in patterns of simulated biophysical larval transport, and to determine the number of years of simulation required to approximate connectivity. The best fit model correctly identified major connections from each spawning location to greater Caribbean destinations for each species. However, connections at smaller spatial scales were less predictable, and variance increased if fewer years of larval transport were considered. While the magnitude of settlement varies annually, the spatial arrangement of connectivity is relatively consistent such that modeled pathways from spawning aggregations can effectively inform connectivity planning, such as the placement of spawning reserves.
... The tendency of these larger juvenile and subadult Gray Snapper to occupy deep seagrass habitats may indicate a migration from shallow (<1 m) seagrass and mangrove estuarine habitats to deeper seagrass and eventually structured reef habitats as they grow. An ontogenetic shift in habitat preference of Gray Snapper to deeper, polyhaline habitats is supported by the knowledge of their life history and migration patterns (Nagelkerken et al. 2000;Cocheret de la Morini ere et al. 2002;Denit and Sponaugle 2004b). Some of the larger fish (>175-198 mm SL) sampled in this study may have already been sexually mature (Starck and Schroeder 1971;Manooch and Matheson 1981;Domeier et al. 1996) and preparing to move offshore. ...
Estuarine-dependent Gray Snapper Lutjanus griseus support extensive recreational fisheries in estuarine and coastal waters throughout the eastern Gulf of Mexico. Multiyear fisheries-independent monitoring data collected in three Florida estuaries can be used to estimate the strength of juvenile Gray Snapper recruitment, which has been critical to assessments of other fish populations. Earlier evaluation of these data indicated that Gray Snapper inhabit polyhaline seagrass beds, which are underrepresented in ongoing monitoring efforts. During this study, in addition to the routine monitoring of shorelines and channel habitats, sampling of shoal and deepwater polyhaline seagrass habitats was implemented using 183-m haul seines and 6.1-m otter trawls. The incorporation of polyhaline seagrass surveys from 2008 through 2011 allowed a more thorough sampling of the Gray Snapper population, resulting in improved catch rates, increased frequency of occurrence, and a substantial reduction of the coefficient of variation for CPUE in most years and estuarine systems. Habitat-based sampling of polyhaline seagrass habitats also provided additional data for annual abundance indices and therefore improved the ability to characterize the strength of recruitment for Gray Snapper over time. These results demonstrated that periodically reevaluating habitat-based stratification approaches to estimate fish abundance indices from long-term surveys can lead to more precise estimates and greater numbers of measured individuals, which are key components of successful monitoring programs.Received October 24, 2014; accepted May 14, 2015
