Seasonal variation in abundance, diel vertical migration and body size of pelagic tunicate Salpa fusiformis in the Southern Yellow Sea

Mass occurrence of Salpafusiformis June 2007. In order to investigate its population was observed in the Southern Yellow Sea in May and recruitment and environmental adaptation, temporal variation of abundance, diel vertical migration （DVM） and length frequency distribution of both aggregate and solitary forms were studied with samples collected from eight months during September 2006 to August 2007. S. fusiformis presented in six months other than September and October 2006, and average abundance of aggregate and solitary forms peaked in June and May, respectively. In December, aggregate forms were absent in the bottom layer and performed irregular DVM from surface to 50 m depth, while solitary forms was too scarce to perform diel vertical distribution analysis. Both aggregate and solitary forms presented reverse DVM in May and June. They migrated upwards during daytime and concentrated in surface layer at sunset. The bimodal distribution of aggregate forms was found in April and the average size was largest in this month. In other months, the smaller aggregate forms （1-5 ram） dominated in populations except for May, when the modal size ranged from 2 to 8 mm. The average size of solitary forms was largest in December, followed by April. The skewed nomal distribution of solitary forms was found in May and June, with the modal size of 2-7 mm and 5-13 ram, respectively.

The diel vertical migration of sound scatterers observed by an acoustic Doppler current profiler in the Luzon Strait from July 2009 to April 2011

Acoustic Doppler current profiler （ADCP） receives echoes from sound scatterers, then their speed is calcu- lated by the Doppler effect. In the open ocean, most of these backscatterers are from the plankton. The sound scatterers descend down to depth at around dawn, their mean speed is 2.9 cm/s, then they ascend up to the surface layer at around dusk with a mean speed of 2.1 cm/s, in the Luzon Strait. The descending speed is faster, which suggests that this zooplankton population may accelerate its downward migration under the action of the gravity. The vertical distribution of a mean volume backscattering strength （MVB- S） in the nighttime has two peaks, which locate near the upper and lower boundary layers of halocline, respectively. However, the backscatterers only aggregate near the surface layer in the daytime. The diel ver- tical migration （DVM） of sound scatterers has several characteristic patterns, it is stronger in summer, but weaker in winter, and the maximum peak occurs in September. The DVM occurrence is synchronous with the seawater temperature increasing at around dawn and dusk, it may affect the ocean mixing and water stratification,

Diel vertical migration of mesozooplankton in the northern Yellow Sea

The Yellow Sea Cold Water Mass(YSCWM),one of the most vital hydrological features of the Yellow Sea,causes a seasonal thermocline from spring to autumn.The diel vertical migration(DVM)of zooplankton is crucial to structural pelagic communities and food webs,and its patterns can be aff ected by thermocline depth and strength.Hence,we investigated zooplankton community succession and seasonal changes in zooplankton DVM at a fixed station in the YSCWM.Annual zooplankton community succession was aff ected by the forming and fading of the YSCWM.A total of 37 mesozooplankton taxa were recorded.The highest and lowest species numbers in autumn and spring were detected.The highest and lowest total densities were observed in autumn(14464.1 inds./m^(3))and winter(3115.4 inds./m^(3)),respectively.The DVM of the dominant species showed obvious seasonal variations.When the YSCWM was weak in spring and autumn,most species(e.g.Paracalanus parvus,Oithona similis,and Acartia bifilosa)stayed above the thermocline and vertically migrated into the upper layer.Calanus sinicus and Aidanosagitta crassa crossed the thermocline and vertically migrated.No species migrated through the stratification in summer,and all of the species were limited above(P.parvus and A.crassa)or below(C.sinicus and Centropages abdominalis)the thermocline.The YSCWM disappeared in winter,and zooplankton species were found throughout the water column.Thus,the existence of thermocline influenced the migration patterns of zooplankton.Cluster analyses showed that the existence of YSCWM resulted in significant differences between zooplankton communities above and below the thermocline.

