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[AOS17-05] Geographical variation of Sr/Ca in skipjack tuna (Katsuwonus peamis) collected from Northwestern Pacific Ocean
Keywords:Skipjack, trace elements, North Western Pacific Ocean, ecology, Sr/Ca
The mean Sr/Ca of eight regions of NWPO is as following: 3.1 ± 0.4 (south of Kamchatka Peninsula, n=19), 3.8 ± 1.0 (off-Sanriku, n=25), 3.7 ± 0.8 (off-Izu, n=18), 3.5 ± 0.6 (off-Kochi, n=75), 4.1 ± 0.2 (near Guam, n=9), 3.3 ± 0.6 (East China Sea, n=55), 3.2 ± 0.6 (Japan sea, n=9), 7.5 ± 1.5 (equatorial region, n=8). The Sr/Ca in equatorial region is significantly higher than the other regions (p < 0.01). In the seawater, the level of these elements is constant with Sr/Ca ratio being 8.4 to 8.6 mmol/mol (Villiers ,1999). Considering reported distribution coefficient of Sr into Ca [Kd = (Sr/Ca)solid/(Sr/Ca)solution] which is insensitive to the pH is 0.27, expected Sr/Ca in bone equilibrated with seawater is 2.16 (Fujino, 1975). This indicated that Sr/Ca in bone of skipjack tuna is hard to explain by precipitation from seawater, particularly equatorial region. Unlike otholith, bone material likely affected by dietary intake. Dominant calcifying planktonic organism is coccolithophorid and foraminifera. The former forms calcite with Sr/Ca being 2.0 to 2.4 mmol/mol (Stoll and Schrag, 2000), while latter form aragonite with the mode value of Sr/Ca being 15 mmol/mol (Graham et al., 1982). Hence, preferential feeding of aragonite is a possible mechanism of high Sr/Ca in equatorial region. The other possible Sr rich diet is acantharea (radiorarean protozoa) which has the unique SrSO4 shell. This species mainly inhabit from mid-latitudes to the tropical, and it is known that their abundance increases relatively in oligotrophic waters. Although further approach is needed to distinguish these contribution, biomonitoring of migratory species can be useful tool of regional ecological structure in ocean.