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Spatio-temporal variability in growth of juvenile sparid fishes from the Mediterranean littoral zone

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  04 April 2001

S. Planes
Affiliation:
EPHE—URA CNRS 1453, Université de Perpignan, 66860 Perpignan, France
E. Macpherson
Affiliation:
Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Cientificas, Centro de Estudios Avanzados de Blanes, Camino de Santa Barbara, E-17300 Blanes, Girona, Spain
F. Biagi
Affiliation:
Dipartemento di Scienze dell'Uomo e dell'Ambiente-DSUA, Universita di Pisa, Via A. Volta 6, I-56100 Pisa, Italy Centro Interuniversitario di Biologia Marina ed Ecologia Applicata-CIBM, I-57127 Uvarno, Italy
A. Garcia-Rubies
Affiliation:
Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Cientificas, Centro de Estudios Avanzados de Blanes, Camino de Santa Barbara, E-17300 Blanes, Girona, Spain
J. Harmelin
Affiliation:
Centre d'Océanologie de Marseille, Station Marine d'Endoume—URA CNRS 41, F-13288 Marseille Cedex 09, France
M. Harmelin-Vivien
Affiliation:
Centre d'Océanologie de Marseille, Station Marine d'Endoume—URA CNRS 41, F-13288 Marseille Cedex 09, France
J.-Y. Jouvenel
Affiliation:
EPHE—URA CNRS 1453, Université de Perpignan, 66860 Perpignan, France
L. Tunesi
Affiliation:
ICRAM, Via L. Respighi 5, I-00197 Roma, Italy
L. Vigliola
Affiliation:
Centre d'Océanologie de Marseille, Station Marine d'Endoume—URA CNRS 41, F-13288 Marseille Cedex 09, France
R. Galzin
Affiliation:
EPHE—URA CNRS 1453, Université de Perpignan, 66860 Perpignan, France

Abstract

Populations of three species of juvenile Sparidae (Diplodus puntazzo, Diplodus sargus and Diplodus vulgaris) were sampled at different spatial scales in the north-western Mediterranean Sea over two years to follow growth after settlement. Length–frequency distributions were collected each week for periods of six months following the arrival of off-shore larvae in inshore habitats. Data were collected by underwater visual census along permanent transects.

Growth rate measured as the slope of the linear relationship between mean size and time varied between species. Diplodus puntazzo (0.160 mm d−1) and D. vulgaris (0.202 mm d−1), which are settling in winter experienced slower growth than D. sargus (0.567 mm d−1) which settles in summer. It is concluded that the difference was in part due to water temperature. Analysis of growth rate within each species also revealed significant differences among sites probably related to the currents and the water mass temperatures.

Type
Research Article
Copyright
© 1999 Marine Biological Association of the United Kingdom

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