Ocean currents structuring the mesozooplankton in the Gulf of Mannar and the Palk Bay, southeast coast of India

Abstract

The Gulf of Mannar and the Palk Bay, located between India and Sri Lanka, are the two least studied marine environments in the northern Indian Ocean. We hypothesis, perceptible physical barriers that exist between the deep Gulf of Mannar and shallow Palk Bay, and seasonally reversing surface circulation patterns in the region have a concerted effect on the ecology of these oceanographically important areas. In the present study, data collected from 30 locations in the Gulf of Mannar and the Palk Bay in March 2010 (Spring Intermonsoon), September 2010 (Southwest Monsoon) and January 2011 (Northeast Monsoon) were used to investigate the role of ocean currents in molding mesozooplankton community characteristics in these, geographically closer and ecologically important transitional zones. Spatial difference in salinity was evident in the area with consistently higher values in the Gulf of Mannar as compared to the Palk Bay. The surface salinity was maximal during the Southwest Monsoon followed by the Spring Intermonsoon, and the Northeast Monsoon. These variations in salinity were closely linked with the seasonally reversing ocean currents as revealed in MIKE 21 flow model results. The mesozooplankton community dominated by copepods showed significant difference in species richness between the Gulf of Mannar (81 species) and the Palk Bay (63 species). Non-metric Multidimensional Scaling (NMDS) and Agglomerative Hierarchical Cluster Analysis (AHCA) on Bray–Curtis copepod similarity clearly estranged the Gulf of Mannar and the Palk Bay waters during the Spring Intermonsoon, and the Northeast Monsoon, attributable to the truancy of durable mixing typical of these seasons. In contrast, aided by strong currents, the increased mixing resulted in a homogenous copepod population in the Gulf of Mannar and the Palk Bay during the Southwest Monsoon. Furthermore, the indicator and dominant species analysis for copepods divulged the spatial heterogeneity in species composition during the Spring Intermonsoon and the Northeast Monsoon periods. Multivariate Redundancy Analyses showed salinity as the most important variable accountable for the observed variance in copepod distribution. In general, the copepod community in the Gulf of Mannar was composed both of coastal and offshore species whereas, coastal species largely inhabited the Palk Bay. This kind of a study depicting zooplankton community organization as governed by seasonally reversing monsoon circulation patterns forms the first record from the Indian coastal waters. The findings attain absolute significance considering its ecological implications on oceanographically transitional systems like the Gulf of Mannar, and the Palk Bay.