Epipelagic mesozooplankton communities in the northeastern Indian Ocean off Myanmar during the winter monsoon

The northern Andaman Sea off Myanmar is one of the relatively high productive regions in the Indian Ocean.The abundance,biomass and species composition of mesozooplankton and their relationships with environmental variables in the epipelagic zone(~200 m)were studied for the first time during the Sino-Myanmar joint cruise(February 2020).The mean abundance and biomass of mesozooplankton were(1916.7±1192.9)ind./m3and(17.8±7.9)mg/m3,respectively.A total of 213 species(taxa)were identified from all samples.The omnivorous Cyclopoida Oncaea venusta and Oithona spp.were the top two dominant taxa.Three mesozooplankton communities were determined via cluster analysis:the open ocean in the Andaman Sea and the Bay of Bengal(Group A),the transition zone across the Preparis Channel(Group B),and nearshore water off the Ayeyarwady Delta and along the Tanintharyi Coast(Group C).Variation partitioning analysis revealed that the interaction of physical and biological factors explained 98.8%of mesozooplankton community spatial variation,and redundancy analysis revealed that column mean chlorophyll a concentration(CMCHLA)was the most important explanatory variable(43.1%).The abundance and biomass were significantly higher in Group C,the same as CMCHLA and column mean temperature(CMT)and in contrast to salinity,and CMT was the dominant factor.Significant taxon spatial variations were controlled by CMCHLA,salinity and temperature.This study suggested that mesozooplankton spatial variation was mainly regulated by physical processes through their effects on CMCHLA.The physical processes were simultaneously affected by heat loss differences,freshwater influx,eddies and depth.

N2 fixation rate and diazotroph community structure in the western tropical North Pacific Ocean

In the present study, we report N2 fixation rate(15N isotope tracer assay) and the diazotroph community structure(using the molecular method) in the western tropical North Pacific Ocean(WTNP)(13°–20°N, 120°–160°E). Our independent evidence on the basis of both in situ N2 fixation activity and diazotroph community structure showed the dominance of unicellular N2 fixation over majority of the WTNP surface waters during the sampling periods.Moreover, a shift in the diazotrophic composition from unicellular cyanobacteria group B-dominated to Trichodesmium spp.-dominated toward the western boundary current(Kuroshio) was also observed in 2013. We hypothesize that nutrient availability may have played a major role in regulating the biogeography of N2 fixation.In surface waters, volumetric N2 fixation rate(calculated by nitrogen) ranged between 0.6 and 2.6 nmol/(L·d) and averaged(1.2±0.5) nmol/(L·d), with <10 μm size fraction contributed predominantly(88%±6%) to the total rate between 135°E and 160°E. Depth-integrated N2 fixation rate over the upper 200 m ranged between 150 μmol/(m^2·d)and 480 μmol/(m^2·d)average(225±105) μmol/(m^2·d). N2 fixation can account for 6.2%±3.7% of the depthintegrated primary production, suggesting that N2 fixation is a significant N source sustaining new and export production in the WTNP. The role of N2 fixation in biogeochemical cycling in this climate change-vulnerable region calls for further investigations.

Seasonal and regional diff erences in long-term changes in large mesozooplankton(>505μm)biomass and abundance in a semi-enclosed subtropical bay

Obvious spatiotemporal heterogeneity is a distinct characteristic of ecosystems in subtropical bays.To aid targeted management and ecological restoration in long and narrow semi-enclosed subtropical bays,we analyzed seasonal and regional differences in long-term changes(1980-2019)in the biomass and abundance of large mesozooplankton(LMZ;>505μm)in Xiangshan Bay,Zhejiang,China.We found spatiotemporal heterogeneity in the historical changes of LMZ.Significant negative trends in LMZ biomass were found in the inner and middle bay during the warm season(summer and autumn),when the nutrient concentration(especially dissolved inorganic nitrogen)and temperature increased simultaneously.Nutrient changes in Xiangshan Bay began in the late 1980s or early 1990s,coinciding with large-scale fish cage development.A rapid decline in LMZ biomass occurred after 2005 when power plants commenced operation,accelerating the warming trend.Therefore,the joint stress of eutrophication and warming likely precipitated the decline in LMZ biomass.Conversely,a significant increase in LMZ biomass was found in the outer bay in spring.This trend was consistent with the trend of LMZ biomass near the Changjiang(Yangtze)River estuary,which indicates that the pelagic ecosystem in the outer bay was aff ected by water from the Changjiang River estuary during spring.Based on our results,ecosystem management and restoration in semi-enclosed subtropical bays should focus on internal waters,which have a poor capacity for water exchange.For Xiangshan Bay,the changes in the Changjiang River estuary ecosystem during the cold season(winter and spring)should also be considered.