Causal analysis of the diversity of medusae in East China Sea

Abstract

Based on the maritime data collected from 23°30′–33°00′ N and 118°30′–128°00′ E of the East China Sea (ECS) in four seasons during 1997–2000, the dynamics of medusae diversity and their causes were analyzed. A total of 103 medusae species were identified, and these species mainly distributed in the southern and northern offshore areas of the ECS. Species diversity index (H′) of medusae was higher in the south than those in the north, higher in summer and winter than in spring and autumn, and higher in offshore than in the nearshore areas. The species number was closely correlated with H′ value, whereas the abundance of species had no significant relationship with the diversity index. The lower H′ value of the nearshore in spring and autumn resulted from the aggregation of Muggiaea atlantica in the south nearshore and Diphyes chamissonis in the north nearshore. In addition, water temperature, followed by salinity, is the main environmental factor influencing the distribution of species diversity. The H′ value was related to the water temperature at the 10 m layer in winter and spring, and it was associated with the surface water temperature in summer and with the 10 m-salinity-layer in autumn. In spring and summer, the isoline distribution of H′ value reflected the direction of the Taiwan Warm Current and the variation of the water masses in the ECS. In winter, the isoline of the H′ value indicated the incursion of Kuroshio current. In conclusion, the H′ isoline is an good indicator for water masses in ECS.

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