Abundance and distribution of coastal, inshore zooplankton in the Huon Estuary and D'Entrecasteaux Channel, Tasmania: Sampling trip 10/03/2005

Mesozooplankton community composition and structure were examined throughout the D’Entrecasteaux Channel, Huon Estuary and North West Bay, Tasmania, from November 2004 to October 2005, the data represented by this record was collected on the 10/03/2005.

The composition of the mesozooplankton community was typical of inshore, temperate marine habitats, with seasonally higher abundance in summer and autumn and lower numbers in winter and spring. Copepods were the largest contributors to total abundance across all seasons and stations, while cladocerans and appendicularians were proportionally abundant in spring and summer. The faecal pellets of these three main groups, along with those of krill and amphipods, also contributed significantly to material recovered from sediment traps. Meroplanktonic larvae of benthic animals showed short-term peaks in abundance and were often absent from the water column for long periods. Spatially, North West Bay and the Channel had a higher representation of typically marine species, including Calanus australis and Labidocera cervi, while truly estuarine species, such as the copepod Gladioferens pectinatus, were more important in the Huon Estuary.

本研究于2004年11月至2005年10月期间，对塔斯马尼亚州丹特卡斯托海峡（D’Entrecasteaux Channel）、休恩河口湾（Huon Estuary）及西北湾（North West Bay）全域的中型浮游动物（Mesozooplankton）群落组成与结构开展了调查，本次记录所对应的数据采集于2005年3月10日。

该区域中型浮游动物群落组成符合近岸温带海洋生境的典型特征，其丰度呈现季节性变化规律：夏、秋季丰度较高，冬、春季丰度较低。在所有季节与采样站位中，桡足类（Copepods）均为总丰度的最主要贡献类群；而枝角类（Cladocerans）与尾海鞘类（Appendicularians）则在春、夏季占比相对更高。这三大类群以及磷虾（Krill）、端足类（Amphipods）的粪便颗粒，同样对沉积物捕集器回收的有机质贡献显著。底栖动物的暂时性浮游幼体丰度呈现短期峰值，且往往会在较长时段内从水体中缺失。空间分布上，西北湾与丹特卡斯托海峡的典型海洋物种占比更高，涵盖南方哲水蚤（Calanus australis）与Labidocera cervi；而纯正河口物种，如桡足类Gladioferens pectinatus，则在休恩河口湾占据更重要的生态位。