Microscale dynamics of larval fish assemblages in the straits of malacca nearshore coincided with lunar phases

Marine fish larvae are an integral part of the marine environment because their abundance can become an ecological indicator. The abundance is dependent on the environmental variations that include but are not limited to lunar phases and diel changes, both of which predictably influence them to drif...

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Main Authors: Md. Yeakub, Ali, Md. Yusoff, Fatimah, Mohd Ikhsan, Natrah Fatin, Hassan, Zafri
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Universiti Putra Malaysia 2023
Online Access:http://psasir.upm.edu.my/id/eprint/110416/
http://psasir.upm.edu.my/id/eprint/110416/1/110416.pdf
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author Md. Yeakub, Ali
Md. Yusoff, Fatimah
Mohd Ikhsan, Natrah Fatin
Hassan, Zafri
author_facet Md. Yeakub, Ali
Md. Yusoff, Fatimah
Mohd Ikhsan, Natrah Fatin
Hassan, Zafri
author_sort Md. Yeakub, Ali
building UPM Institutional Repository
collection Online Access
description Marine fish larvae are an integral part of the marine environment because their abundance can become an ecological indicator. The abundance is dependent on the environmental variations that include but are not limited to lunar phases and diel changes, both of which predictably influence them to drift between inshore and outshore of the nearshore system. This study determined the effects of those environmental variations at the spatio-temporal level on the larval fish abundance along the Negeri Sembilan coastline of the Straits of Malacca, Malaysia. Samples were collected using a Bongo net of 300 μm in mesh size during the inter-monsoon season of March through April 2021 (n = 32). Larval fish density for the 32 samples ranged between 1 and 31 larvae/m3. There were 18 larval fish families identified from the study, with the most sampled larvae of Engraulidae, contributing to 24.20 of 892 total fish larvae identified. Other families with notable abundance were Gobiidae (16.30), Blennidae (13.15), Ambassidae (10.40), Apogonidae (9.95), and Leiognathidae (3.73). The larval fish abundance was significantly higher during the new lunar phase than the full lunar phase (P < 0.01). Although there were marginal differences between the night and day as well as between outshore and inshore in some of the samples, there was no significant difference within both diel changes and shore distances. The study indicated that the dynamics in the larval fish assemblages in the study area were markedly attributed to lunar phases.
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spelling upm-1104162024-10-09T03:14:40Z http://psasir.upm.edu.my/id/eprint/110416/ Microscale dynamics of larval fish assemblages in the straits of malacca nearshore coincided with lunar phases Md. Yeakub, Ali Md. Yusoff, Fatimah Mohd Ikhsan, Natrah Fatin Hassan, Zafri Marine fish larvae are an integral part of the marine environment because their abundance can become an ecological indicator. The abundance is dependent on the environmental variations that include but are not limited to lunar phases and diel changes, both of which predictably influence them to drift between inshore and outshore of the nearshore system. This study determined the effects of those environmental variations at the spatio-temporal level on the larval fish abundance along the Negeri Sembilan coastline of the Straits of Malacca, Malaysia. Samples were collected using a Bongo net of 300 μm in mesh size during the inter-monsoon season of March through April 2021 (n = 32). Larval fish density for the 32 samples ranged between 1 and 31 larvae/m3. There were 18 larval fish families identified from the study, with the most sampled larvae of Engraulidae, contributing to 24.20 of 892 total fish larvae identified. Other families with notable abundance were Gobiidae (16.30), Blennidae (13.15), Ambassidae (10.40), Apogonidae (9.95), and Leiognathidae (3.73). The larval fish abundance was significantly higher during the new lunar phase than the full lunar phase (P < 0.01). Although there were marginal differences between the night and day as well as between outshore and inshore in some of the samples, there was no significant difference within both diel changes and shore distances. The study indicated that the dynamics in the larval fish assemblages in the study area were markedly attributed to lunar phases. Universiti Putra Malaysia 2023 Article PeerReviewed text en http://psasir.upm.edu.my/id/eprint/110416/1/110416.pdf Md. Yeakub, Ali and Md. Yusoff, Fatimah and Mohd Ikhsan, Natrah Fatin and Hassan, Zafri (2023) Microscale dynamics of larval fish assemblages in the straits of malacca nearshore coincided with lunar phases. Pertanika Journal of Tropical Agricultural Science, 46 (4). pp. 1359-1374. ISSN 2231-8542 http://www.pertanika.upm.edu.my/ 10.47836/pjtas.46.4.18
spellingShingle Md. Yeakub, Ali
Md. Yusoff, Fatimah
Mohd Ikhsan, Natrah Fatin
Hassan, Zafri
Microscale dynamics of larval fish assemblages in the straits of malacca nearshore coincided with lunar phases
title Microscale dynamics of larval fish assemblages in the straits of malacca nearshore coincided with lunar phases
title_full Microscale dynamics of larval fish assemblages in the straits of malacca nearshore coincided with lunar phases
title_fullStr Microscale dynamics of larval fish assemblages in the straits of malacca nearshore coincided with lunar phases
title_full_unstemmed Microscale dynamics of larval fish assemblages in the straits of malacca nearshore coincided with lunar phases
title_short Microscale dynamics of larval fish assemblages in the straits of malacca nearshore coincided with lunar phases
title_sort microscale dynamics of larval fish assemblages in the straits of malacca nearshore coincided with lunar phases
url http://psasir.upm.edu.my/id/eprint/110416/
http://psasir.upm.edu.my/id/eprint/110416/
http://psasir.upm.edu.my/id/eprint/110416/
http://psasir.upm.edu.my/id/eprint/110416/1/110416.pdf