Otolith "spawning zones" across multiple Atlantic cod populations: Do they accurately record maturity and spawning?

ABSTRACT: Specific changes identified in the otolith macrostructure of Northeast Arctic cod as "spawning zones" are presumed to represent spawning events, but recent experimental studies have challenged this relationship. Because these zones are not routinely recorded outside of Norway, otoliths from multiple Atlantic cod populations with different life history and environmental traits were first examined to see if spawning zones could be identified as a general characteristic of cod. Then, a large archival collection of cod otoliths was used to investigate temporal changes in the occurrence of spawning zones and test for correlations between maturity at age derived from otolith spawning zones and gonad maturity stages. This study shows that spawning zones likely are a universal trait of Atlantic co

SUBMITTER: Denechaud C 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC8437307 | biostudies-literature | 2021

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature