Spatial distribution of medusae (Cnidaria) assemblages in the southern Gulf of Mexico (dry season)
Por:
Alejandro Puente-Tapia, Francisco, De la Luz Espinosa-Fuentes, Maria, Zavala-Garcia, Faustino, Olguin-Jacobson, Carolina, Flores-Coto, Cesar
Publicada:
1 abr 2022
Resumen:
The present study described the spatial patterns of the medusae
assemblages in the southern Gulf of Mexico during the dry season of 2016
(May-June). The assemblages, defined based on Bray-Curtis similarity
index, were described in terms of species composition, abundances,
diversity, dominance, and the hydro-biological characterization of each
of them. A total of 42 species were identified (40 Hydrozoa and 2
Scyphozoa), of which, 21.43% correspond to holoplanktonic specimens and
78.57% were meroplanktonic. The hydromedusae species Aglaura hemistoma
(Trachymedusae) and Liriope tetraphylla (Limnomedusae) were the most
frequent and abundant, accounting for 63.51% of the total abundances.
Three groups of sampling stations with faunal affinity were identified,
which showed different hydrological intervals and abundances of
zooplankton groups (food availability), suggesting the existence of
three communities composed of medusae species with affinity to the
environmental parameters of each assemblage. With this regional
characterization, A. hemistoma was the dominant species in the Yucatan
shelf, L. tetraphylla in southern Campeche Bank, while L. tetraphylla
and Nausithoe punctata (Coronatae) were dominant in the Veracruz shelf
and the oceanic zone of the study area. The dominance of L. tetraphylla
and A. hemistoma can be understood as the result of different adaptive
aspects, such as the plasticity of the holoplanktonic condition of these
species, the different feeding strategies, and trophic spectrum, which
allows them to adapt to environmental variability in each one of these
regions (e.g., high temperatures, salinities) and feed of a particular
food source without competing among them.
Filiaciones:
Alejandro Puente-Tapia, Francisco:
Consejo Nacl Invest Cient & Tecn, Inst Nacl Invest & Desarrollo Pesquero, Gabinete Zooplancton, Mar Del Plata, Argentina
De la Luz Espinosa-Fuentes, Maria:
Univ Nacl Autonoma Mexico, Ctr Ciencias Atmosfera, Mexico City, DF, Mexico
Zavala-Garcia, Faustino:
Univ Nacl Autonoma Mexico, Inst Ciencias Mar & Limnol, Lab Zooplancton, Mexico City, DF, Mexico
Olguin-Jacobson, Carolina:
Griffith Univ, Sch Environm & Sci, Australian Rivers Inst, Gold Coast, Australia
Flores-Coto, Cesar:
Univ Nacl Autonoma Mexico, Inst Ciencias Mar & Limnol, Lab Zooplancton, Mexico City, DF, Mexico
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