Cadherin-11/Cdh11 is expressed through early development and strongly during inner ear development (otic placode and vesicle). Here we show that antisense knockdown of Cdh11 during early zebrafish development interferes with otolith formation. Immunofluorescence labeling showed that Cdh11 expression was concentrated on and within the otolith. Cdh11 was faintly detected at the lateral surface (s...

Variation in the chemical composition of fish otoliths has been used in recent years to address a range of ecological questions, including levels of stock mixing, variation in habitat use, and rates of larval exchange. While some of these questions have been answered with varying success, the degree to which discrete populations are connected via larval exchange remains unknown. To identify lar...

In conjunction with microstructural interpretation, variation of the Sr/Ca ratio in otoliths of Platycephalus bassensis have been determined in an effort to uncover the role of biomineralisation in otolith trace element uptake. After subsequent microstructural analysis by Electron Backscatter Diffraction (EBSD), Sr/Ca ratios across otolith growth rings were determined by Electron Probe Microana...

The high spatial resolution analysis of the mineral and organic composition of otoliths using Raman micro-spectrometry involves rigorous protocols for sample preparation previously established for microchemistry and trace elements analyses. These protocols often include otolith embedding in chemically neutral resin (i.e., resins which do not contain, in detectable concentration, elements usuall...

The influence of feeding history on otolith shape and symmetry was examined in juveniles of 2 species of coral reef fish, Amphiprion akindynos and Pomacentrus amboinensis. Fast Fourier analysis was used to describe the shape of otoliths of fish from a variety of experimental feeding treatments, ranging from starvation, through pulse feeding, to feeding ad libitum. The resulting harmonics from b...

Systematic assignment of fossil otoliths is virtually always based on studies of otolith morphology and subsequent comparisons with otoliths from collections and/or literature. Although this usually represents a practical method, comparisons and subsequent evaluation may be biased by subjective criteria used in the individual descriptions. Quantitative morphometric studies focusing on variation...

Oxygen isotope ratios from fish otoliths are used to discriminate marine stocks and reconstruct past climate, assuming that variations in otolith δ18O values closely reflect differences in temperature history of fish when accounting for salinity induced variability in water δ18O. To investigate this, we exploited the environmental and migratory data gathered from a decade using archival tags to...

Fish otoliths are highly calcified concretions deposited in the inner ear and serve as a part of the hearing and balance systems. They consist mainly of calcium carbonate and a small amount of organic matrix. The latter component is considered to play important roles in otolith formation. Previously, we identified two major otolith matrix proteins, OMP-1 (otolith matrix protein-1) and Otolin-1,...

The ef®ciency with which estuarine habitats produce ®sh is poorly understood due to the complexity of life cycles. Spatial dynamics of estuarine ®shes comprise retentive and dispersive behaviors which occur on seasonal and ontogenetic scales. Salinity is an important scalar in the spatial dynamics of estuarine ®shes, that may affect production and dispersal. In this paper, we review investigati...