Shedding Light on Fish Otolith Biomineralization Using a Bioenergetic Approach

Type Article
Date 2011-11
Language English
Author(s) Fablet Ronan1, Pecquerie Laure2, de Pontual HeleneORCID3, Hoie Hans4, 5, Millner Richard6, Mosegaard Henrik7, Kooijman Sebastiaan A. L. M.8
Affiliation(s) 1 : TELECOM Bretagne, Inst TELECOM, Lab STICC, Brest, France.
2 : Univ Calif Santa Barbara, Dept Ecol Evolut & Marine Biol, Santa Barbara, CA 93106 USA.
3 : IFREMER, Dept Fisheries Sci & Technol, Plouzane, France.
4 : Univ Bergen, Dept Biol, Bergen, Norway.
5 : Inst Marine Res, N-5024 Bergen, Norway.
6 : CEFAS, Lowestoft, Suffolk, England.
7 : Tech Univ Denmark, Natl Inst Aquat Resources, Charlottenlund, Denmark.
8 : Vrije Univ Amsterdam, Dept Theoret Biol, Amsterdam, Netherlands.
Source Plos One (1932-6203) (Public Library Science), 2011-11 , Vol. 6 , N. 11 , P. 1-7
DOI 10.1371/journal.pone.0027055
WOS© Times Cited 51
Abstract Otoliths are biocalcified bodies connected to the sensory system in the inner ears of fish. Their layered, biorhythm-following formation provides individual records of the age, the individual history and the natural environment of extinct and living fish species. Such data are critical for ecosystem and fisheries monitoring. They however often lack validation and the poor understanding of biomineralization mechanisms has led to striking examples of misinterpretations and subsequent erroneous conclusions in fish ecology and fisheries management. Here we develop and validate a numerical model of otolith biomineralization. Based on a general bioenergetic theory, it disentangles the complex interplay between metabolic and temperature effects on biomineralization. This model resolves controversial issues and explains poorly understood observations of otolith formation. It represents a unique simulation tool to improve otolith interpretation and applications, and, beyond, to address the effects of both climate change and ocean acidification on other biomineralizing organisms such as corals and bivalves.
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