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The role of oceanographic conditions and plankton availability in larval fish assemblages off the Catalan coast (NW Mediterranean)
Author(s) -
OLIVAR M. PILAR,
EMELIANOV MIKHAIL,
VILLATE FERNANDO,
URIARTE IBON,
MAYNOU FRANCESC,
ÁLVAREZ IGNACIO,
MOROTE ELVIRA
Publication year - 2010
Publication title -
fisheries oceanography
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.016
H-Index - 80
eISSN - 1365-2419
pISSN - 1054-6006
DOI - 10.1111/j.1365-2419.2010.00538.x
Subject(s) - ichthyoplankton , hydrography , trophic level , plankton , oceanography , zooplankton , abundance (ecology) , mediterranean sea , mediterranean climate , water column , biomass (ecology) , environmental science , bathymetry , fishery , biology , ecology , geology
Abstract In the northwestern Mediterranean, most fish species reproduce in early summer and fewer in the autumn mixing period. This study analyses and compares larval fish assemblages (LFA) in both seasons, and is the first attempt to characterize LFA structure for the autumn period. We analyze horizontal and vertical distribution of fish larvae and the micro‐ and mesozooplankton biomass and abundance of the main zooplankton groups. The oceanographic situation was analyzed through the study of data from CTD, Nν‐Shuttle and ADCP surveys. LFA were determined by ordination analyses based on larval abundance, and the relationships between larval assemblages and environmental variables were investigated through canonical correspondence analysis. The importance of some hydrographic variables (temperature, salinity and stability of the water column), current fields (along‐shelf and across‐shelf transport) and the abundance of zooplankton are discussed as important factors shaping the structure of larval assemblages. In early summer, LFA were mainly structured by a combination of bathymetry and trophic components, although sea surface temperature also played a role in shaping the horizontal larval distributions. In autumn, trophic variables were the main factors influencing the shelf‐dwelling species assemblage. Larvae of oceanic species, on the other hand, were not related to trophic variables but were more affected by current fields.