Seasonal variations of the ichthyoplankton assemblage in the Yangtze Estuary and its relationship with environmental factors

PeerJ
Hui ZhangShude Liu

Abstract

Seasonal variations of the ichthyoplankton assemblage and its relationship with the environment were analyzed based on four seasonal surveys during 2012. Historical data was collected to be compared with results from previous years in order to indicate the seasonal and inter-annual variation of the ichthyoplankton assemblage in the Yangtze Estuary and the adjacent waters. A total of 3,688 individuals belonging to 5 orders, 9 families, and 15 species were collected. No samples were collected in the winter cruise. In 2012, all samples were separated into four ecotypes, which is comparable with the historical data from previous years. The Engraulis japonicus was the most abundant species of all teleost fishes. The E. japonicus was captured in every season and contributed the most to the abundance of ichthyoplankton, which was greater than that of previous years. This result may be due to the periodic fluctuations of E. japonicus or from the displacement of spawning grounds offshore for environmental reasons. The diversity indices of the assemblage were significantly different among seasons, with the number and abundance of the species peaking in the spring, while richness, evenness and diversity indices peaked in the autumn. The s...Continue Reading

Software Mentioned

CANOCO
Surfer
SPSS
PRIMER

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