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Bastos RF, Condini MV, Barbosa EF, Oliveira RL, Almeida LL, Garcia AM, Hostim-Silva M. Seeing further into the early steps of the endangered atlantic goliath grouper (Epinephelus itajara): Eye lenses high resolution isotopic profiles reveal ontogenetic trophic and habitat shifts. MARINE ENVIRONMENTAL RESEARCH 2024; 198:106517. [PMID: 38657369 DOI: 10.1016/j.marenvres.2024.106517] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/08/2024] [Revised: 04/12/2024] [Accepted: 04/15/2024] [Indexed: 04/26/2024]
Abstract
Estuarine mangroves are often considered nurseries for the Atlantic Goliath grouper juveniles. Yet, the contributions of different estuarine primary producers and habitats as sources of organic matter during early ontogenetic development remain unclear. Given the species' critically endangered status and protection in Brazil, obtaining biological samples from recently settled recruits in estuaries is challenging. In this study, we leveraged a local partnership with fishers and used stable isotope (C and N) profiles from the eye lenses of stranded individuals or incidentally caught by fishery to reconstruct the trophic and habitat changes of small juveniles. The eye lens grows by the apposition of protein-rich layers. Once these layers are formed, they become inert, allowing to make inferences on the trophic ecology and habitat use along the development of the individual until its capture. We used correlations between fish size and the entire eye lens size, along with estuarine baselines, to reconstruct the fish size and trophic positions for each of the lens layers obtained. We then used dominant primary producers and basal sources from mangrove sheltered, exposed estuarine and marine habitats to construct an ontogenetic model of trophic and habitat support changes since maternal origins. Our model revealed marine support before the juveniles reached 25 mm (standard length), followed by a rapid increase in reliance on mangrove sheltered sources, coinciding with the expected size at settlement. After reaching 60 mm, individuals began to show variability. Some remained primarily supported by the mangrove sheltered area, while others shifted to rely more on the exposed estuarine area around 150 mm. Our findings indicate that while mangroves are critical for settlement, as Goliath grouper juveniles grow, they can utilize organic matter produced throughout the estuary. This underscores the need for conservation strategies that focus on seascape connectivity, as protecting just one discrete habitat may not be sufficient to preserve this endangered species and safeguard its ecosystem functions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rodrigo F Bastos
- Laboratório de Ecologia de Peixes Marinhos/LEPMAR, Departamento de Ciências Agrárias e Biológicas, CEUNES, Universidade Federal do Espírito Santo, BR-101, Km 60, Litorâneo, São Mateus, ES, 29932-540, Brazil; Programa de Pós-graduação Em Oceanografia Ambiental, Universidade Federal Do Espírito Santo - Av. Fernando Ferrari, 514 - Goiabeiras, Vitória, ES, 29075-910, Brazil.
| | - Mario V Condini
- Laboratório de Ecologia de Peixes Marinhos/LEPMAR, Departamento de Ciências Agrárias e Biológicas, CEUNES, Universidade Federal do Espírito Santo, BR-101, Km 60, Litorâneo, São Mateus, ES, 29932-540, Brazil; Programa de Pós-graduação Em Oceanografia Ambiental, Universidade Federal Do Espírito Santo - Av. Fernando Ferrari, 514 - Goiabeiras, Vitória, ES, 29075-910, Brazil
| | - Ester F Barbosa
- Laboratório de Ecologia de Peixes Marinhos/LEPMAR, Departamento de Ciências Agrárias e Biológicas, CEUNES, Universidade Federal do Espírito Santo, BR-101, Km 60, Litorâneo, São Mateus, ES, 29932-540, Brazil
| | - Rafael L Oliveira
