Silversides (Odontesthes bonariensis) reside within freshwater and estuarine habitats, not marine environments

Abstract

Otolith core-to-edge Sr:Ca ratio was determined by laser ablation inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (LA-ICP-MS) to analyze the salinity-habitat migration history of the silverside, Odontesthes bonariensis, within the Uruguay River (freshwater) and Río de la Plata Estuary (estuarine water) (Plata Basin, South America). Regular core-to-edge oscillations in Sr:Ca suggest that the silverside makes annual migrations between freshwater (<1 PSU) and brackish (>1 PSU) habitats, with no evidence of marine incursion or non-migratory individuals. Empirical equations that represent the relationship between conductivity/salinity and otolith Sr:Ca ratio were used to identify where in an otolith an individual transitioned between freshwater and brackish habitats. In most specimens, the first migration between habitats likely occurred within the first year of life. Average numbers of changes between stable Sr:Ca signatures (sites with different salinities) determined by Change-Point analysis were similar from Uruguay River (8.9 ± 3.7) and Río de la Plata Estuary (7.5 ± 2.5) for comparable age fish (p < 0.05), suggesting that habitat use is similar in both collection sites.