Seasonal variability of nektonic community structure and phylogenetic diversity in Weizhou Island, the Beibu Gulf

Abstract

The favorable natural conditions and variety of habitats in the Beibu Gulf provide a basis for harboring a high diversity of marine organisms. Sustainable coastal ecosystem management can be benefited from a comprehensive assessment of species diversity. In this study, we analyzed the seasonal changes in nektonic phylogenetic and community structures in the waters of Weizhou Island in the northern Beibu Gulf. The results showed that both the nektonic phylogenetic diversity and community structure in the northern Beibu Gulf exhibited strong seasonal differences between spring and autumn. The catch density was 291.9 kg per km2 in spring and 1081.1 kg per km2 in autumn. Phylogenetic diversity of nektonic communities obviously increased from spring to autumn, while phylogenetic patterns changed from clustering to overdispersion. The seasonal patterns of nektonic communities were mainly related to the different fishing intensities in spring and autumn. Summer fishing intensity in the Beibu Gulf was effectively controlled by a mid-summer fishing moratorium, during which nektonic diversity and fish stocks rapidly recovered from the larval pool. Our study revealed that fishing intensity had a greater impact on nektonic communities at smaller spatial scales, and even exceeded the effects of environmental factors.

Metabarcoding analysis identifies high diversity of harmful algal bloom species in the coastal waters of the Beibu Gulf

“…globosa isolated from different years (Hu et al, 2019 ). Furthermore, based on morphological and molecular taxonomic studies, Akashiwo sanguinea is highly diverse near Weizhou Island in the Beibu Gulf (Xu et al, 2020 ), which is similar to the conclusion of this study. In addition to the genus‐level analyses, based on long‐read metabarcoding, this study identified a variety of new species in the Beibu Gulf.…”

“…Previous studies based on the LSU rDNA D1-D2 region showed that there was distinct genetic diversity in P. globosa in the Beibu Gulf, and there were clear genetic differences among the strains of P. globosa isolated from different years (Hu et al, 2019). Furthermore, based on morphological and molecular taxonomic studies, Akashiwo sanguinea is highly diverse near Weizhou Island in the Beibu Gulf (Xu et al, 2020), which is similar to the conclusion of this study. (Jiang, 2019;Luo et al, 2016;Wang, Song, et al, 2021).…”