Zooplankton assemblages as indicators of seasonal changes in water masses in the boundary waters between the East China Sea and the Taiwan Strait

Abstract

Hydrology and trophic relationships are frequently reported for inducing changes in mesozooplankton communities. This study investigated the distribution and abundance of mesozooplankton in the boundary waters between the East China Sea and the Taiwan Strait. Samples were collected using a NOR-PAC zooplankton net towed horizontally at a depth of 2 m, at eight stations along a transect, in March (spring) and October (autumn) 2005. The abundance of mesozooplankton was significantly higher during autumn than spring. Densities of many groups (e.g., Noctiluca scintillans, pteropods, copepods, mysids, euphausiids, and other larva) increased in October. During both seasons, copepods represented more than 50% of the total zooplankton abundance. Noctiluca scintillans, appendicularians, and Calanus sinicus were dominant in spring, indicating their association with the cold waters of the East China Coastal Current. Appendicularians and N. scintillans were mainly associated with the coastal waters of Taiwan; whereas C. sinicus was concentrated in the offshore waters along the coast of Mainland China. Chaetognaths, Temora turbinata, Acrocalanus spp., and radiolarians were dominant in autumn, showing their association with the warm waters of the Kuroshio Branch Current. Oncaea venusta was relatively abundant during both seasons. Our study shows that, in addition to the influence of seasonal changes in the water masses, the distribution and composition of mesozooplankton are highly influenced by trophic interactions between zooplankton taxa, in the boundary waters of the Taiwan Strait and the East China Sea.

Spatial and temporal changes in zooplankton abundance, biovolume, and size spectra in the neighboring waters of Japan: analyses using an optical plankton counter

“…However, same ocean latitudes were adjusted with the Kuroshio extension; the East China Sea, southern coast of Japan, and southern Japan Sea were not as oligotrophic as the Kuroshio extension region, and middle-sized copepods, such as Calanus sinicus, are known to dominate in zooplankton fauna (Hirakawa et al 1995;Shimode et al 2006;Hsiao et al 2011). Due to the dominance of middlesized copepods (C. sinicus) for these marginal seas, zooplankton size spectra in these regions were dispersed into groups A, B2, and B3 ( Figure 6).…”

Potential Roles of Biotic Factors in Regulating Zooplankton Community Dynamics in Jakarta Bay Shallow Water Coastal Ecosystem

“…Thus any change in zooplankton community could affect the community of the primary producer and higher trophic level organism (Horne and Goldman, 1994;Nybakken and Bertness, 2005;Marques et al, 2008;Hsiao et al, 2011). Zooplankton could also be used as bioindicator for environmental changes and pollution, due to the high sensitivity of some species to any changes in water quality.…”

“…Zooplankton could also be used as bioindicator for environmental changes and pollution, due to the high sensitivity of some species to any changes in water quality. Variation or fluctuation in water quality might induce seasonal succession and fluctuation in the abundance and distribution of zooplankton in marine ecosystem (Woodmanse, 1958;Hsiao et al, 2011). The physical and chemical parameters that usually limiting the zooplankton abundance and distribution are dissolved oxygen, turbidity, temperature, current, salinity and pH.…”

Variação da composição e abundância das espécies da Classe Appendicularia e seu uso como potenciais bioindicadoras de regiões e massas de água superficiais na área da Bacia de Campos, Rio de Janeiro, Brasil

“…Alguns autores caracterizam as espécies de apendiculária como boas bioindicadoras de massas de água (Forneris, 1965;Hsiao et al, 2011). Algumas espécies mostraram uma preferência por águas continentais com mistura de águas oceânicas no Atlântico Sul Ocidental (Björnberg & Forneris, 1956;Capitanio & Esnal, 1997) apesar disso, pouco se conhece sobre a variação espacial (plataforma e talude), sobre as preferências hidrológicas e a função de bioindicadoras das espécies de apendiculárias.…”