- Laboratório de Ecologia de Peixes Marinhos/LEPMAR, Departamento de Ciências Agrárias e Biológicas, CEUNES, Universidade Federal do Espírito Santo, BR-101, Km 60, Litorâneo, São Mateus, ES, 29932-540, Brazil; Programa de Pós-Graduação Em Ciências Biológicas (Biologia Animal - PPGBAN), Departamento de Ciências Biológicas, Universidade Federal Do Espírito Santo, Av. Fernando Ferrari, 514, Goiabeiras, CEP: 29055-460, Vitória, ES, Brazil
| | - Lorena L Almeida
- Laboratório de Ecologia de Peixes Marinhos/LEPMAR, Departamento de Ciências Agrárias e Biológicas, CEUNES, Universidade Federal do Espírito Santo, BR-101, Km 60, Litorâneo, São Mateus, ES, 29932-540, Brazil; Instituto Meros Do Brasil, Rua Benjamin Constant 67, Conj. 1104, CEP: 80060-020, Curitiba, PR, Brazil
| | - Alexandre M Garcia
- Laboratório de Ictiologia, Instituto de Oceanografia, Universidade Federal Do Rio Grande, Av. Itália Km 8, Carreiros. 96.201-900, Rio Grande, RS, Brazil
| | - Maurício Hostim-Silva
- Laboratório de Ecologia de Peixes Marinhos/LEPMAR, Departamento de Ciências Agrárias e Biológicas, CEUNES, Universidade Federal do Espírito Santo, BR-101, Km 60, Litorâneo, São Mateus, ES, 29932-540, Brazil; Programa de Pós-graduação Em Oceanografia Ambiental, Universidade Federal Do Espírito Santo - Av. Fernando Ferrari, 514 - Goiabeiras, Vitória, ES, 29075-910, Brazil; Programa de Pós-Graduação Em Ciências Biológicas (Biologia Animal - PPGBAN), Departamento de Ciências Biológicas, Universidade Federal Do Espírito Santo, Av. Fernando Ferrari, 514, Goiabeiras, CEP: 29055-460, Vitória, ES, Brazil; Instituto Meros Do Brasil, Rua Benjamin Constant 67, Conj. 1104, CEP: 80060-020, Curitiba, PR, Brazil
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Miraly H, Razavi NR, Vogl AA, Kraus RT, Gorman AM, Limburg KE. Tracking Fish Lifetime Exposure to Mercury Using Eye Lenses. ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY LETTERS 2023; 10:222-227. [PMID: 36938151 PMCID: PMC10019466 DOI: 10.1021/acs.estlett.2c00755] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/17/2022] [Revised: 12/12/2022] [Accepted: 12/12/2022] [Indexed: 06/18/2023]
Abstract
Mercury (Hg) uptake in fish is affected by diet, growth, and environmental factors such as primary productivity or oxygen regimes. Traditionally, fish Hg exposure is assessed using muscle tissue or whole fish, reflecting both loss and uptake processes that result in Hg bioaccumulation over entire lifetimes. Tracking changes in Hg exposure of an individual fish chronologically throughout its lifetime can provide novel insights into the processes that affect Hg bioaccumulation. Here we use eye lenses to determine Hg uptake at an annual scale for individual fish. We assess the widely distributed benthic round goby (Neogobius melanostomus) from the Baltic Sea, Lake Erie, and the St. Lawrence River. We aged layers of the eye lens using proportional relationships between otolith length at age and eye lens radius for each individual fish. Mercury concentrations were quantified using laser ablation inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry. The eye lens Hg content revealed that Hg exposure increased with age in Lake Erie and the Baltic Sea but decreased with age in the St. Lawrence River, a trend not detected using muscle tissues. This novel methodology for measuring Hg concentration over time with eye lens chronology holds promise for quantifying how global change processes like increasing hypoxia affect the exposure of fish to Hg.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hadis Miraly
- State
University of New York College of Environmental Science and Forestry, Syracuse, New York13210, United States
| | - N. Roxanna Razavi
- State
University of New York College of Environmental Science and Forestry, Syracuse, New York13210, United States
| | - Annabelle A. Vogl
- State
University of New York College of Environmental Science and Forestry, Syracuse, New York13210, United States
| | - Richard T. Kraus
- U.S.
