Composition and temporal patterns of larval fish communities in Chesapeake and Delaware Bays, USA

Abstract

Comparing larval fish assemblages in different estuaries provides insights about the coastal distribution of larval populations, larval transport, and adult spawning locations. We simultaneously compared the larval fish assemblages entering 2 Middle Atlantic Bight (MAB) estuaries (Delaware Bay and Chesapeake Bay, USA) through weekly sampling from 2007 to 2009. In total, 43 taxa (32 families) and 36 taxa (24 families) were collected in Delaware and Chesapeake Bays, respectively. Mean taxonomic diversity, mean richness, and evenness were generally lower in Delaware Bay. Communities of both bays were dominated by Anchoa spp., Gobiosoma spp., Micropogonias undulatus, and Brevoortia tyrannus; Paralichthys spp. was more abundant in Delaware Bay and Microgobius thalassinus was more abundant in Chesapeake Bay. Inter-annual variation in the larval fish communities was low at both sites, with a relatively consistent composition across years, but strong seasonal (intra-annual) variation in species composition occurred in both bays. Two groups were identified in Chesapeake Bay: a 'winter' group dominated by shelfspawned species and a 'summer' group comprising obligate estuarine species and coastal species. In Delaware Bay, 4 groups were identified: a 'summer' group of mainly obligate estuarine fishes being replaced by a 'fall' group; 'winter' and 'spring' groups were dominated by shelf-spawned and obligate estuarine species, respectively. This study demonstrates that inexpensive and simultaneous sampling in different estuaries provides important insights into the variability in community structure of fish assemblages at large spatial scales.KEY WORDS: Estuarine systems · Young-of-the-year · Community composition · Temporal variability · Ichthyoplankton · Middle Atlantic Bight Resale or republication not permitted without written consent of the publisher

Vertical distribution of larval Atlantic menhaden (Brevoortia tyrannus) and Atlantic croaker (Micropogonias undulatus): Implications for vertical migratory behaviour and transport

“…The occurrence of menhaden and croaker larvae during both cruises in the current study confirms that both species belong to the winter seasonal group occurring from October and April in Delaware Bay, as described by Ribeiro et al. (). Larval menhaden have been reported to be abundant on the inshore region of the continental shelf of the MAB from September to November and are common from December to March (Able & Fahay, ).…”

“…We propose that behavioral processes, whose efficacy is a func- However, the work of Schaffler, Reiss, and Jones (2009) did find larval croaker were more abundant at the mouth of Chesapeake Bay during night-time collections suggesting the possibilities of net avoidance, or diurnal vertical migration as suggested by previous studies (Raynie & Shaw, 1994;Joyeux, 1998;Forward & Tankersley, 2001 In addition to identifying potential transport processes for larval menhaden and croaker, we compared trends in ingress and size of larvae in our work to those reported previously for these species in the central MAB. The occurrence of menhaden and croaker larvae during both cruises in the current study confirms that both species belong to the winter seasonal group occurring from October and April in Delaware Bay, as described by Ribeiro et al (2015). Larval menhaden have been reported to be abundant on the inshore region of the continental shelf of the MAB from September to November and are common from December to March (Able & Fahay, 2010).…”

Evaluating the relationship between spatial heterogeneity and temporal variability of larval fish assemblages in a coastal marine ecosystem (Haizhou Bay, China)

“…NMDS ordination was also used to explore the temporal succession of LFA composition (Barceló, Ciannelli, Olsen, Johannessen, & Knutsen, 2016;Matthews & Marsh-Matthews, 2016). Both permutational multivariate analysis of variance (PERMANOVA; Anderson, 2001) and the multiple response permutation procedure (MRPP; Warton, Wright, & Wang, 2012) were conducted in order to test whether the taxon groups, obtained by the hierarchical clustering or sampling, sufficiently explain data variability (Ribeiro et al, 2015).…”

Comparative ontogeny of the feeding apparatus of sympatric drums (Perciformes: Sciaenidae) in the Chesapeake Bay

“…Larvae were collected using a 1‐m diameter, 1‐mm mesh conical plankton net during a weekly shore‐based ichthyoplankton sampling program in the York River, a tributary of the Chesapeake Bay (Ribeiro et al, ). Juvenile and adult sciaenids were collected from other fisheries surveys conducted by the Virginia Institute of Marine Science (VIMS) throughout the lower Chesapeake Bay, including the York River.…”