Study on the Zooplankton Community Structure in the Yellow River Estuary and Its Adjacent Waters in Summer,2007

Zooplankton composition,abundance and dominant species were studied based on the zooplankton samples collected in the Yellow River Estuary and its adjacent waters in Summer,2007,zooplankton community structure and its influencing factors were analyzed with multivariate analysis method based on the sample data and environmental parameters.A total of 72 zooplankton taxa(including 20 pelagic larvae) were identified.The tornaria larvae,Paracalanus parvus,Calanus sinicus,Sagitta crassa and Acartia bifilosa were the dominant species,especially,tornaria larvae and Paracalanus parvus whose bodies were small(ranged from 0.7~1.10 mm) were the most important dominant species.The average abundance of zooplankton was 4769.6 ind/m3,and the diversity indexes,Shannon-Weaner index(H′) and Pielou(J) were 2.34 and 0.48 respectively.According to the zooplankton species composition and abundance at each stations,three assemblages or communities were differentiated for the zooplankton by using the method of cluster analysis.The primary environmental factors that impacted the distribution of zooplankton in the surveyed waters were surface temperature,bottom salinity and water depth.The research can provide fundamental information for the long-term monitoring of zooplankton ecology in the Yellow River Estuary and adjacent sea area.