New Insights into Fish Ecology via Nuclear Microscopy of Otoliths
Otoliths, or earstones, are small, biogenic concretions of aragonitic calcium carbonate precipitated on a protein matrix. Otoliths form part of the hearing and balance system in teleost fishes, and grow as the fish grow, providing a continuous biochronology of growth. Various elements are entrained in minor and trace quantities. In particular, strontium is a useful scalar of habitat use when varia