Cite this paper:
XU Qiang, GUO Dong, ZHANG Peidong, ZHANG Xiumei, LI Wentao, WU Zhongxin. Seasonal variation in species composition and abundance of demersal fi sh and invertebrates in a Seagrass Natural Reserve on the eastern coast of the Shandong Peninsula, China[J]. Journal of Oceanology and Limnology, 2016, 34(2): 330-341

Seasonal variation in species composition and abundance of demersal fi sh and invertebrates in a Seagrass Natural Reserve on the eastern coast of the Shandong Peninsula, China

XU Qiang1, GUO Dong2, ZHANG Peidong1, ZHANG Xiumei1, LI Wentao1, WU Zhongxin1
1 Fisheries College, Ocean University of China, Qingdao 266000, China;
2 Liaoning Ocean and Fisheries Science Research Institute, Dalian 116000, China
Abstract:
Seagrass habitats are structurally complex ecosystems, which support high productivity and biodiversity. In temperate systems the density of seagrass may change seasonally, and this may influence the associated fish and invertebrate community. Little is known about the role of seagrass beds as possible nursery areas for fish and invertebrates in China. To study the functioning of a seagrass habitat in northern China, demersal fish and invertebrates were collected monthly using traps, from February 2009 to January 2010. The density, leaf length and biomass of the dominant seagrass Zostera marina and water temperature were also measured. The study was conducted in a Seagrass Natural Reserve(SNR) on the eastern coast of the Shandong Peninsula, China. A total of 22 fish species and five invertebrate species were recorded over the year. The dominant fish species were Synechogobius ommaturus, Sebastes schlegelii, Pholis fangi, Pagrus major and Hexagrammos otakii and these species accounted for 87% of the total number of fish. The dominant invertebrate species were Charybdis japonica and Octopus variabilis and these accounted for 98% of the total abundance of invertebrates. There was high temporal variation in species composition and abundance. The peak number of fish species occurred in August-October 2009, while the number of individual fish and biomass was highest during November 2009. Invertebrate numbers and biomass was highest in March, April, July and September 2009. Temporal changes in species abundance of fishes and invertebrates corresponded with changes in the shoot density and leaf length of the seagrass, Zostera marina.
Key words:    Synechogobius|Sebastes|Charybdis|Octopus|seagrass|shoot density   
Received: 2014-11-18   Revised: 2015-03-27
Tools
PDF (921 KB) Free
Print this page
Add to favorites
Email this article to others
Authors
Articles by XU Qiang
Articles by GUO Dong
Articles by ZHANG Peidong
Articles by ZHANG Xiumei
Articles by LI Wentao
Articles by WU Zhongxin
References:
Blaber S J M, Brewer D T, Salini J P, Kerr J D, Conacher C. 1992. Species composition and biomasses of fishes in tropical seagrasses at Groote Eylandt, Northern Australia.Est. Coast. Shelf S c i., 35(6):605-620.
Bowden D A, Rowden A A, Attrill M J. 2001. Effect of patch size and in-patch location on the infaunal macroinvertebrate assemblages of Zostera marina seagrass beds. J. Exp.Mar. Biol. Ecol., 259(2):133-154.
Clarke K R, Gorley R N. 2006. Change in marine communities:An approach to statistical analysis and interpretation.Plymouth:PRIMER-E Ltd.
Coles R G, Lee-Long W J, Watson R A, Derbyshire K J. 1993.Distribution of seagrass, and their fish and penaeid prawn communities, in Cairns Harbour, a tropical estuary, Northern Queensland, Australia. Aust. J. Mar. Freshwater Res., 44:193-210.
Deudero S, Morey G, Frau A, Moranta J, Moreno I. 2008.Temporal trends of littoral fishes at deep Posidonia oceanic a seagrass meadows in a temperate coastal zone.J. Marine Syst., 70(1-2):182-195.
Edgar G J, Shaw C, Watson G F, Hammond L S. 1994.Comparisons of species richness, size structure and production of benthos in vegetated and unvegetated habitats in Western Port, Victoria. J. Exp. Mar. Biol. Ecol., 176(2):201-226.
Edgar G J, Shaw C. 1995. The production and trophic ecology of shallow-water fish assemblages in southern Australia Ⅲ. General relationships between sediments, seagrasses, invertebrates and fishes. J. Exp. Mar. Biol. Ecol., 194(1):107-131.
