Chemical analysis of endolymph and the growing otolith: fractionation of metals in freshwater fish species.

The fractionation of metals from water to otolith is an area of research that has received relatively limited attention, especially in freshwater systems. The objectives of the present research were to study the metal partitioning between otolith and endolymph of two freshwater species: Lake trout (Salvelinus namaycush), and burbot (Lota lota). We also included the chemical analyses of water and blood from fish of the same species collected in the same area but during different years. These results provide insight regarding the partition of metals between water and fish. This is one of the first studies to provide a range of trace metal concentrations for endolymph and the growing otolith (both aragonite and vaterite) and to directly measure otolith-endolymph partition coefficients for freshwater fish. The trace elements (Mg, Sr, and Ba) most often used as otolith elemental tracers were the ones with the lowest uptake from water to blood. We found that endolymph and whole blood had similar metal concentrations, with Mg and Fe being the only elements enriched in whole blood. Results showed few significant differences in trace metal content between wild lake trout and burbot endolymph (except for K, Mg, and Ba), but significant differences existed between their aragonitic otoliths. These results suggest two different crystallization processes in these species or the presence of different proteins (and/or organic matrices) that would selectively influence elemental incorporation in the otoliths.