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Abstract
Fish larvae from the Celtic Sea were analysed to identify their distribution patterns, diversity and assemblage structure with regard to bathymetry and ocean warming. Samples were collected in April 2007 comprising larval stages of 60 fish species (3834 individuals) from 106 stations. Stations were divided into three major faunal zones, i.e. neritic, transition and oceanic. This zonation was confirmed by canonical discriminant analysis and cluster analysis. While all zones were dominated by Atlantic mackerel (Scomber scombrus), horse mackerel (Trachurus trachurus) and dragonets (Callionymus spp.), the oceanic zone was additionally characterized by typical mid-water taxa such as Myctophidae, Stomiidae and Bathylagidae. The neritic zone was characterized by Gadidae, Soleidae and Argentinidae. The transition zone showed the highest diversity with typical species from both the neritic and oceanic zone. It also exhibited the highest abundances of fish larvae. Bathymetry explains most (75%) of the three faunal assignments. S. scombrus and T. trachurus spawned earlier and shifted further north for spawning compared to recent years. It is inferred that the relatively high sea-surface temperatures in April 2007 and the overall warming in the Celtic Sea triggered the northward shift of spawning grounds and the earlier spawning of these species compared to previous years.
Acknowledgements
We wish to thank the captain and crew of the fisheries research vessel Walther Herwig III for their assistance in collecting plankton samples and environmental data. We are also grateful to the referees for their constructive reviews of the manuscript. This research was supported by the EU and the Federal Ministry of Food, Agriculture and Consumer Protection.
Editorial responsibility: Geir Ottersen