engleski

Differentiating fish origin with morphometrics toolbox

The initial behavioral response of fish to anthropogenic disturbance in wild is often reflected by greater rates of phenotypic changes that differ in a suite of physiological and morphological traits in comparison to those associated with more ‘natural’ contexts. Depending on the species, these population level changes can occur over a short period of time and may be observed even after first generation cycle making them more adaptable to the novel environmental circumstances. Morphometrics provide a complementary toolbox for stock identification since it can reveal patterns of life history that vary among subpopulations, indicating limited movement between groups and possible genetic variation. In this study, we validated the application of analytical image processing tools to discriminate external appearance and morphology of gilthead seabream originating from wild and human-mediated environments in the eastern Adriatic Sea. Significant differences in body, otolith and scale shapes were recorded with geometric morphometrics and outline methods whereas intensity-based registration techniques were used to extract dark to silvery-grey colour spectrum as the one that differentiated the most between the origins of gilthead seabream. Such comprehensive approach to the differentiating seabream origin provided the bases upon which better management and conservation of different populations can be established and monitored in the future.

morphometrics, fish origin, phenotype

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