Geographic variation in statolith trace elements of the Humboldt squid, Dosidicus gigas, in high seas of Eastern Pacific Ocean

We applied the solution-based inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry to quantify trace elements in statoliths of Humboldt squid, Dosidicus gigas, collected from the high seas off Chile, Peru, and Costa Rica by Chinese squid jigging vessels during 2007–2009. All squid samples were aged and their spawning dates were back-calculated based on daily increments in statoliths. The most abundant trace elements in the whole statolith were Ca and Sr followed by other elements in the order of Fe, Mg, Zn, Ba, Cu, Mn, Ni, Al, Cr, Co, and U. Significant differences in Mn and Sr were found among samples from the three regions. Sr, Ni, Mn, and Co contributed significantly to the discrimination among the regions, with Co responsible for explaining most of the variation, followed by Ni, Mn, and Sr. Squid from the high seas off Costa Rica could be separated from those off Peru and Chile mostly due to the differences in Ni, Sr, and Co, while samples off Peru and Chile could be distinguished mainly because of differences in Mn and Co. Discriminant function analysis suggested that the overall cross-validated classification rate was 85.6 % with samples off Chile having the highest correct identification rates and samples off Costa Rica having the highest false classification rates. Significant positive relationships were found between sea surface temperature (SST) and Cr/Ca, Mn/Ca, and U/Ca, and there was a negative relationship between SST and Cu/Ca, Sr/Ca. This study suggests that the spatial difference in trace elements of statolith can be used to separate geographic populations of D. gigas and that elements having significant relationships with SST can be considered as natural indicators of ambient temperature.