Spatial and Temporal Distribution of Fish Larvae in the Southern Coast of Korea from Spring to Summer

摘要

We investigated the community structure and performed detailed characterization of fish larvae assemblages collected from the southern coast of Korea in the spring and summer of 2021. The total abundance of fish larvae varied from 193.6 to 1,915.6 ind. 10 m~(-3). The species were distributed across 10 orders with 23 families, and 41 taxa. The dominant taxa were Gobiidae spp.,Engraulis japonicus, Nibea albiflora, Sebastiscus spp., Callionymus valenciennei, Pennahia argentata, Sebastes thompsoni, Parablennius yatabei, and Platycephalus indicus. Engraulis japonicus individuals were collected from April to August and their presence contributed greatly to the total abundance of fish larvae. The total number and abundance of species peaked in early summer and the Shannon-Weaver index was in the range 0.11-1.49. Redundancy analyses revealed that the major environmental factors affecting the fish larvae assemblage differed according to the dominant taxa. Water temperature, zooplankton density, and Paracalanus parvus s. 1. density were the key factors affecting the spatial and temporal distribution offish larvae in the southern coast of Korea in spring and summer.