Distribution and diversity of gelatinous zooplankton in the southern South China Sea
Abstract Although gelatinous zooplankton are widely distributed in many ocean ecosystems, they have been understudied due to their fragility nature, difficulties to sample or handle and a lack of expertise. This study gives an insight into the distribution and diversity of gelatinous species in the Southern South China Sea. Species composition, distribution and abundance of gelatinous zooplankton were investigated along the East Coast of Peninsular Malaysia. A total of 37 species were recorded from 10 locations along 4 transects at 5.10° N and 6.80° N extending from 103.2° E to 105.3° E in August 2016. Seven medusae, six siphonophores, four appendicularians, six chaetognaths, six salps, four doliolids and four pteropods were identified from the study area. Appendicularia with 201 ind/m3 was found to be the most dominant taxa recorded, followed by chaetognaths with 197 ind/m3. Scyphomedusae were the least represented group in the study, with an abundance of 8 ind/m3. Stations near the inshore region show higher abundance and diversity of gelatinous zooplankton compared to offshore regions. The evenness index between stations revealed that the gelatinous zooplankton were evenly distributed. According to Principal Component Analysis (PCA), the diversity and distribution of gelatinous zooplankton are driven by depth and temperature.