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Published on: June 13, 2020
Kuroshio extension-driven variability in spring zooplankton community structure and function
Ruping Ge1, Jinao Xuan2, Xinxin Wang2
1Key Laboratory of Marine Environment and Ecology, Ministry of Education, Ocean University of China, Qingdao, 266100, China; Laboratory for Marine Ecology and Environmental Science, Qingdao Marine Science and Technology Center, Qingdao, 266237, China.
Abstract:
The Kuroshio Extension (KE) and its adjacent waters are among the regions with the most drastic hydrological changes in global ocean. However, research on the structure and function of zooplankton communities in this region remains limited. This study focused on the impact of the KE on the structure and function of zooplankton communities in the open waters off eastern Japan. The results showed that the presence of the KE strongly hindered water exchange between its northern and southern sides, leading to significant differences in zooplankton community structure. Zooplankton in the Oyashio regions exhibited high abundance (3791.9 ind.·m-3) and low species richness (118 taxa), while the North Pacific Subtropical Gyre (NPSG) regions had higher species richness (207 taxa) but lower abundance (134.5 ± 112.0 ind.·m-3) compared to the Oyashio regions. The maximum species number of zooplankton occurred in the Kuroshio-Oyashio mixing water (KOMW) regions (327 taxa). Regarding zooplankton functional groups, small-bodied ambush-feeding, omnivore-herbivores and medium-bodied current-feeding, omnivore-herbivores, broadcast spawners were dominant in the Oyashio regions and the KOMW regions, whereas cruise-feeding, omnivore-herbivores, sac spawners prevailed in the oligotrophic NPSG regions. Additionally, the advection of the KE transported coastal species such as Noctiluca scintillans and Penilia avirostris to the open waters off eastern Japan, significantly altering the local zooplankton community structure and function. P. avirostris became the dominant species in the local zooplankton community of the KE and KOMW regions, and functional group primarily consisting of P. avirostris showed high relative abundance in the local zooplankton community. This study enhanced our understanding of the impact of the KE on zooplankton in the open waters off eastern Japan and provided a scientific basis for in-depth comprehension of marine food web dynamics and biogeochemical cycling processes in the KE and its adjacent waters.
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