Exploring European Eel Anguilla anguilla (L.) Habitat Differences Using Otolith Analysis in Central-Western Mediterranean Rivers and Coastal Lagoons from Sardinia

• Published in: Fishes
• Main Authors: Podda, Cinzia, Culurgioni, Jacopo, Diciotti, Riccardo, Palmas, Francesco, Amilhat, Elsa, Faliex, Elisabeth, Morat, Fabien, Fois, Nicola, Sabatini, Andrea
• Other Authors: Centre de Formation et de Recherche sur les Environnements Méditérranéens (CEFREM), Université de Perpignan Via Domitia (UPVD)-Institut national des sciences de l'Univers (INSU - CNRS)-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS), Centre de recherches insulaires et observatoire de l'environnement (CRIOBE), Université de Perpignan Via Domitia (UPVD)-École Pratique des Hautes Études (EPHE), Université Paris sciences et lettres (PSL)-Université Paris sciences et lettres (PSL)-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS), Laboratoire d'Excellence CORAIL (LabEX CORAIL), Institut de Recherche pour le Développement (IRD)-Université des Antilles et de la Guyane (UAG)-École des hautes études en sciences sociales (EHESS)-École Pratique des Hautes Études (EPHE), Université Paris sciences et lettres (PSL)-Université Paris sciences et lettres (PSL)-Institut Français de Recherche pour l'Exploitation de la Mer (IFREMER)-Université de La Réunion (UR)-Université de la Polynésie Française (UPF)-Université de la Nouvelle-Calédonie (UNC)-Institut d'écologie et environnement-Université des Antilles (UA)
• Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
• Language: English
• Published: HAL CCSD 2023
• Subjects: European eel; sagittal otoliths; shape analysis; morphometry; growth; continental waters; Mediterranean; [SDE.BE]Environmental Sciences/Biodiversity and Ecology; Anguilla anguilla
• Online Access: https://univ-perp.hal.science/hal-04198793; https://univ-perp.hal.science/hal-04198793/document; https://univ-perp.hal.science/hal-04198793/file/fishes-08-00386.pdf; https://doi.org/10.3390/fishes8080386

International audience An otolith shape and morphometric analysis was performed on European eel (Anguilla anguilla) subpopulations from five rivers and three coastal lagoons of Sardinia (central-western Mediterranean) to assess the role of different habitats on otolith development. Sagittal otolith shape was described by 11 harmonics from elliptic Fourier descriptors. Comparisons among the harmonics were run through canonical discriminant analyses (CDAs). The CDA reclassification rate (75.7%) demonstrated a spatial environmental discrimination among local eel subpopulations of Sardinia. The Euclidean distance values demonstrated a dissimilarity between the river and lagoon groups. The form factor and roundness shape indices were significantly higher in the river group than in the lagoon group. The distances of the first three rings to the otolith core revealed site-specific otolith development. Moreover, the annual otolith growth rate was faster in the lagoon group than in the river group. The differences among the studied sites in terms of sagittal otolith shape could relate to changes in different local stocks potentially related to environmental peculiarities. Establishing a direct correlation between otolith morphology and environmental factors is challenging, and further studies are needed to investigate the relationship between habitat type/environmental variation and growth/body characteristics of eels. Nevertheless, the achieved results suggest that this method can be considered to be a valuable tool for studying the ontogeny of the European eel.