Factors Influencing Daily Growth in Young-of-the-Year Winter Flounder along an Urban Gradient Revealed Using Hierarchical Linear Models

摘要: AbstractGrowth during early life history plays a key role in the recruitment dynamics of marine fishes; however, effects environmental stressors on growth are often difficult to quantify. In this study, increment widths from sagittal otoliths were used as proxy for daily 102 young-of-the-year Winter Flounder Pseudopleuronectes americanus collected over 2-year period three sites Long Island, New York. We hypothesized that we would observe different patterns among bays due an gradient driven primarily by contaminant loadings and our study sites. Hierarchical linear models utilized associate individual attributes (ontogeny, condition, gene expression) each year. As expected, generally displayed negative relationship with age average temperature, although effect temperature was much more variable. Out 14 attributes, settlement date, a...