Physical Sciences and Mathematics Commons^™

Isotope-Based Methods For Evaluating Fish Trophic Geographies, Julie L. Vecchio

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Data on the movement and diets of fish during a variety of life stages are important inputs to fisheries stock assessments and marine ecosystem models. Stable isotopes may provide previously inaccessible information on movement and diet of a variety of managed and forage fish species. Here I used several novel means of interpretation for stable isotope data to infer diets and movements of several important fisheries species over both short (weeks to months) and long (lifetime) timescales. To calculate a constant partitioning offset (CPO) between the δ¹⁵N of muscle and of liver tissue, I conducted a literature search …