Biodiv Sci

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The species composition and diversity of zooplankton in Nanji Islands National Nature Reserve

Huanhong Ji*, Shufeng Ye, Xing Liu, Junchao Hong   

  1. East China Sea Environmental Monitoring Center, State Oceanic Administration, Shanghai 200137
  • Received:2005-10-13 Revised:2006-04-03 Online:2006-05-20 Published:2006-05-20
  • Contact: Huanhong Ji

Abstract:

In order to elucidate the variation of species composition and diversity of zooplankton in Nanji Islands National Nature Reserve 14 years after establishment, we conducted investigations in four seasons from May 2004 to February 2005. A total of 69 species were identified, belonging to six phyla and 12 taxa. These species, with copepods accounting for 39.1%, could be classified into five ecotypes, of which the warm-water eurytopic group and warm-temperate offshore group were dominant. There were 15 dominant species, such as Calanus sinicus, Euchaeta concinna, and Sagitta enflata. Shannon-Wiener index (H′) was more than 2.0 in all seasons except winter, and it peaked in autumn (3.29). The species number presented no-table positive correlation with water temperature. Compared with data from 1990, the species number in spring and autumn had decreased, which may have resulted from the difference in water temperature. The seasonal change in zooplankton species composition was principally due to the fluctuation of Taiwan warm current and Jiangsu-Zhejiang coastal current in alternation.