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Updated: Mar 26, 2026

Sampling and Pretreatment of Tooth Enamel Carbonate for Stable Carbon and Oxygen Isotope Analysis
Published on: August 15, 2018
Up-and-down shift in residence depth of slickheads (Alepocephalidae) revealed by otolith stable oxygen isotopic
J C Shiao1, E Y Liu1, T D Sui1
1Institute of Oceanography, National Taiwan University, 1, Sec. 4, Roosevelt Rd., Taipei, Taiwan, Republic of China.
Abstract:
Otolith δ(18)O profiles for four slickhead species (Alepocephalidae) suggested that Alepocephalus umbriceps, Talismania okinawensis and Rouleina watasei migrated hundreds of metres to shallower depths during the juvenile to young stages before returning to their original depth or even deeper waters. Xenodermichthys nodulosus gradually shifted residence depth from shallow to deeper water during their life. These migratory patterns indicated that the slickheads examined had allopatric residence depths at different life stages, which might enhance the pelagic survival and growth rates of the juvenile and young fishes.
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