Use of multielement stable isotope ratios to investigate ontogenetic movements of Micropogonias furnieri in a tropical Brazilian estuary

Abstract

The whitemouth croaker, Micropogonias furnieri, is a long-lived fish of high commercial importance in the western Atlantic Ocean. Here, we used stable isotope ratios of carbon, sulfur, and nitrogen and isotopic niche metrics (SIBER) to study feeding habits and track habitat use by whitemouth croakers in Guanabara Bay, an estuary in Rio de Janeiro state, Brazil. Our results highlighted size-related habitat segregation, with small juvenile fishes (<30 cm) residing mostly inside estuaries and large adult fishes (>60 cm) feeding mainly in Continental Shelf waters. Medium adult fishes (30–60 cm) appear to feed in multiple coastal and Continental Shelf habitats. Moreover, their feeding ecology showed strong temporal differences, linked with seasonal and, to a lesser extent, interannual variation in oceanographic features of the ecosystem in which they live. Overall, these differences in ecological features suggest that (1) adult and juvenile whitemouth croakers should be treated as different components of the food web and (2) the conservation of these habitats should be prioritized to better manage and sustain the coastal fisheries in Guanabara Bay.