Spatial and temporal variations in calanoid copepod distribution in the Straits of Malacca

Abstract

The distribution and abundance of planktonic calanoid copepods were studied from samples collected at 13-20 stations during four oceanographic cruises (pre-and post-monsoons, and during northeast (NE) and southwest (SW) monsoons) performed between 1998 and 2000 in the Straits of Malacca. Space and time variations of calanoid copepods were described using univariate (number of species, diversity indices, abundance) as well as multivariate (MDS, ANOSIM, SIMPER) techniques from the ''Plymouth Routines in Multivariate Ecological Research'' (PRIMER) package. There were significant differences in abundance between the cruises. k-Dominance curves also revealed significant differences in the relative species abundance distributions among the monsoon periods, and a decrease in diversity from northern to southern parts of the Straits during each cruise. Multi-dimensional scaling revealed four groups of abundances with differences in species composition. Evidence from analysis of similarity (ANOSIM) suggested that the differences in communities among monsoon periods were significant, although spatial differences among samples in geographic locations in the northern, central and southern parts of the Straits were insignificant. These differences resulted from an overall change in the balance of relative abundance of few dominant species, rather from changes of many species. Similarity percentage analyses (SIMPER) indicated that the major species contributing to the average dissimilarity between monsoons varied temporally.

Copepod community structure and abundance in a tropical mangrove estuary, with comparisons to coastal waters

“…However, only the former two were commonly collected in MMFR and its adjacent waters. As also reported by Oka (2000), the estuarine oithonids, O. dissimilis, and O. aruensis are also common in MMFR waterways, but have not been reported in the Straits of Malacca by Rezai et al (2004) and . In the present study, O. brevicornis and O. rigida were both restricted to more saline waters.…”

“…The closely similar P. elegans is also, but sporadically present, while B. similis prefers more saline coastal waters. The three Paracalanidae species have been reported to be among the dominant species of copepod found in the Straits of Malacca (Rezai et al, 2005). The cyclopoid, Oithona is commonly found in the Malaysian waters .…”

“…The cyclopoid, Oithona is commonly found in the Malaysian waters . O. simplex, O. attenuata, Oithona plumifera Baird, Oithona rigida Giesbrecht, and Oithona nana Giesbrecht are commonly encountered Rezai et al, 2004). However, only the former two were commonly collected in MMFR and its adjacent waters.…”

“…Moreover, there are few studies on zooplankton ecology in the mangrove ecosystem worldwide (e.g., Grindley, 1984;Madhupratap, 1987;Robertson et al, 1988;McKinnon & Klumpp, 1998;Krumme & Liang, 2004). In Malaysian waters, published works on marine zooplankton or copepods are depauperate and sporadic (Sewell, 1933;Johan et al, 2002;Rezai et al, 2004Rezai et al, , 2005Yoshida et al, 2006), with only one involving mangrove (Oka, 2000). The present study therefore intends to contribute further knowledge of the ecological role of copepods in turbid-water mangrove habitats.…”

Dynamics of Spatial Abundance of Zooplankton in Morella Coastal Waters, Central Maluku

“…Kondisi ini tentu juga didukung dengan ketersediaan fitoplankton yang menjadi pakan alaminya. Hal ini sejalan dengan Baars et al, (1990); Arinardi (1996); Rezai et al, (2004) dan Eloire et al, (2010) yang menjelaskan bahwa Copepoda melimpah di perairan pesisir dengan nilai lebih dari 50% dari total zooplankton.…”