Seasonal biomass and diversity of estuarine fishes coupled with tropical habitat heterogeneity (southern Gulf of Mexico)

Abstract

Nekton dynamics were studied in two contrasting habitats in Terminos Lagoon, Mexico. Over an annual cycle, a total of 83 fish species used the high‐salinity fringing mangrove/Thalassia testudinum habitat and biomass ranged from 0.43 to 3.43 g m−2. The highest biomass occurred during the dry season when aquatic primary production was highest (i.e. 333 g C m−2 year−1). By contrast, 65 species used the freshwater and low‐salinity riverine mangrove/Crassostrea virginica/Vallisneria habitat and biomass ranged from 0.57 to 1.48 g m−2 with the highest biomass occurring during the wet season, the time of highest primary production in this habitat (i.e. 219 g C m−2 year−1). The high‐ and low‐salinity habitats serve as ecological bridges between freshwater areas and the sea. Fish life histories have evolved to utilize these habitats for spawning, feeding and nursery grounds in a manner which generally leads to the use of different habitats during the periods of highest primary productivity.