Relationship between environmental factors and short-term variations of mesozooplankton during summer in Jangmok Bay, South Coast of Korea

Abstract

Daily samples were collected during summer in order to analyse changes in the mesozooplankton community and to identify the major environmental factors that may influence mesozooplankton abundance in Jangmok Bay. A single site in the bay was sampled 47 times from July to September 2003. Mesozooplankton community, hydrographic (watertemperature, salinity, dissolvedoxygen) and biological (chlorophyll-a, ciliates densities, Noctiluca scintillans densities) factors were determined. The mesozooplankton abundance varied remarkably from 954 to 14,816 inds. m-3. The six taxa of Evadne tergestina, barnacle nauplii and cypris, Paracalanus parvus s.1., Acartia omorii, Penilia avirostris and Sagitta crassa dominated numerically, contributing 86% of total mesozooplankton abundance. Stepwise multiple linear regression analysis was applied to find correlation between environmental factors and fluctuation in the abundance of dominant species and mesozooplankton. A. omorii was significantly correlated with temperature and N. scintillans densities. E. tergestina was correlated with temperature, salinity, and ciliate densities, whereas P. avirostris was correlated with temperature and dissolved oxygen. Among the environmental factors, mesozooplankton abundance correlated most strongly with N. scintillans densities. Accordingly, N. scintillans may be a key player in controlling the fluctuation of mesozooplankton abundance as a strong competitor for same food resources.