Diel vertical migration of the copepod Calanus sinicus before and during formation of the Yellow Sea Cold Bottom Water in the Yellow Sea

To understand the effects of the Yellow Sea Cold Bottom Water （YSCBW） on the diel vertical migration （D- VM） of the copepod Calanus sinicus, we surveyed vertical distribution of C. sinicus at a fixed station in the Yellow Sea before （spring） and during （summer） formation of the YSCBW. Cold water （〈10℃） was observed in the bottom layer when the water column was thermally stratified in summer, but the water column was thermally well-mixed in spring 2010. Samples were collected from five different layers at 3-h intervals using an opening-closing net. Adult females （1-155 ind./m3） showed a clear normal DVM pattern throughout the entire water column in spring, whereas adult males did not migrate. DVM of copepodite V （CV） individuals was not clear, but the maximum abundance of CI-CIV occurred consistently in the upper 10-20 m layer, where there was a high concentration of chlorophyll-a （Chl-a） （0.49-1.19μg/L）. In summer, weak DVM was limited to cold waters beneath the thermocline for adult females （〈30 ind./m3）, but not for adult males. The maximum abundance of CI-CIV also occurred consistently in the subsurface layer （20-40 m） together with high concentrations of Chl-a （0.81-2.36 μg/L）. CV individuals （1-272 ind./m3） moved slightly upward noc- turnally to the near-surface layer （10-20 m）, where the average temperature was 25.74℃, but they were not found in the surface layer （0-10 m; 28.31℃）. These results indicate that the existence of the YSBCW affected food availability at depth and the vertical temperature distribution, leading to variation in the amplitude and shape of stage-specific vertical distributions （CI to adults） in C. sinicus before and during the formation of cold waters in the Yellow Sea during the study period.

The diel vertical migration of the sound-scattering layer in the Yellow Sea Bottom Cold Water of the southeastern Yellow Sea: focus on its relationship with a temperature structure

Using the hydroacoustic method with a 200 kHz scientific echo sounding system, the diel vertical migration （DVM） of the sound-scatteringlayer （SSL） in the Yellow Sea Bottom Cold Water （YSBCW） of the southeastern Yellow Sea was studied in April （spring） and August （summer） of 2010 and 2011. For each survey, 13-27 hours of acoustic data were continuously collected at a stationary station. The acoustic volume scattering strength （Sv） data were analyzed with temperature profile data. In the spring of both 2010 and 2011, the SSL clearly showed the vertical migration throughout the entire water column, moving from the surface layer at night to near the bottom during the day. Conductivity, temperature, and depth data indicated that the entire water column was well mixed with low temperature of about 8℃. However, the SSL showed different patterns in the summers of 2010 and 2011. In the summer of 2010 （≈28℃ at the surface）, the SSL migrated to near the bottom during the day, but there were two SSLs above and below the thermocline at depth of 10-30 m at night. In the summer of 2011 （≈20℃ at the surface）, the SSL extended throughout the entire water column at night, possibly owing to an abrupt change in sea weather conditions caused by the passage of a Typhoon Muifa over the study area. It was cancluded that the DVM patterns in summer in the YSBCW area may be greatly influenced by a strengthened or weakened thermocline.

Zooplankton diel vertical migration and influence of upwelling on the biomass in the Chukchi Sea during summer

The diel vertical migration （DVM） of zooplankton and the influence of upwelling on zooplankton biomass were examined using water column data of current velocity and mean volume backscattering strength （MVBS） collected by moored acoustic Doppler current profilers （ADCPs） deployed in the southeastern Chukchi Sea during the 5th Chinese National Arctic Research Expedition （CHINARE） in summer 2012, combined with the satellite observational data such as sea surface temperature （SST）, wind, and chlorophyll a （Chl a）. Hourly acoustic data were continuously collected for 49-d in the mooring site. Spectral analysis indicated that there were different migrating patterns of zooplankton, even though precisely classifying the zooplankton taxa was not available. The prevailing 24-h cycle corresponded to the normal DVM with zooplankton swimming upwards at sunrise and returning to deep waters at sunset. There was a clear DVM in the upper 17 m of the water column during the period with distinct day-night cycles, and no active DVM throughout the water column when the sun above the horizon （polar day）, suggesting that light intensity was the trigger for DVM. Also there was a second migrating pattern with 12-h cycle. The upwelling event occurring in the northwest of Alaskan coastal area had important influence on zooplankton biomass at the mooring site. During the upwelling, the SST close to the mooring site dropped significantly from maximal 6.35℃to minimal 1.31℃ within five days. Simultaneously, there was a rapid increase in the MVBS and Chl a level, suggesting the aggregation of zooplankton related to upwelling.

