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IMAGE: UC Davis scientists conduct research about fish and floodplains on the Yolo Bypass in California's Central Valley.
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Credit: UC Davis
If you look deep into the eyes of a fish, it will tell you its life story.
Scientists from the University of California, Davis, demonstrate that they can use stable isotopic analysis of the eye lenses of freshwater fish -- including threatened and endangered salmon -- to reveal a fish's life history and what it ate along the way.
They conducted their study, published today in the journal
Methods in Ecology and Evolution, through field-based experiments in California's Central Valley. The study carries implications for managing floodplains, fish and natural resources; prioritizing habitat restoration efforts; and understanding how landscape disturbances impact fish.