Geological Survey, Great Lakes Science Center, Lake Erie Biological
Station, 380 Huron Street, Huron, Ohio44839, United
States
| | - Ann Marie Gorman
- Fairport
Fish Research Station, Ohio Department of
Natural Resources, 1190
High Street, Fairport Harbor, Ohio44077, United
States
| | - Karin E. Limburg
- State
University of New York College of Environmental Science and Forestry, Syracuse, New York13210, United States
- Department
of Aquatic Resources, Swedish University
of Agricultural Sciences, SE-750 07Uppsala, Sweden
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Nakamoto BJ, Jeffres CA, Corline NJ, Ogaz M, Bradley CJ, Viers JH, Fogel ML. Multiple trophic pathways support fish on floodplains of California's Central Valley. JOURNAL OF FISH BIOLOGY 2023; 102:155-171. [PMID: 36226864 DOI: 10.1111/jfb.15248] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/08/2022] [Accepted: 10/10/2022] [Indexed: 06/16/2023]
Abstract
We used compound-specific isotope analysis of carbon isotopes in amino acids (AAs) to determine the biosynthetic source of AAs in fish from major tributaries to California's Sacramento-San Joaquin river delta (i.e., the Sacramento, Cosumnes and Mokelumne rivers). Using samples collected in winter and spring between 2016 and 2019, we confirmed that algae are a critical component of floodplain food webs in California's Central Valley. Results from bulk stable isotope analysis of carbon and nitrogen in producers and consumers were adequate to characterize a general trophic structure and identify potential upstream and downstream migration into our study site by American shad Alosa sapidissima and rainbow trout Oncorhynchus mykiss, respectively. However, owing to overlap and variability in source isotope compositions, our bulk data were unsuitable for conventional bulk isotope mixing models. Our results from compound-specific carbon isotope analysis of AAs clearly indicate that algae are important sources of organic matter to fish of conservation concern, such as Chinook salmon Oncorhynchus tshawytscha in California's Central Valley. However, algae were not the exclusive source of energy to metazoan food webs. We also revealed that other sources of AAs, such as bacteria, fungi and higher plants, contributed to fish as well. While consistent with the well-supported notion that algae are critical to aquatic food webs, our results highlight the possibility that detrital subsidies might intermittently support metazoan food webs.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | | | - Mollie Ogaz
- Center for Watershed Sciences, UC Davis, Davis, California, USA
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Skinner C, Pei YD, Morimoto N, Miyajima T, Wyatt ASJ. Stable isotopes elucidate body-size and seasonal fluctuations in the feeding strategies of planktivorous fishes across a semi-enclosed tropical embayment. Front Ecol Evol 2022. [DOI: 10.3389/fevo.2022.942968] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Reef fish may switch feeding strategies due to fluctuations in resource availability or through ontogeny. A number of studies have explored these trophodynamics using carbon (δ13C) and nitrogen (δ15N) stable isotopes, but additional tracers such as sulfur isotopes (δ34S) show strong potential in systems, where δ13C and δ15N results are ambiguous. We tested the utility of adding δ34S to conventional δ13C and δ15N analysis to detect seasonal and body size changes in resource use of two planktivorous damselfish, Dascyllus reticulatus and Dascyllus trimaculatus across the Puerto Galera embayment in the Philippines. We analyzed stable isotope ratios (δ13C, δ15N, and δ34S) in multiple fish tissues (liver, eye, and muscle) to represent different dietary time frames. We then compared fish tissue isotopes against particulate organic matter (POM) (δ13C and δ15N) and POM suspension feeder (the tunicate Polycarpa aurata: δ13C, δ15N, and δ34S) across the same sites. There were size-based and seasonal differences in damselfish resource use, the latter of which was most pronounced in the fast-turnover liver. Small fish (<70 mm) demonstrated significant seasonality, appearing to switch their resource use between the rainy season and the dry season, while there was no seasonal variation in larger fish (>70 mm). This suggests that smaller fish across the embayment employ an opportunistic feeding strategy to take advantage of fluctuating resource availability, while larger fish exhibits more consistent resource use. Isotope ratios of tunicates and POM further confirmed strong seasonality in this system and a lack of a spatial isotopic gradient. δ15N did not seem to contribute to consumer resource use patterns, while by contrast, δ34S fluctuated significantly between sampling periods and was crucial for demonstrating seasonality in resource use. We recommend including δ34S when attempting to disentangle seasonal differences in resource use in aquatic food webs using stable isotopes.
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Pilecky M, Závorka L, Soto DX, Guo F, Wassenaar LI, Kainz MJ. Assessment of Compound-Specific Fatty Acid δ 13C and δ 2H Values to Track Fish Mobility in a Small Sub-alpine Catchment. ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY 2022; 56:11051-11060. [PMID: 35861449 PMCID: PMC9352314 DOI: 10.1021/acs.est.2c02089] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/25/2022] [Revised: 06/28/2022] [Accepted: 07/06/2022] [Indexed: 06/15/2023]
Abstract
Methods for identifying origin, movement, and foraging areas of animals are essential for understanding ecosystem connectivity, nutrient flows, and other ecological processes. Telemetric methods can provide detailed spatial coverage but are limited to a minimum body size of specimen for tagging. In recent years, stable isotopes have been increasingly used to track animal migration by linking landscape isotope patterns into movement (isoscapes). However, compared to telemetric methods, the spatial resolution of bulk stable isotopes is low. Here, we examined a novel approach by evaluating the use of compound-specific hydrogen and carbon stable isotopes of fatty acids (δ2HFA and δ13CFA) from fish liver, muscle, brain, and eye tissues for identifying site specificity in a 254 km2 sub-alpine river catchment. We analyzed 208 fish (European bullhead, rainbow trout, and brown trout) collected in 2016 and 2018 at 15 different sites. δ13CFA values of these fish tissues correlated more among each other than those of δ2HFA values. Both δ2HFA and δ13CFA values showed tissue-dependent isotopic fractionation, while fish taxa had only small effects. The highest site specificity was for δ13CDHA values, while the δ2H isotopic difference between linoleic acid and alpha-linolenic acid resulted in the highest site specificity. Using linear discrimination analysis of FA isotope values, over 90% of fish could be assigned to their location of origin; however, the accuracy dropped to about 56% when isotope data from 2016 were used to predict the sites for samples collected in 2018, suggesting temporal shifts in site specificity of δ2HFA and δ13CFA. However, the predictive power of δ2HFA and δ13CFA over this time interval was still higher than site specificity of bulk tissue isotopes for a single time point. In summary, compound-specific isotope analysis of fatty acids may become a highly effective tool for assessing fine and large-scale movement and foraging areas of animals.
