TITLE:
Characteristics of the Fish Assemblage in the Intertidal Salt Marsh and Mudflat of the Yangtze Estuary
AUTHORS:
Heng Zhang, Jingyu Ye, Xuehui Wang, Shenglong Yang
KEYWORDS:
Yangtze Estuary, Intertidal Zone, Subhabitat, Fish Assemblage, Species Richness
JOURNAL NAME:
Open Journal of Marine Science,
Vol.9 No.1,
January
25,
2019
ABSTRACT: During
July 2015 to June 2016, two permanent sampling sites were established in Scirpus mariqueter salt marsh and its adjacent mudflat on the intertidal
zone of Chongming-Dongtan in the Yangtze Estuary. Based on monthly trap net surveys
of fishes, the characteristics of the fish assemblages in the different
subhabitats, including the salt marsh and mudflat, and the monthly variations
were analyzed. A
total of 19 species of fishes were found belong to 12 Families. The characteristics including the
dominant fish species were different in these two subhabitats. 18 species of fish
were recorded in the mudflat, of which the dominant species were the Coilia ectenes, Pelteobagrus nitidus and Lateolabrax
maculatus. Ten species of fish were recorded in the salt marsh of which the
dominant species were the Coilia ectenes, Saurogobio dumerili, Liza haematocheila, Lateolabrax maculatus and Acanthogobius
ommaturus. Pelteobagrus nitidus prefers to use
the mudflat, while Lateolabrax maculatus and Liza haematocheila prefer to use the
salt marsh. There
was a significant difference in the monthly variation of fish abundance between
the fish abundance of salt marsh and mudflat, while there was no significant
difference in fish biomass. The Simpson index of the fish of the mudflat was
significantly higher than that of the salt marsh, while the Margalef index and
the Pielou index were lower than the salt marsh. The community can be divided
into two groups: winter-spring (A) and summer-autumn (B). The abundance of fish
in the mudflat and the salt marsh show a very significant correlation with the
water temperature (r = 0.773, 0.830, respectively)
and a significant correlation with the water salinity(r = 0.654, 0.648,
respectively). The abundance of fish in mudflat and salt marsh are both
significantly correlated with water temperature and salinity. The abundance of
fish of the mudflat (r = 0.470, P > 0.05)
is more related to the highest submerged depth than of the salt marsh (r = 0.087,
P > 0.05).