Partial Migration Across Populations of White Perch (<Emphasis Type="Italic">Morone americana</Emphasis>): A Flexible Life History Strategy in a Variable Estuarine Environment |
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| Authors: | Lisa A Kerr David H Secor |
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| Institution: | (1) School for Marine Science and Technology, University of Massachusetts Dartmouth, 200 Mill Road, Suite 325, Fairhaven, MA 02719, USA;(2) Chesapeake Biological Laboratory, University of Maryland Center for Environmental Science, P.O. Box 38, Solomons, MD 20688, USA |
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| Abstract: | We evaluated the prevalence of partial migration, coexisting resident and migratory life history types, within six white perch
(Morone americana) populations in sub-estuaries (Upper Bay, and Potomac, Choptank, Nanticoke, James, and York Rivers) of the Chesapeake Bay.
Otolith stable isotope (δ18O) values were used to resolve fish habitat use along an estuarine salinity gradient and define resident or migratory behavior.
The majority of adults within Upper Bay and Potomac River populations were resident, whereas individuals from the Choptank,
Nanticoke, James, and York Rivers were predominantly migratory. Beyond population differences, large interannual variability
in life history types was observed, likely due to differences in estuarine conditions that influence growth rate of individuals
(e.g., temperature, zooplankton density). Because we observed partial migration in all study populations, we suggest that
this trait is characteristic of this species, permitting plastic responses to variation in the estuarine environment. |
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