Magnetic and Celestial Orientation of Migrating European Glass Eels
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Magnetic and Celestial Orientation of Migrating European Glass Eels (Anguilla anguilla) Cresci, Alessandro https://scholarship.miami.edu/view/delivery/01UOML_INST/12356199980002976 Cresci, A. (2020). Magnetic and Celestial Orientation of Migrating European Glass Eels (Anguilla anguilla) (University of Miami). Retrieved from https://scholarship.miami.edu/discovery/fulldisplay/alma991031453189802976/01U OML_INST:ResearchRepository Open 2020/05/11 19:16:33 UNIVERSITY OF MIAMI MAGNETIC AND CELESTIAL ORIENTATION OF MIGRATING EUROPEAN GLASS EELS (ANGUILLA ANGUILLA) By Alessandro Cresci A DISSERTATION Submitted to the Faculty of the University of Miami in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy Coral Gables, Florida May 2020 ©2020 Alessandro Cresci All Rights Reserved UNIVERSITY OF MIAMI A dissertation submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy MAGNETIC AND CELESTIAL ORIENTATION OF MIGRATING EUROPEAN GLASS EELS (ANGUILLA ANGUILLA) Alessandro Cresci Approved: ________________ _________________ Josefina Olascoaga, Ph.D. Joseph E. Serafy, Ph.D. Professor of Physical Oceanography Research Professor Ocean Sciences Marine Biology and Ecology ________________ _________________ William E. Johns, Ph.D. Evan K. D’Alessandro, Ph.D. Professor of Physical Oceanography Lecturer and Director, M.P.S Ocean Sciences Marine Biology and Ecology ________________ ________________ Howard I. Browman, Ph.D. Caroline M.F. Durif, Ph.D. Principal Research Scientist Principal Research Scientist Institute of Marine Research Institute of Marine Research ________________ Guillermo Prado, Ph.D. Dean of the Graduate School CRESCI, ALESSANDRO (Ph.D., Ocean Sciences) Magnetic and Celestial Orientation of Migrating (May 2020) European Glass Eels (Anguilla anguilla) Abstract of a dissertation at the University of Miami. Dissertation supervised by Professor Josefina Olascoaga. No. of pages in text. (128) The European eel (Anguilla anguilla) is a diadromous fish that spawns in the Sargasso Sea. As leptocephalus larvae, eels cross the Atlantic Ocean and reach the continental slope of Europe, where they metamorphose into post-larval glass eels. These reach the coast and facultatively enter freshwater. After 5-25 years or longer, as adult silver eels, they will migrate back from freshwater to the Sargasso Sea to spawn and die. At the glass eel stage, eels cross the continental shelf and recruit to estuaries, where they transition to a freshwater physiology. Extensive research has been conducted to understand the environmental cues, and behavioral responses, that guide glass eels during this migration. Previous work described the migratory behavior of glass eels with respect to chemical cues, tides, temperature and light intensity. However, little is known about whether glass eels rely on fixed frames of reference to find their way during migration, such as the geomagnetic field and celestial cues. This dissertation fills this gap by describing the orientation of glass eels using a combination of in situ observations and laboratory experiments. In this work, I report novel evidence that both magnetic and lunar-related orientation occurs in European glass eels. These new findings are integrated with the existing body of literature on the behavior of glass eels and a comprehensive and unifying hypothesis on their migration is proposed. Acknowledgements I thank my family for being always there for me and supporting me no matter how hard times become. I thank Tara, the most wonderful wife I could ever hope to be with. Thank Josefina Olascoaga for being a great advisor and a great scientist, and for helping me completing this PhD with such amazing support. I thank Howard Browman for his incredible dedication and presence as a mentor, the support he has provided, the enthusiasm he has given me throughout this journey and the countless life and scientific lessons he has taught me. I thank all my committee, which is an incredible group of amazing scientists. I thank all my RSMAS friends for being my family during these years. iii Table of contents List of figures .................................................................................................................. viii List of tables....................................................................................................................... x Chapter 1. Introduction and General Methods ............................................................. 1 1.1 Introduction ............................................................................................................... 1 1.1.1 The complex life history of the European eel .................................................... 1 1.1.2 Magnetic and celestial cues as candidate frame of reference ............................ 3 1.2 The environment of glass eels in Norwegian fjords ................................................. 4 1.3 Animals and maintenance ......................................................................................... 6 1.4 General methods: in situ ........................................................................................... 7 1.4.1 Concept and equipment...................................................................................... 7 1.4.2 Field Trials ......................................................................................................... 8 1.4.3 Data analysis ...................................................................................................... 9 1.5 General methods: magnetic laboratory ................................................................... 11 1.5.1 Concept and facility ......................................................................................... 11 1.5.2 Laboratory Trials ............................................................................................. 13 1.6 Statistical Analysis .................................................................................................. 14 Chapter 2. Glass eels (Anguilla anguilla) have a magnetic compass linked to the tidal cycle .................................................................................................................................. 19 iv 2.1 Overview ................................................................................................................. 19 2.2 Background ............................................................................................................. 20 2.3 Results ..................................................................................................................... 24 2.3.1 In situ ............................................................................................................... 24 2.3.2 Magnetic laboratory ......................................................................................... 25 2.4 Discussion ............................................................................................................... 26 2.5 Conclusions ............................................................................................................. 30 2.6 Methods................................................................................................................... 31 2.6.1 In situ experiments ........................................................................................... 31 2.6.2 Experiments under simulated and manipulated magnetic fields ...................... 32 2.6.3 Statistical analysis ............................................................................................ 34 2.7 Figures..................................................................................................................... 35 Chapter 3. The relationship between the moon cycle and the orientation of glass eels (Anguilla anguilla) at sea ................................................................................................ 39 3.1 Overview ................................................................................................................. 39 3.2 Background ............................................................................................................. 40 3.3 Results ..................................................................................................................... 42 3.4 Discussion ............................................................................................................... 46 3.4.1 Hypothetical mechanism for the detection of the moon azimuth .................... 48 v 3.4.2 How orienting towards the moon could help glass eels during the pelagic landward migration ................................................................................................... 51 3.5 Methods................................................................................................................... 53 3.5.1 Animals and maintenance ................................................................................ 53 3.5.2 In situ observations .......................................................................................... 54 3.5.3 Deployments in situ ......................................................................................... 56 3.5.4 Data analysis .................................................................................................... 57 3.6 Figures..................................................................................................................... 59 Chapter 4. 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