가을철 황해 남부의 중형동물플랑크톤 분포

Abstract

We investigated the mesozooplankton community structure during autumn in the southern Yellow Sea. Mesozooplankton density generally ranged from 352 to 2,954 ind. m-3 and varied according to different sampling stations. The copepod Paracalanus parvus s.l. and its copepodites dominated in the communities, corresponding to 57.3% in density of the total. Surface and water-column averaged salinity were positively correlated with density of total mesozooplankton, copepods and a few dominant species, and the tunicate Thalia rhomboides was negatively related to chlorophyll-a concentration. The mesozooplankton community of the study area was divided into three groups according to the cluster analysis using species composition and density: one in the northern coastal region, another in the northern offshore region, and the other in the south. The most significant indicator species for each of the groups were Labidocera euchaeta in the northern coastal region, T. rhomboides in the northern offshore region, and Themisto sp. juveniles in the south. This study provides recent data on the characteristics of the mesozooplankton community in the southern Yellow Sea, which may be valuable for gaining a better understanding of changes in the pelagic ecosystem of the Yellow Sea.