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Affiliation(s)
- Matthias Pilecky
- WasserCluster
Lunz—Biologische Station, Inter-University
Center for Aquatic Ecosystem Research, Dr. Carl-Kupelwieser Promenade 5, 3293 Lunz am See, Austria
- Donau-Universität
Krems, Department for Biomedical Research, Dr. Karl-Dorrek-Straße 30, 3500 Krems, Austria
| | - Libor Závorka
- WasserCluster
Lunz—Biologische Station, Inter-University
Center for Aquatic Ecosystem Research, Dr. Carl-Kupelwieser Promenade 5, 3293 Lunz am See, Austria
| | - David X. Soto
- International
Atomic Energy Agency, Isotope Hydrology Section, Vienna International Centre, A-1400 Vienna, Austria
| | - Fen Guo
- Guangdong
Provincial Key Laboratory of Water Quality Improvement and Ecological
Restoration for Watersheds, Institute of Environmental and Ecological
Engineering, Guangdong University of Technology, Guangzhou 511458, China
| | - Leonard I. Wassenaar
- WasserCluster
Lunz—Biologische Station, Inter-University
Center for Aquatic Ecosystem Research, Dr. Carl-Kupelwieser Promenade 5, 3293 Lunz am See, Austria
- Donau-Universität
Krems, Department for Biomedical Research, Dr. Karl-Dorrek-Straße 30, 3500 Krems, Austria
- University
of Saskatchewan, Department of Geological Science, 114 Science Place, Saskatoon SK S7N 5E2, Canada
| | - Martin J. Kainz
- WasserCluster
Lunz—Biologische Station, Inter-University
Center for Aquatic Ecosystem Research, Dr. Carl-Kupelwieser Promenade 5, 3293 Lunz am See, Austria
- Donau-Universität
Krems, Department for Biomedical Research, Dr. Karl-Dorrek-Straße 30, 3500 Krems, Austria
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Walther BD, Torrance LE. Quantifying euryhaline histories in red drum Sciaenops ocellatus: otolith chemistry and muscle isotope ratios. JOURNAL OF FISH BIOLOGY 2022. [PMID: 35866883 DOI: 10.1111/jfb.15173] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/11/2022] [Accepted: 07/21/2022] [Indexed: 06/15/2023]
Abstract
The combined use of otolith chemistry and tissue isotopes has the potential to reveal movements, habitat associations and food web interactions at a variety of spatial and temporal scales. Here, we used a combination of otolith Ba:Ca life history transects with muscle tissue δ13 C and δ15 N values to assess habitat use and oligohaline residence in red drum Sciaenops ocellatus in subtropical estuaries in the northwestern Gulf of Mexico. Tissue isotopes were distinct among capture locations, particularly between bays with differing proximity to freshwater inflow sources. Otolith edge Ba:Ca values and tissue δ13 C values were not correlated. These results indicated that fish were not residing in nor feeding in oligohaline waters for significant periods of time within the tissue turnover window of several months prior to capture. However, spatial differences in tissue isotope values indicated limited mixing among bays and relatively high site fidelity during estuarine occupancy. Lifetime otolith Ba:Ca transects revealed individual variability in the magnitude of residence in oligohaline waters. Using a medium oligohaline occupancy threshold, an estimated 82% of individuals used oligohaline waters at some point in their life. However, 66% of individuals spent less than 20% of their life histories in oligohaline waters, suggesting intermittent and infrequent excursions into low salinity waters. Finally, a literature survey identified 56 peer-reviewed publications using combinations of otolith chemistry and tissue stable isotope ratios with a wide range of marker pairings and study aims. The diversity of ecological questions that can be asked with the combined use of these two approaches will provide valuable insight into fish ecology. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved.
