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Abstract

This study investigates the spatial distribution of copepods and its relationship with water masses across a frontal area induced by the China Coast Current and the Kuroshio Branch Current in the Taiwan Strait. Temperature and salinity was lower of stations showed significant stratification and lower in the China Coastal Current, but absent or higher in the Kuroshio Branch Current. In this study, 73 copepod species belonging to 36 genera, 18 families and 3 orders were identified. Assemblages of the copepods were divided into three groups KBG, MG and CCG, driven from cluster analysis and were associated with different water masses. Copepods were abundant in the group CCG (53.5 ± 18.5 inds/m3 ) and in the frontal waters (MG, 52.9 ± 43.1 inds/m3 ) than in the group KBG (25.2 ± 5.7 inds/m3 ). Copepods were more diverse in the KBG and MG than in the CCG. Most of the dominant species in the KBG belong to warm water species, such as Acrocalanus gibber, Canthocalanus pauper, Clausocalanus furcatus, Clausocalanus minor and Clausocalanus mastigophorus. While the group CCG included indicator species such as Calanus sinicus and Ditrichocorycaeus affinis and coastal/neritic or widely distributed species. In the MG, Paracalanus parvus, Paracalanus aculeatus, Acrocalanus gibber, Ditrichocorycaeus affinis and Temora turbinata were dominant.

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