Gao S, Zhuang Z Y, Wei H L, Sun Y L, Chen S J. 1998. Physical processes aff ecting the health of coastal embayments:an example from the Yuehu inlet, Shandong Peninsula, China. In:Hong G H, Zhang J, Park B K.(Eds.), Health of the Yellow Sea. The Earth Love Publication Association, Seoul. p.314-329.
Gillanders B M. 2006. Seagrasses, fish, and fisheries. In:Larkum A W D, Orth R J, Duarte C M eds. Seagrasses:Biology, Ecology, and Conservation. The Netherlands:Springer. p.503-536.
Guidetti P. 2000. Differences among fish assemblages associated with nearshore Posidonia oceanica seagrass beds, rocky-algal reefs and unvegetated sand habitats in the Adriatic Sea. Est. Coast. Shelf Sci., 50(4):515-529.
Hajisamae S, Yeesin P, Chaimongkol S. 2006. Habitat utilization by fishes in a shallow, semi-enclosed estuarine bay in southern Gulf of Thailand. Est. Coast. Shelf Sci., 68:647-655.
Healey D, Hovel K A. 2004. Seagrass bed patchiness:effects on epifaunal communities in San Diego Bay, USA. J. Exp.Mar. Biol. Ecol., 313(1):155-174.
Heck Jr K L, Able K W, Fahay M P, Roman C T. 1989. Fishes and decapod crustaceans of cape cod eelgrass meadows:Species composition, seasonal abundance patterns and comparison with unvegetated substrates. Estuaries, 12(2):59-65.
Heck Jr K L, Able K W, Roman C T, Fahay M P. 1995.Composition, abundance, biomass, and production of macrofauna in a New England estuary:Comparisons among eelgrass meadows and other nursery habitats.Estuaries, 18(2):379-389.
Horinouchi M, Tongnunui P, Nanjyo K, Nakamura Y, Sano M, Ogawa H. 2009. Differences in fish assemblage structures between fragmented and continuous seagrass beds in Trang, southern Thailand. Fish. Sci., 75(6):1 409-1 416.
Horinouchi M. 2007. Review of the effects of within-patch scale structural complexity on seagrass fishes. J. Exp.Mar. Biol. Ecol., 350(1-2):111-129.
Jenkins G P, May H M A, Wheatley M J, Holloway M G.1997.Comparison of fish assemblages associated with seagrass and adjacent unvegetated habitats of Port Phillip Bay and Corner Inlet, Victoria, Australia, with emphasis on commercial species. Est. Coast. Shelf Sci., 44(5):569-588.
Jia J J, Gao S, Xue Y C. 2003. Sediment dynamic processes of the Yuehu inlet system, Shandong Peninsula, China. Est.Coast. Shelf Sci., 57(5-6):783-801.
Joseph V, Locke A, Godin J G. 2006. Spatial distribution of fishes and decapods in eelgrass(Zostera marina L.) and sandy habitats of a New Brunswick estuary, eastern Canada. Aquat. Ecol., 40:111-123.
Kopp D, Bouchon-Navaro Y, Louis M, Bouchon C. 2007. Diel differences in the seagrass fish assemblages of a Caribbean island in relation to adjacent habitat types. Aquat. Bot., 87(1):31-37.
Kwak S N, Klumpp D W. 2004. Temporal variation in species composition and abundance of fish and decapods of a tropical seagrass bed in Cockle Bay, North Queensland, Australia. Aquat. Bot., 78(2):119-134.
Lee S Y, Fong C W, Wu R S S. 2001. The effects of seagrass(Zostera japonica) canopy structure on associated fauna:a study using artificial seagrass units and sampling of natural beds. J. Exp. Mar. Biol. Ecol., 259(1):23-50.
MacArthur L D, Hyndes G A. 2001. Differential use of seagrass assemblages by a suite of Odacid species. Est. Coast.Shelf Sci., 52(1):79-90.
Marbà N, Cebrián J, Enríquez S, Duarte C M. 1996. Growth patterns of Western Mediterranean seagrasses:speciesspecifi c responses to seasonal forcing. Mar. Ecol. Progr.Ser., 133:203-215.
Mattila J, Chaplin G, Eilers M R, Heck Jr K L, O'Neal J P, Valentine J F. 1999. Spatial and diurnal distribution of invertebrate and fish fauna of a Zostera marina bed and nearby unvegetated sediments in Damariscotta River, Maine(USA). J. Sea Res., 41(4):321-332.