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Affiliation(s)
- Benjamin D Walther
- Department of Life Sciences, Texas A&M University - Corpus Christi, Corpus Christi, TX, USA
| | - Louisa E Torrance
- Department of Life Sciences, Texas A&M University - Corpus Christi, Corpus Christi, TX, USA
- State Park Division, Texas Parks and Wildlife Department, Austin, TX, USA
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Bell-Tilcock M, Jeffres CA, Rypel AL, Willmes M, Armstrong RA, Holden P, Moyle PB, Fangue NA, Katz JVE, Sommer TR, Conrad JL, Johnson RC. Biogeochemical processes create distinct isotopic fingerprints to track floodplain rearing of juvenile salmon. PLoS One 2021; 16:e0257444. [PMID: 34710099 PMCID: PMC8553044 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0257444] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/11/2020] [Accepted: 09/01/2021] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
Floodplains represent critical nursery habitats for a variety of fish species due to their highly productive food webs, yet few tools exist to quantify the extent to which these habitats contribute to ecosystem-level production. Here we conducted a large-scale field experiment to characterize differences in food web composition and stable isotopes (δ¹³C, δ¹⁵N, δ³⁴S) for salmon rearing on a large floodplain and adjacent river in the Central Valley, California, USA. The study covered variable hydrologic conditions including flooding (1999, 2017), average (2016), and drought (2012-2015). In addition, we determined incorporation rates and tissue fractionation between prey and muscle from fish held in enclosed locations (experimental fields, cages) at weekly intervals. Finally, we measured δ³⁴S in otoliths to test if these archival biominerals could be used to reconstruct floodplain use. Floodplain-reared salmon had a different diet composition and lower δ13C and δ³⁴S (δ¹³C = -33.02±2.66‰, δ³⁴S = -3.47±2.28‰; mean±1SD) compared to fish in the adjacent river (δ¹³C = -28.37±1.84‰, δ³⁴S = +2.23±2.25‰). These isotopic differences between habitats persisted across years of extreme droughts and floods. Despite the different diet composition, δ¹⁵N values from prey items on the floodplain (δ¹⁵N = 7.19±1.22‰) and river (δ¹⁵N = 7.25±1.46‰) were similar, suggesting similar trophic levels. The food web differences in δ13C and δ³⁴S between habitats were also reflected in salmon muscle tissue, reaching equilibrium between 24-30 days (2014, δ¹³C = -30.74±0.73‰, δ³⁴S = -4.6±0.68‰; 2016, δ¹³C = -34.74 ±0.49‰, δ³⁴S = -5.18±0.46‰). δ³⁴S measured in sequential growth bands in otoliths recorded a weekly time-series of shifting diet inputs, with the outermost layers recording time spent on the floodplain (δ³⁴S = -5.60±0.16‰) and river (δ³⁴S = 3.73±0.98‰). Our results suggest that δ¹³C and δ³⁴S can be used to differentiate floodplain and river rearing habitats used by native fishes, such as Chinook Salmon, across different hydrologic conditions and tissues. Together these stable isotope analyses provide a toolset to quantify the role of floodplains as fish habitats.
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Affiliation(s)
- Miranda Bell-Tilcock
- Center for Watershed Sciences, University of California, Davis, CA, United States of America
| | - Carson A. Jeffres
- Center for Watershed Sciences, University of California, Davis, CA, United States of America
| | - Andrew L. Rypel
- Center for Watershed Sciences, University of California, Davis, CA, United States of America
- Department of Wildlife, Fish & Conservation Biology, University of California, Davis, CA, United States of America
| | - Malte Willmes
- Institute of Marine Sciences, UC Santa Cruz, Santa Cruz, CA, United States of America
- National Marine Fisheries Service, Southwest Fisheries Science Center, Santa Cruz, CA, United States of America
| | - Richard A. Armstrong
- Research School of Earth Sciences, Australian National University, Acton, ACT, Australia
| | - Peter Holden
- Research School of Earth Sciences, Australian National University, Acton, ACT, Australia
| | - Peter B. Moyle
- Center for Watershed Sciences, University of California, Davis, CA, United States of America
| | - Nann A. Fangue
- Department of Wildlife, Fish & Conservation Biology, University of California, Davis, CA, United States of America
| | | | - Ted R. Sommer
- Department of Water Resources, West Sacramento, CA, United States of America
| | - J. Louise Conrad
- Delta Stewardship Council, Sacramento, CA, United States of America
| | - Rachel C. Johnson
- Center for Watershed Sciences, University of California, Davis, CA, United States of America
- National Marine Fisheries Service, Southwest Fisheries Science Center, Santa Cruz, CA, United States of America
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