Long-term site fidelity of endangered smalltooth sawfish (Pristis pectinata) from different mothers

Poulakis, Gregg R., Stevens, Philip W., Timmers, Amy A., Stafford, Christopher J., Chapman, Demian D., Feldheim, Kevin A., Heupel, Michelle R., and Curtis, Caitlin (2016) Long-term site fidelity of endangered smalltooth sawfish (Pristis pectinata) from different mothers. Fishery Bulletin, 114 (4). pp. 461-475.

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Abstract

Understanding how endangered species use nursery habitats is vital for recovery planning. Research on the smalltooth sawfish (Pristis pectinata) has shown that areas of estuarine nurseries, called hotspots, are used consistently. The objectives of our study were 1) to determine whether 10 young-of-the-year smalltooth sawfish in an artificial, non-main-stem portion (i.e., a seawall canal system) of a hotspot were descended from one or different mothers and 2) to document long-term habitat use by these individuals. At least 4 mothers contributed to the group, which comprised siblings, half-siblings, and unrelated individuals. Young sawfish exhibited site fidelity to their capture location, spending 61% of their time there. Continuous residency lasted as long as 86 days, but these fish made small-scale diel (< 1 river km) movements between the capture location (day) and the nearby main-riverstem portion of the hotspot (night). Larger-scale (5-7 river km) downriver and upriver relocations between the capture location and the river mouth, including 2 other known natural hotspots, occurred after a tropical storm. This research shows that 1) young-of-the-year from different mothers can have high site fidelity at specific locations within a nursery hotspot and 2) these hotspots can be important for young-of-the-year even when there is a drastic change in freshwater inflow.

Item ID: 47114
Item Type: Article (Research - C1)
ISSN: 1937-4518
Funders: National Marine Fisheries Service, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission, National Fish and Wildlife Foundation (NFWF)
Projects and Grants: NOAA NA06NMF4720032, NFWF 2003-0206-008, NFWF 2004-0012-008
Date Deposited: 18 Jan 2017 07:34
FoR Codes: 31 BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES > 3109 Zoology > 310901 Animal behaviour @ 80%
31 BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES > 3103 Ecology > 310304 Freshwater ecology @ 20%
SEO Codes: 97 EXPANDING KNOWLEDGE > 970106 Expanding Knowledge in the Biological Sciences @ 100%
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