Community characteristics of zooplankton in the South Yellow Sea in summer, 2008

To understand the dynamics of zooplankton community characteristics in the South Yellow Sea, zooplankton composition, abundance, biodiversity and dominant species were investigated in August 2008.A total of 72 species of zooplankton and 27 species of pelagic larvae were identified.The mean abundance of zooplankton was 1054.9 ind/m³.A rising trend of abundance from coastal waters to the middle of the Yellow Sea was observed, while the biodiversity showed an opposite trend.Based on the similarity of species composition, the zooplankton in the study area were clustered to three communities:South Yellow Sea coast community, South Yellow Sea central community, Yangtze River Estuary coast community.The community division in this study was generally consistent with previous studies, but the southern boundary of the zooplankton community in the South Yellow Sea has moved northward over the past five decades.