Mills V S, Berkenbusch K. 2009. Seagrass(Zostera muelleri) patch size and spatial location influence infaunal macroinvertebrate assemblages. Est. Coast. Shelf Sci., 81(1):123-129.
Moore E C, Hovel K A. 2010. Relative influence of habitat complexity and proximity to patch edges on seagrass epifaunal communities. Oikos, 119:1 299-1 311.
Nakamura Y, Sano M. 2004. Overlaps in habitat use of fishes between a seagrass bed and adjacent coral and sand areas at Amitori Bay, Iriomote Island, Japan:Importance of the seagrass bed as juvenile habitat. Fish. Sci., 70(5):788-803.
Nakamura Y, Tsuchiya M. 2008. Spatial and temporal patterns of seagrass habitat use by fishes at the Ryukyu Islands, Japan. Est. Coast. Shelf Sci., 76(2):345-356.
Nakamura Y. 2010. Patterns in fish response to seagrass bed loss at the southern Ryukyu Islands, Japan. Mar. Biol., 157(11):2 397-2 406.
Nuraini S, Carballo E C, Van Densen W L T, Machiels M A M, Lindeboom H J, Nagelkerke L A J. 2007. Utilization of seagrass habitats by juvenile groupers and snappers in Banten Bay, Banten Province, Indonesia. Hydrobiologia, 591(1):85-98.
Orth R J, Carruthers T J B, Dennison W C, Duarte C M, Fourqurean J W, Heck K L, Hughes A R, Kendrick G A, Kenworthy W J, Olyarnik S, Short F T, Waycott M, Williams S L. 2006. A global crisis for seagrass ecosystems. BioScience, 56(12):987-996.
Pihl L, Baden S, Kautsky N, Rönnbäck P, Söderqvist T, Troell M, Wennhage H. 2006. Shift in fish assemblage structure due to loss of seagrass Zostera marina habitats in Sweden.Est. Coast. Shelf Sci., 67(1-2):123-132.
Pogoreutz C, Kneer D, Litaay M, Asmus H, Ahnelt H. 2012.The influence of canopy structure and tidal level on fish assemblages in tropical Southeast Asian seagrass meadows. Est. Coast. Shelf Sci., 107:58-68.
Polte P, Asmus H. 2006. Influence of seagrass beds(Zostera noltii) on the species composition of juvenile fishes temporarily visiting the intertidal zone of the Wadden Sea.J. Sea Res., 55(3):244-252.
Raposa K B, Oviatt C A. 2000. The influence of contiguous shoreline type, distance from shore, and vegetation biomass on nekton community structure in eelgrass beds.Estuaries, 23(1):46-55.
Rueda J L, Urra J, Salas C. 2008. Diel and seasonal variation of a molluscan taxocoenosis associated with a Zostera marina bed in southern Spain(Alboran Sea). Helgol.Mar. Res., 62(3):227-240.
Travers M J, Potter I C. 2002. Factors infl uencing the characteristics of fish assemblages in a large subtropical marine embayment. J. Fish Biol., 61(3):764-784.
Van Houte-Howes K S S, Turner S J, Pilditch C A. 2004.Spatial differences in macroinvertebrate communities in intertidal seagrass habitats and unvegetated sediment in three New Zealand estuaries. Estuaries, 27(6):945-957.
Webster P J, Rowden A A, Attrill M J. 1998. Effect of shoot density on the infaunal macro-invertebrate community within a Zostera marina seagrass bed. Est. Coast. Shelf Sci., 47(3):351-357.
Wei H L, Zhuang Z Y. 1997. Study on the evolution of Yuehu lake-tidal inlet system, Rongcheng, Shandong Province.J. Lake Sci., 9(2):135-140.(in Chinese with English abstract)
Whitlow W L, Grabowski J H. 2012. Examining how landscapes influence benthic community assemblages in seagrass and mudfl at habitats in southern Maine. J. Exp.Mar. Biol. Ecol., 411:1-6.
Wu Z X, Zhang L, Zhang X M, Zhang P D, Li W T. 2012.Nekton community structure and its relationship with main environmental variables in Lidao artificial reef zones of Rongcheng. Acta Ecol. Sin., 32(21):6 737-6 746.(in Chinese with English abstract)
Copyright © Haiyang Xuebao