Changes in composition of summer hyperiid amphipods from a subtropical region of the California current during 2002–2008

Abstract

Interannual changes in the assemblages of hyperiid amphipods during the period 2002 to 2008 are analyzed for the first time in the coastal Pacific area comprised between Ensenada (32°N) and Punta Baja (30°N), Baja California, Mexico. The study period witnessed diverse climatic events, such as a subarctic water intrusion in 2002, three El Niño events (in 2002–2003, 2004–2005, and 2006–2007) and one La Niña event in 2007–2008. Multivariate analysis of summer hyperiid amphipods based on the Bray–Curtis similarity index indicated that July 2005 contrasted with the rest of the summer seasons, showing a low abundance of amphipods, characterized particularly by the scarcity of Lestrigonus schizogeneios. The second most different summer was July 2002, characterized by the increased abundance of Primno brevidens and the presence of the subarctic species Themisto pacifica. Despite the marked decrease of L. schizogeneios in 2005, this species showed a pronounced recovery in 2006. Therefore, physical conditions under the influence of El Niño did not appear to be a direct factor in changing the abundances of L. schizogeneios, and the collapse of its populations during July 2005 could be the result of strong predation on small Lestrigonus juveniles by euphausiids, which were extremely abundant in spring and summer 2005. With the exception of 2005, the dominant species were relatively constant. Similarity analysis revealed a core contribution of the characteristic subtropical species in the California Current System (L. schizogeneios, P. brevidens, Vibilia armata, and Eupronoe minuta), indicating a resilience of these key species to climatic events.