Abstract
Abstract Background For the present study, we collected mesozooplankton in the upper layer (above 100 m in depth) of four stations in the northern South China Sea (SCS) to determine the influence of different water masses on their distribution and abundance from 27 September to 2 October 1999. Results In total, 18 major zooplankton taxa were recovered from the samples. Calanoid copepods, Noctilucales, and chaetognaths were dominant and together comprised 65.90% of the overall zooplankton counts. Zooplankton densities ranged from 102.19 to 1,285.24 individuals per cubic meters (ind./m3) (average, 306.38 ± 435.71). Noctilucales were abundant at stations located in the Kuroshio Current (KC) intrusion area. Integrating all samples, 32 copepod species were identified consisting of 23 genera belonging to 16 families. Total copepod abundances ranged from 30.24 to 311.17 ind./m3 (average, 99.14 ± 97.84). Numerically, Pleuromamma gracilis, Nannocalanus minor, and Lucicutia flavicornis were the most dominant species. The most frequently occurring species in all samples were Acartia (Acartia) negligens and Corycaeus (Farranula) gibbula. Results of a cluster analysis indicated that community structures of zooplankton and copepods of the northern SCS varied at geospatial scales during the sampling period. Conclusions Results of the present study suggest that the composition and community structure of zooplankton and copepods were influenced by intrusion of the KC in the shallow layer above 100 m in depth in the northern SCS. Some indicator species characteristic of the KC indicated that the study area received water masses from the northern SCS and the KC.
Highlights
For the present study, we collected mesozooplankton in the upper layer of four stations in the northern South China Sea (SCS) to determine the influence of different water masses on their distribution and abundance from 27 September to 2 October 1999
We examined the important issues of the distribution and community structure of zooplankton and planktonic copepods, which may provide useful information for understanding marine systems worldwide
T-S curves indicated that the water masses at the northern stations A1 and A2 were characterized by high temperatures and salinities
Summary
We collected mesozooplankton in the upper layer (above 100 m in depth) of four stations in the northern South China Sea (SCS) to determine the influence of different water masses on their distribution and abundance from 27 September to 2 October 1999. Plankton plays important roles in transferring carbon and energy to upper consumer levels in aquatic ecosystems worldwide. Zooplankton consumes phytoplankton and plays important roles in transferring carbon and energy to upper trophic levels in the food web (Dahms et al 2012). Planktonic copepods in turn are dominant taxa among zooplankton assemblages (Tseng et al 2008d, 2009; Chen et al 2010; Hsiao et al 2011; Chou et al 2012). Their feeding behaviors deeply affect fluxes of carbon and energy (Chen et al 2010; Vandromme et al 2010; Wu et al 2010, 2011). We examined the important issues of the distribution and community structure of zooplankton and planktonic copepods, which may provide useful information for understanding marine systems worldwide
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