北部湾西北部饵料浮游动物季节变化及其与鱼卵、仔稚鱼的关系

根据2012年在北部湾西北部广西近海冬、春、夏和秋4个季节的调查资料,探讨了该海域浮游动物总丰度的平面分布、季节变化及鱼卵仔稚鱼的丰度的季节变化,结果表明,调查水域浮游动物的丰度在春夏、秋冬季变化较大,而在冬春与夏秋季变化较小,浮游动物在冬、春、夏、秋四季的平均丰度分别为337.35 ind/m3、280.01 ind/m3、4.32ind/m3和14.78 ind/m3,冬春季明显高于夏秋季,浮游动物数量高峰季比东海提前了一个季节。冬春两季,浮游动物的数量分布特征相近,在湾内和沿岸水域数量高于近海水域。相反,在夏秋季,丰度在近海水域明显高于沿岸及湾内水域。浮游动物在各季节不同的分布特征与该海域沿岸水、外海水和混合水的季节性变化有关,优势种经历了由春季的沿岸暖温种到夏季和秋季的外海暖水种到冬季的沿岸暖水种更替的过程。该海域的主要优势种,冬季为鸟喙尖头溞(Penilia avirostris),春季为中华哲水蚤(Calanus sinicus),夏季和秋季同为肥胖软箭虫(Flaccisagitta enflata),主要优势种类的生态适应性决定了浮游动物总数量的分布特征。鱼卵、仔稚鱼在冬、春、夏、秋季的丰度为6.83 ind/m3、3.09 ind/m3、0.05 ind/m3、0.20 ind/m3,季节变化趋势与浮游动物一致,由高到低依次为冬季、春季、秋季、夏季,两者较强的正相关关系表明,食物饵料充足对鱼卵仔鱼的发育具有促进作用。

Seasonal variation inzooplankton characteristics and their relationshipwith fish eggs and larvae inthe Northwest Beibu Gulf

This paper addresses the spatiotemporaldistribution characteristics of zooplankton abundance and seasonalchanges infish egg and larval density based on data from four oceanographic surveys inGuangxi offshore waters in theNorthwest Beibu Gulf during the winter, spring,summer, and autumn of 2012. Additionally, the relationships betweenenvironmentalfactors, water masses, and, in particular, zooplankton wereexplored. The results revealed that zooplanktonabundances were 337.35 ind/m3, 280.01 ind/m3, 4.32ind/m3, and 14.78 ind/m3 in thewinter, spring, summer, and autumn,respectively. The zooplankton numbersbetween spring and summer, and between autumn and winter significantly changed,butremained steady between winter and spring, and summer between and autumn. Thepeak zooplankton abundance periodin this water body was winter, which occurs aseason before that in the East China Sea. In the investigation area,Evynnis cardinalis, an economically important fish species, exhibitedobvious seasonal distribution characteristics: Capturerates in winter andspring were higher than those in summer and autumn, which was consistent withthe seasonal variationcharacteristics of zooplankton. High quantities ofzooplankton in the winter and spring provided sufficient food to supplementfishpopulations and therefore provide a valuable resource for fish reproduction andgrowth. Northwest Beibu Gulf ismainly affected by coastal water, offshorecurrent and mixed water. Coastal water is composed of sea water and mixedwaterthat is diluted by terrestrial runoff to the sea. A high salinity offshorecurrent that is composed of offshore water runsinto the Beibu Gulf from the baymouth. Mixed water composed of coastal and offshore water converges in thecontinentalshelf area. In the winter and spring, zooplankton distributioncharacteristics were similar; higher numbers of zooplanktonwere recorded ingulf and coastal waters than in inshore waters. However, zooplankton abundancein inshore waters wassignificantly higher than those in gulf and coastal watersduring the summer and autumn. Sea water and mixed water in thisarea areaffected by seasonal changes in coastal waters; the dominant species successionconsisted of warm temperate neriticspecies in spring, warm water offshorespecies in summer and autumn, and warm water neritic species in winter. Thedominantspecies were Peniliaavirostris, Calanus sinicus, and Flaccisagittaenflata in the winter, spring, and summer andautumn, respectively.The ecological adaptability of the main dominant speciesdetermined the spatial and temporal distribution of these species,which in turndetermined the zooplankton distribution characteristics. The combination ofinternal (ecological adaptation) andexternal (seasonal environmental change)factors resulted in the zooplankton distribution variation observed in thisstudy. Thesefactors also likely drove seasonal species succession in this area.Zooplankton are a vital food source for most fish species duringtheir larvalperiods. Variations in zooplankton distribution and quantity can be eitherdirectly or indirectly affected by fish ingestion,migratory and catch behavior,and feeding period. Fish egg and larval densities were 6.83 ind/m3, 3.09 ind/m3, 0.05ind/m3,and 0.20 ind/m3 fromwinter to autumn; seasonal trends were highly consistent with those ofzooplankton. A strong positive correlationindicates that rich food sources ofzooplankton facilitate both fish egg and larval development.