Akinori Takasuka

Growth effect on the otolith and somatic size relationship in Japanese anchovy and sardine larvae

Relationships between otolith and somatic sizes were examined for Japanese anchovy Engraulis japonicus and sardine Sardinops melanostictus larvae collected broadly in the western North Pacific, based on a substantial data set derived from a previous paper. Allometric formulae showed close fits to the relationships between otolith radius and standard length, and the formulae differed between anchovy and sardine larvae. Despite the high correlations, the effect of somatic growth rate on the otolith and somatic size relationship (the ‘growth effect’) was significantly detected for both anchovy and sardine larvae. Slower growing larvae tended to have larger otoliths than faster growing conspecifics at the same somatic size. This growth effect was more obvious for sardine larvae than for anchovy larvae, probably because of their differential responses of somatic growth to temperature shifts. The growth effect could lead to the possibility of biases in the backcalculation and size estimation processes. As the growth effect is considered to be a general phenomenon and its extent to be species-specific, the relationship between otolith and somatic size and its uncoupling should be scrutinized before application of techniques based on the otolith and somatic size correlation.

Predation dynamics of mackerel on larval and juvenile anchovy: is capture success linked to prey condition?

We tested whether the predation dynamics of chub mackerel Scomber japonicus and spotted mackerel S. australasicus on young anchovy Engraulis japonicus relates to individual growth characteristics of the prey and could account for the growth-selective survival predicted by recruitment hypotheses. Juvenile and adult mackerel were sampled along with their young anchovy prey field in 2004 (juvenile mackerel and larval anchovy) and 2005 (adult mackerel and juvenile anchovy) off the Pacific coast of Honshu, Japan. The recent 5-day mean growth rate of larval and juvenile survivors and prey found in the stomach of mackerel was estimated from the otolith microstructure. No significant difference was found between the recent growth of larval or juvenile survivors and that of preyed individuals. We conclude that despite a relatively small body size, the high activity level and predation skills displayed by mackerel prevent fast-growing larvae and early juveniles from benefitting in terms of the expected survival advantage over slow-growers. Hence, growth-selective predation mortality of larval fish would depend on the feeding ecology of the predator rather than predator size. Selection for fast growth is more likely to occur under predation pressure from invertebrate organisms and small pelagic fish specialized on zooplankton, such as herring and anchovy.

A bootstrap method for testing equality of peak months

When ecological traits differ seasonally among biological groups, environmental adaptation is expected. However, current analytical methods for such seasonal data ignore the circular nature of data and therefore are likely to be flawed. We propose a simple bootstrap hypothesis test which statistically quantifies the presence/absence of differences in peak months for multiple groups taking the circular nature of the data into account. The test is based on a robust distribution-free method. Simulations showed that the test gives a satisfactory performance. The test is illustrated using data for anchovy and sardine egg abundances in the western North Pacific.

Revisiting morphological identification of Japanese jack mackerel Trachurus japonicus eggs preserved in formalin

Since formalin-preserved eggs of Japanese jack mackerel Trachurus japonicus have been considered difficult to identify, egg abundance of this species has not been estimated, and subsequently information on their spawning habitat is limited. The present study provides a practical identification of Japanese jack mackerel eggs from formalin-preserved samples based on morphological characteristics with validations through DNA sequencing and a rearing experiment. Eggs obtained by artificial fertilization from mature adults were reared in the laboratory, and developmental changes of morphological characteristics in the formalin-preserved samples were examined. The morphological descriptions were detailed to identify jack mackerel eggs from field-captured egg samples preserved in formalin. Moreover, the identification was validated through DNA sequencing and a rearing experiment. Overall, the diagnostic characteristic for identification was the egg diameter and the segmentation of the yolk, which was maintained in formalin-preserved samples even long after fixation. The presented morphological description with its developmental changes for formalin-preserved eggs is anticipated to promote stock assessments and biological studies for jack mackerel based on the egg and larval surveys.