Diel vertical migration of dominant planktonic crustaceans in the south branch of Yangtze Estuary,China

Zooplanktons are important food organisms of fishes,and their spatial and temporal distribution pattern has an important influence on the growth and reproduction of fishes in local habitats.The Yangtze River Estuary of China is rich in fishery resources,but the knowledge on the distribution pattern of zooplankton in this area is still very limited.The diel vertical migration(DVM)patterns and seasonal variations of the crustacean community,and their relationship with environmental factors were investigated in the south branch of the Yangtze Estuary,from June 2017 to May 2018.The results showed that the dispersion patterns of dominant crustacean taxa in the Yangtze Estuary were mostly aggregated.Migration amplitudes of crustacean were greater in spring and summer than in autumn and winter,and different migratory patterns occurred in different seasons.Sinocalanus dorrii,Schmackeria inopinus,Mesmackeria leuckarti,Bosmina longirostris,and B.fatalis,unlike S.forbesi,showed a significant DVM.The DVM patterns of crustaceans was possibly influenced by light dentisy,temperature,and total dissolved solids in the water column,and the fish predation effect;whereas,the nutrient concentration and pH were not supposed to be key factors.

Spatial patterns and environmental associations of deep scattering layers in the northwestern subtropical Pacific Ocean

The mesopelagic communities are important for food web and carbon pump in ocean,but the large-scale studies of them are still limited until now because of the difficulties on sampling and analyzing of mesopelagic organisms.Mesopelagic organisms,especially micronekton,can form acoustic deep scattering layers(DSLs)and DSLs are widely observed.To explore the spatial patterns of DSLs and their possible influencing factors,the DSLs during daytime(10:00–14:00)were investigated in the subtropical northwestern Pacific Ocean(13°–23.5°N,153°–163°E)using a shipboard acoustic Doppler current profiler at 38 kHz.The study area was divided into three parts using k-means cluster analysis:the northern part(NP,22°–24°N),the central part(CP,17°–22°N),and the southern part(SP,12°–17°N).The characteristics of DSLs varied widely with latitudinal gradient.Deepest core DSLs(523.5 m±17.4 m),largest nautical area scattering coefficient(NASC)(130.8 m^(2)/n mile^(2)±41.0 m^(2)/n mile^(2)),and most concentrated DSLs(mesopelagic organisms gathering level,6.7%±0.7%)were observed in NP.The proportion of migration was also stronger in NP(39.7%)than those in other parts(18.6%in CP and 21.5%in SP)for mesopelagic organisms.The latitudinal variation of DSLs was probably caused by changes in oxygen concentration and light intensity of mesopelagic zones.A positive relationship between NASC and primary productivity was identified.A four-months lag was seemed to exist.This study provides the first basin-scale baselines information of mesopelagic communities in the northwest Pacific with acoustic approach.Further researches are suggested to gain understandings of seasonal and annual variations of DSLs in the region.

EFFECT OF KAIROMONE ON PREDATOR-PREY DYNAMICS -- A DELAY MODEL

In most of the predator-prey systems, prey individuals make transitions between vulnerable and invulnerable states or locations. This transition is regulated by various inducible defense mechanisms. Diel vertical migration （DVM） in zooplankton is the most effective and instantaneous defense observed in zooplankton population. Zooplankton shows downward vertical migration in the daytime in the presence of predators （or predator kairomones） to avoid predation （i.e. refuge use）, and it enters into the surface water again at night to graze phytoplankton. The dynamics of the planktonic ecosystem under DVM of zooplankton along with fish kairomone and the multiple delays due to migration for vulnerable and invulnerable prey and reproduction in the predator population is of considerable interest both in theoretical and experimental ecologists. By developing mathematical model, we analyze such a system. The conditions for which the system enters into Hopf-bifurcation are obtained. Moreover, the conditions for which the bifurcating branches are supercritical are also derived. Our results indicate that DVM along with the effect of kairomone and multiple delays with a certain range are responsible to enhance the stability of the system around the positive interior equilibrium point.