Composition, diel dynamic and biotic-abiotic interaction of marine neustonic zooplankton in the oligotrophic South China Sea

Chaofeng Wang; Zhimeng Xu; Li Zhao; Jun Ma; Yuan Zhao; Zhen Guo; Qingjing Fu; Wuchang Zhang

doi:10.1016/j.marenvres.2024.106482

Composition, diel dynamic and biotic-abiotic interaction of marine neustonic zooplankton in the oligotrophic South China Sea

Mar Environ Res. 2024 Apr 12:198:106482. doi: 10.1016/j.marenvres.2024.106482. Online ahead of print.

Authors

Chaofeng Wang¹, Zhimeng Xu², Li Zhao³, Jun Ma³, Yuan Zhao³, Zhen Guo³, Qingjing Fu⁴, Wuchang Zhang⁵

Affiliations

¹ CAS Key Laboratory of Marine Ecology and Environmental Sciences, Institute of Oceanology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Qingdao, 266071, China; State Key Laboratory of Mariculture Breeding, Key Laboratory of Marine Biotechnology of Fujian Province, Institute of Oceanology, College of Marine Sciences, Fujian Agriculture and Forestry University, Fuzhou, 350002, China.
² Department of Ocean Science, The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology, Hong Kong, China.
³ CAS Key Laboratory of Marine Ecology and Environmental Sciences, Institute of Oceanology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Qingdao, 266071, China; Laboratory for Marine Ecology and Environmental Science, Qingdao National Laboratory for Marine Science and Technology, Qingdao, 266071, China; Center for Ocean Mega-Science, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Qingdao, 266071, China.
⁴ State Key Laboratory of Mariculture Breeding, Key Laboratory of Marine Biotechnology of Fujian Province, Institute of Oceanology, College of Marine Sciences, Fujian Agriculture and Forestry University, Fuzhou, 350002, China.
⁵ CAS Key Laboratory of Marine Ecology and Environmental Sciences, Institute of Oceanology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Qingdao, 266071, China; Laboratory for Marine Ecology and Environmental Science, Qingdao National Laboratory for Marine Science and Technology, Qingdao, 266071, China; Center for Ocean Mega-Science, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Qingdao, 266071, China. Electronic address: wuchangzhang@qdio.ac.cn.

PMID: 38626628
DOI: 10.1016/j.marenvres.2024.106482

Abstract

Neuston, situated at the air-sea interface, stands as a crucial frontier in the realm of the global warming. Despite its unique habitat, there remains a need to substantiate the composition, diel dynamic and biotic-abiotic interaction of neustonic zooplankton in the tropical seas. In this study, we present rare observational data on neustonic zooplankton (0-20 cm) in the oligotrophic tropical South China Sea (SCS) during the summer of 2022. A total of eighteen samples were collected and analyzed, revealing the presence of fourteen taxa from eight phyla. The most prevalent group was Cypridina, accounting for 33.7% of the total abundance, followed by copepods (29.0%) and jellyfish (10.9%). Within copepods, the genus Pontella exhibited the highest relative abundance (38.0%). Additionally, each neuston taxon displayed unique diel distribution patterns. Cypridina was the most abundant taxon during the night (40.4%), while it shifted to copepod dominance during the day (50.4%). Among copepods, genus Pontella and larvae were dominant groups at night (44.7%) and during the day (30.0%), respectively. Moreover, a multivariate biota-environment analysis demonstrated that temperature, pH, dissolved oxygen and Si(OH)₄ significantly impacted neuston composition. Notably, both jellyfish and sea snails showed a significant positive correlation with temperature, suggesting their potential dominance in the neuston community in response to future global warming in the oligotrophic tropical seas. This study lays a robust foundation for recognizing the neuston community in the oceanic SCS, and helps evaluate the long-term risks to neuston habitats under climate changes.

Keywords: Community structure; Diel dynamic; Global warming; Neuston; Oligotrophic tropical seas.