Water, not food, contributes the majority of strontium and barium deposited in the otoliths of a marine fish

We quantified the relative contributions of water and food to strontium (Sr) and barium (Ba) deposited in otoliths of juvenile mummichogs Fundulus heteroclitus.Fish were reared in seawater spiked with 86 Sr and 137 Ba significantly beyond natural values to obtain distinct isotopic signatures for water and food.Element abundances (Sr:Ca and Ba:Ca) and isotope ratios ( 88 Sr: 86 Sr and 138 Ba: 137 Ba) were quantified in water samples using solution-based inductively coupled plasmamass spectrometry (ICP-MS), and 88 Sr: 86 Sr and 138 Ba: 137 Ba ratios in otoliths were quantified using laser ablation ICP-MS.The relative contributions of water and food sources to otolith aragonite were assessed using a simple linear isotope mixing model.Water sources contributed 83% of Sr and 98% of Ba in otoliths formed in spiked seawater.Our results indicate that water chemistry is the dominant factor controlling the uptake of Sr and Ba in the otoliths of marine fishes.Thus, chemical signatures recorded in the otoliths of marine fishes should reflect the ambient water composition of these elements at the time of deposition.