Distribution, abundance, and realized niches of meroplankton by two different mesh size nets during spring 2017 in the Southern Yellow Sea, China

• Published in: Journal of Oceanology and Limnology
• Main Authors: Zhang, Shuangyan, Zhang, Fang, Sun, Xiaoxia, Guo, Dongjie, Wang, Jianfeng, Sun, Song
• Format: Report
• Language: English
• Published: SCIENCE PRESS 2024
• Subjects: meroplankton; plankton net mesh size; collection efficiency; distribution characteristic; realized niches; Marine & Freshwater Biology; Oceanography; Limnology; COMMUNITY CHARACTERISTICS; CLIMATE-CHANGE; PLANKTON NETS; CAPTURE EFFICIENCY; NORTH-ATLANTIC; WP2 NET; ZOOPLANKTON; WATER; TEMPERATURE; DIVERSITY; North Atlantic
• Online Access: http://ir.qdio.ac.cn/handle/337002/186292; https://doi.org/10.1007/s00343-024-3177-y

Meroplankton play a crucial role in both benthic and pelagic ecosystems. Existing quantitative research on estimating the quantities of meroplankton groups is both underrepresented and inaccurate. To investigate and evaluate the influence of varying mesh sizes (505 mu m and 160 mu m) on the sampling efficiency of meroplankton, we conducted an examination using two commonly used plankton nets during the spring season in the Southern Yellow Sea (SYS). Our study revealed a total of 12 meroplankton groups, with 9 groups identified in the 505-mu m mesh nets and 11 groups in the 160-mu m mesh nets. The results demonstrated the superior collection efficiency of the 160-mu m net compared to the 505-mu m net across the majority of meroplankton groups. Furthermore, we focused on exploring the abundance, distribution patterns, and realized niches of meroplankton collected by the two mesh size nets, and observed that the distribution of meroplankton closely resembled the distribution of possible benthic adults in the SYS. Correlation analysis of the six dominant groups collected in the 160-mu m mesh nets revealed that seawater temperature and salinity emerged as the key environmental factors driving variations in meroplankton abundance within the SYS. This study also found that a smaller mesh size net does not necessarily capture meroplankton more comprehensively. A comprehensive understanding of the ecological characteristics of meroplankton requires the combination of two types of nets for research. Our research significantly advances our understanding of the quantification, abundance, and distribution of meroplankton, serving as a valuable contribution to the broader landscape of detailed quantitative meroplankton studies.