Growth of a deep-water, predatory fish is influenced by the productivity of a boundary current system

© 2015, Macmillan Publishers Limited. All rights reserved.The effects of climate change on predatory fishes in deep shelf areas are difficult to predict because complex processes may govern food availability and temperature at depth. We characterised the net impact of recent environmental changes on...

Full description

Bibliographic Details
Main Authors: Nguyen, H., Rountrey, A., Meeuwig, J., Coulson, P., Feng, M., Newman, Stephen, Waite, A., Wakefield, Corey, Meekan, M.
Format: Journal Article
Published: Nature Publishing Group 2015
Online Access:http://hdl.handle.net/20.500.11937/52233
_version_ 1848758878606458880
author Nguyen, H.
Rountrey, A.
Meeuwig, J.
Coulson, P.
Feng, M.
Newman, Stephen
Waite, A.
Wakefield, Corey
Meekan, M.
author_facet Nguyen, H.
Rountrey, A.
Meeuwig, J.
Coulson, P.
Feng, M.
Newman, Stephen
Waite, A.
Wakefield, Corey
Meekan, M.
author_sort Nguyen, H.
building Curtin Institutional Repository
collection Online Access
description © 2015, Macmillan Publishers Limited. All rights reserved.The effects of climate change on predatory fishes in deep shelf areas are difficult to predict because complex processes may govern food availability and temperature at depth. We characterised the net impact of recent environmental changes on hapuku (Polyprion oxygeneios), an apex predator found in continental slope habitats (>200 m depth) by using dendrochronology techniques to develop a multi-decadal record of growth from otoliths. Fish were sampled off temperate south-western Australia, a region strongly influenced by the Leeuwin Current, a poleward-flowing, eastern boundary current. The common variance among individual growth records was relatively low (3.4%), but the otolith chronology was positively correlated (r = 0.61, p < 0.02) with sea level at Fremantle, a proxy for the strength of the Leeuwin Current. The Leeuwin Current influences the primary productivity of shelf ecosystems, with a strong current favouring growth in hapuku. Leeuwin Current strength is predicted to decline under climate change models and this study provides evidence that associated productivity changes may flow through to higher trophic levels even in deep water habitats.
first_indexed 2025-11-14T09:50:59Z
format Journal Article
id curtin-20.500.11937-52233
institution Curtin University Malaysia
institution_category Local University
last_indexed 2025-11-14T09:50:59Z
publishDate 2015
publisher Nature Publishing Group
recordtype eprints
repository_type Digital Repository
spelling curtin-20.500.11937-522332017-09-13T15:38:23Z Growth of a deep-water, predatory fish is influenced by the productivity of a boundary current system Nguyen, H. Rountrey, A. Meeuwig, J. Coulson, P. Feng, M. Newman, Stephen Waite, A. Wakefield, Corey Meekan, M. © 2015, Macmillan Publishers Limited. All rights reserved.The effects of climate change on predatory fishes in deep shelf areas are difficult to predict because complex processes may govern food availability and temperature at depth. We characterised the net impact of recent environmental changes on hapuku (Polyprion oxygeneios), an apex predator found in continental slope habitats (>200 m depth) by using dendrochronology techniques to develop a multi-decadal record of growth from otoliths. Fish were sampled off temperate south-western Australia, a region strongly influenced by the Leeuwin Current, a poleward-flowing, eastern boundary current. The common variance among individual growth records was relatively low (3.4%), but the otolith chronology was positively correlated (r = 0.61, p < 0.02) with sea level at Fremantle, a proxy for the strength of the Leeuwin Current. The Leeuwin Current influences the primary productivity of shelf ecosystems, with a strong current favouring growth in hapuku. Leeuwin Current strength is predicted to decline under climate change models and this study provides evidence that associated productivity changes may flow through to higher trophic levels even in deep water habitats. 2015 Journal Article http://hdl.handle.net/20.500.11937/52233 10.1038/srep09044 Nature Publishing Group unknown
spellingShingle Nguyen, H.
Rountrey, A.
Meeuwig, J.
Coulson, P.
Feng, M.
Newman, Stephen
Waite, A.
Wakefield, Corey
Meekan, M.
Growth of a deep-water, predatory fish is influenced by the productivity of a boundary current system
title Growth of a deep-water, predatory fish is influenced by the productivity of a boundary current system
title_full Growth of a deep-water, predatory fish is influenced by the productivity of a boundary current system
title_fullStr Growth of a deep-water, predatory fish is influenced by the productivity of a boundary current system
title_full_unstemmed Growth of a deep-water, predatory fish is influenced by the productivity of a boundary current system
title_short Growth of a deep-water, predatory fish is influenced by the productivity of a boundary current system
title_sort growth of a deep-water, predatory fish is influenced by the productivity of a boundary current system
url http://hdl.handle.net/20.500.11937/52233