Journal of Tropical Oceanography ›› 2013, Vol. 32 ›› Issue (3): 86-92.doi: 10.11978/j.issn.1009-5470.2013.03.013cstr: 32234.14.j.issn.1009-5470.2013.03.013

• Marine Environment Protection • Previous Articles     Next Articles

Horizontal distribution of tintinnids in the western South China Sea during summer 2007

FENG Mei-ping1, 2, ZHANG Wu-chang1, YU Ying1, 2, XIAO Tian1, SUN Jun3   

  1. 1. Key Laboratory of Marine Ecology and Environmental Sciences, Institute of Oceanology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Qingdao 266071, China; 2. University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049, China; 3. College of Marine Science & Engineering, Tianjin University of Science & Technology, Tianjin 300457, China
  • Received:2012-03-20 Revised:2012-05-03 Online:2013-08-27 Published:2013-08-28
  • Contact: 张武昌。E-mail: wuchangzhang@qdio.ac.cn

Abstract:

A total of 12 species of tintinnids in seven genera were found in the western South China Sea during summer 2007; in addition, two species (Eutintinnus elegansand Xystonellopsis brandti) were recorded for the first time in the South China Sea. The range of tintinnids abundance was from 0 to 11622 ind·m-2 with an average of (2218±2254) ind·m-2, and the species richness was from 0 to 6. The five dominant species were Cyttarocylis acutiformis, Cyttarocylis eucecryphalus, Xystonellopsis favata, Codonellopsis meridionalis,and Rhabdonella conica. The dominance degree of R. conicawas the highest, so was its aggregation intensity, which means that it was more closely related to environmental changes. Cyttarocylis acutiformisand C. eucecryphaluswere given the lowest aggregation intensity and more evenly distributed spatially. Both species diversity and species evenness in the western South China Sea were low due to the effects of monsoon, ocean currents and different water masses, which indicates that tintinnids community were in an unstable state. Correlation analysis by SPSS (Statistical Product and Service Solutions) software revealed no significant correlation among tintinnids abundance, species abundance and environment factors. Codonaria oceanica, X. favataand R. conicashowed significant relationships with environment factors. The community structure was characterized by more pelagic species and more unstable in the western South China Sea than in the northern South China Sea. R. conicawas considered as biological indicator species of water masses for its high average abundance [(1811±1636) ind·m-2] and maximum abundance (4809 ind·m-2), and fine correlation with environmental factors.

Key words: tintinnids, abundance, horizontal distribution, western South China Sea

CLC Number: 

  • P735.532