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Cited by 90Marine and fisheries researchFish Ecology and Management StudiesIchthyology and Marine Biology

Geographically and environmentally driven spawning distributions of tuna species in the western Mediterranean Sea

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Reglero, P, Ciannelli, L, Alvarez-Berastegui, D, Balbín, R, López-Jurado, JL, Alemany, F·2012·Marine Ecology Progress Series
DOI 10.3354/meps09800
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Abstract

The spawning habitats of many large marine pelagic predators are poorly known.This lack of knowledge hampers conservation efforts that are aimed at identifying critical habitats for the spawning of these species.We hypothesized that phylogenetically related species show different adaptations and respond differently to environmental and geographical cues for when and where to spawn.We tested this hypothesis on a 5 yr data set (2001 to 2005) from the Balearic Islands region (Mediterranean Sea), targeting the early larval stage of 3 abundant species of tuna: bluefin tuna Thunnus thynnus, a large migratory oceanic species; albacore T. alalunga, a smaller species; and bullet tuna Auxis rochei, often found closer to coastal areas.The spatial distribution of spawning locations at the regional scale differed for the 3 tuna species.Bluefin tuna relied heavily on environmental signals, and therefore their spawning habitats can vary depending on the environment.In contrast, the spawning habitat of albacore and bullet tuna was driven mostly by geography and was less variable over contrasting environmental conditions.These regional adaptations for spawning habitats among the 3 tuna species may play a critical role in offspring survival and species interactions, and should be taken into account when establishing conservation practices.

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  • Tuna species show a preference for mesoscale structures with moderate activity to spawn, but avoid high EKE.

    “In general, tuna species show a preference for mesoscale structures, with moderate activity to spawn, but avoid high EKE (Teo et al. 2007, Reglero et al. 2012, Muhling et al. 2013); one factor involved could be the opportunity to disperse during the larval stage.”

    From Worldwide distributions of tuna larvae: revisiting hypotheses on environmental requirements for spawning habitats (2014) · cites this paper as Reglero et al. 2012

    The Spatial portioning section says western-stock bluefin tuna breed close to mesoscale structures, and the Results report the best albacore model fit at slow to intermediate geostrophic velocities. But the Results also report a preference for high frontal activity in bluefin tuna and a positive relationship with high geostrophic velocities in bullet tuna. The paper does not establish that tuna species generally avoid high eddy kinetic energy (EKE). (LLM, conf=0.84)

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  • The spawning behavior of Bluefin Tuna can respond to environmental or physical signs, or a mix of both.

    “The spawning behavior of Bluefin Tuna, in particular, can respond to environmental or physical signs, or a mix of both [18].”

    From Environmental Conditions along Tuna Larval Dispersion: Insights on the Spawning Habitat and Impact on Their Development Stages (2022) · cites this paper as [18]

    The section on spawning strategies says bluefin tuna follow environmental signals, and the Results link their spawning distribution strongly to oceanographic conditions. The Introduction says geographic and environmental cues can mix in fish generally, but the paper does not establish that bluefin tuna respond to geographic cues or a mixture of the two; the Results attribute less than 3% of explained variance to position alone. Page numbers were not available in our copy. (LLM, conf=0.84)

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  • The geographical distribution of Tuna species is closely linked to oceanographic conditions, which also influence their spawning behavior.

    “The geographical distribution of Tuna species is closely linked to oceanographic conditions, which also influence their spawning behavior [18].”

    From Environmental Conditions along Tuna Larval Dispersion: Insights on the Spawning Habitat and Impact on Their Development Stages (2022) · cites this paper as [18]

    The Results report that oceanographic conditions strongly constrained bluefin tuna spawning locations, supporting a link between oceanography and spawning distribution. But the Abstract and Results say albacore and bullet tuna spawning habitats were driven mostly by geography. The claim overgeneralizes that oceanographic link to tuna species as a whole and to their geographical distribution beyond spawning. (LLM, conf=0.85)

    Experimental — accuracy not yet measured

  • Bluefin tuna has high plasticity of spawning site, which is environmentally selected, but limited scope for adaptations at a taxon level.

    “Bluefin tuna on the other hand has high plasticity of spawning site, which is environmentally selected (Reglero et al., 2012), but limited scope for adaptations at a taxon level.”

    From Evolutionary and ecological constraints of fish spawning habitats (2015) · cites this paper as Reglero et al., 2012

  • In the western Mediterranean Sea, bluefin tuna larvae are most abundant near the salinity front where inflowing Atlantic waters converge with higher salinity resident waters around the Balearic Islands.

    “In the western Mediterranean Sea, larvae were most abundant near the salinity front where inflowing Atlantic waters converge with higher salinity resident waters around the Balearic Islands (Garcia et al. 2005, Alemany et al. 2010, Reglero et al. 2012).”

    From Comparison between environmental characteristics of larval bluefin tuna Thunnus thynnus habitat in the Gulf of Mexico and western Mediterranean Sea (2013) · cites this paper as Reglero et al. 2012

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Authors
Reglero, P., Ciannelli, L., Alvarez-Berastegui, D., Balbín, R., López-Jurado, J., & Alemany, F.
Affiliations
  • Instituto Español de Oceanografía (ES)
  • Oregon State University (US)
Corresponding author
Reglero, P
ORCID
Venue
Marine Ecology Progress Series
Publisher
Inter-Research Science Center
Published
2012-08-30
Volume
463
Pages
273-284
ISSN
  • 0171-8630 (ISSN-L)
  • 1616-1599
DOI
10.3354/meps09800
OpenAlex
W2117490594
Cited by
89
References
39
Citations by year
2026: 2 · 2025: 5 · 2024: 4 · 2023: 7 · 2022: 7 · 2021: 7 · 2020: 4 · 2019: 5 · 2018: 5 · 2017: 7 · 2016: 7 · 2015: 11 · 2014: 8 · 2013: 8 · 2012: 1
FWCI
7.45
Type
journal article
Language
en
Open access
Locations
  • Marine Ecology Progress Series (publishedVersion)
  • DIGITAL.CSIC (Spanish National Research Council (CSIC)) (submittedVersion, cc-by-nc-nd)
  • LA Referencia (Red Federada de Repositorios Institucionales de Publicaciones Científicas) (submittedVersion, cc-by-nc-nd)
Funders
  • National Science Foundation (0934961)
  • Instituto Español de Oceanografía
Topics
  • Physical Sciences › Environmental Science › Global and Planetary Change › Marine and fisheries research
  • Physical Sciences › Environmental Science › Nature and Landscape Conservation › Fish Ecology and Management Studies
  • Physical Sciences › Environmental Science › Nature and Landscape Conservation › Ichthyology and Marine Biology
Keywords
spawning grounds, bluefin tuna, Thunnus thynnus, albacore tuna, bullet tuna, Auxis rochei, fish larvae, critical habitat, phylogenetic relatedness, environmental cues, geographical adaptation, Balearic Islands, Western Mediterranean, marine conservation

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