Abstract
Zooplankton, including the ichthyoplankton, abundance and species richness over time in the subtidal waters of Umm Al-Namil Island, Kuwait Bay, were sampled and quantified from September 2016 to August 2017. At the same period, physicochemical measurements (i.e., water temperature, pH, salinity, dissolved oxygen and nutrient concentrations) occurred. A total of 9 larval fish families were identified: Acropomatidae, Bregmacerotidae, Bythitidae, Clupeidae, Engraulidae, Leioganthidae, Platycephalidae, Pseudochromidae and Sparidae, in addition to fish eggs. Other zooplankton were mainly represented by Copepoda, followed by Radiolaria and Molluska larvae. Generally, some sampling events (i.e., months) had 100% fish larvae, while others had 0% fish larvae. The physicochemical parameters showed variations at each sampling event as well as within the same season. Total zooplankton (including ichthyoplankton) mean abundance was highest in summer (22.65 ± 2.85 ind.5l-1), while winter (18.13 ± 1.64 ind.5l-1) and autumn (17 ± 2 ind.5l-1) mean abundance values did not significantly vary. The lowest mean abundance was observed in spring (14.33 ± 1.67 ind.5l-1). Mean species richness was highest during spring (7.22 ± 1.66), but not significantly different from autumn (7 ± 2). No significant difference was observed between winter (6.73 ± 1.64) and summer (5.90 ± 2.85). Overall, the results indicate that zooplankton species richness and abundance in Umm Al-Namil Island varied temporally in response to fluctuations in environmental conditions. Primary among these fluctuations is water temperature at different seasons of the year.
Highlights
Zooplankton and ichthyoplankton are fundamentally different fractions of pelagic communities
Seasonal larval fish abundance has been coupled with oceanographic features such as areas strongly influenced by upwelling events, including Chile (Loeb and Rojas, 1987; Balbontin and Bravo, 1999; Castro et al, 2000), the California Current (McGowen, 1993) and the Benguela Current (Olivar and Shelton, 1993)
The aims of this study are to determine if, (1) seasonality in larval fish abundance and species richness at the start of the subtidal zone with notes on other zooplankton and (2) short-term coupling between fish larvae and physicochemical features, with notes on other zooplankton, using the integration of biological data and physicochemical data at the start of the subtidal zone
Summary
Zooplankton and ichthyoplankton are fundamentally different fractions of pelagic communities. Seasonality in larval fish abundance is reflected by the composition of the species assemblages, in which, depending on the time of the year, it is possible to identify diverse groupings, which may not necessarily represent similarities in adult habitat (McGowen, 1993). These patterns could be linked to local, regional or global productivity (Hill et al, 1998) and show important inter-annual variability (Bakun, 1996)
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