{"title":"Diversity and distribution of Decapoda and Stomatopoda from the Mekong estuaries in relation to environmental parameters","authors":"Thai Thanh Tran, Ngo Xuan Quang, Nguyen Thi Phuong Thao, Thanh Luu Pham","doi":"10.1007/s00027-025-01206-x","DOIUrl":null,"url":null,"abstract":"<div><p>Crustaceans play a vital role in maintaining ecosystem balance and supporting human nutrition, relying heavily on estuarine habitats during critical stages of their life cycles. However, research on crustacean assemblages in the Mekong estuaries remains limited, despite their significance to local fisheries and food security. This study aimed to investigate the diversity and distribution of decapod and stomatopod crustaceans, while also identifying key ecological factors influencing their patterns. From March and November 2022, crustacean specimens and water quality data were collected from four estuaries: Cua Dai, Ba Lai, Ham Luong, and Co Chien, within the Mekong estuarine system. A total of 13,134 specimens were recorded, representing 62 species (55 decapods and 7 stomatopods), with the families Penaeidae, Palaemonidae, and Alpheidae being the most dominant. The most abundant species included the palaemonids <i>Macrobrachium equidens</i>, <i>M. mirabile</i>, and <i>Exopalaemon vietnamicus</i>, along with the penaeids <i>Parapenaeopsis hardwickii</i> and <i>Metapenaeus lysianassa</i>. Analysis revealed significant spatiotemporal variations in species composition and abundance. Crustacean densities were notably higher during the dry season (163.21 ± 206.69 inds./1000 m<sup>2</sup>), at the Cua Dai estuary (163.50 ± 211.15 inds./1000 m<sup>2</sup>), and in the outer estuary area (155.96 ± 166.74 inds./1000 m<sup>2</sup>). Diversity indices including Shannon–Wiener, Margalef, and evenness, also varied significantly across seasons and locations. These patterns were likely influenced by environmental factors. In particular, crustacean abundances and diversities were positively correlated with dissolved oxygen and salinity, indicating these as key determinants of assemblage structure. Salinity alone was responsible for approximately one-third of the observed variation in the crustacean assemblages. The findings offer valuable insights for the management and conservation of crustacean assemblages, particularly in the context of environmental changes and increasing fishing pressures. </p></div>","PeriodicalId":55489,"journal":{"name":"Aquatic Sciences","volume":"87 4","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":1.8000,"publicationDate":"2025-07-13","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":"0","resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":null,"PeriodicalName":"Aquatic Sciences","FirstCategoryId":"93","ListUrlMain":"https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s00027-025-01206-x","RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"环境科学与生态学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":null,"EPubDate":"","PubModel":"","JCR":"Q3","JCRName":"ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES","Score":null,"Total":0}
引用次数: 0
Abstract
Crustaceans play a vital role in maintaining ecosystem balance and supporting human nutrition, relying heavily on estuarine habitats during critical stages of their life cycles. However, research on crustacean assemblages in the Mekong estuaries remains limited, despite their significance to local fisheries and food security. This study aimed to investigate the diversity and distribution of decapod and stomatopod crustaceans, while also identifying key ecological factors influencing their patterns. From March and November 2022, crustacean specimens and water quality data were collected from four estuaries: Cua Dai, Ba Lai, Ham Luong, and Co Chien, within the Mekong estuarine system. A total of 13,134 specimens were recorded, representing 62 species (55 decapods and 7 stomatopods), with the families Penaeidae, Palaemonidae, and Alpheidae being the most dominant. The most abundant species included the palaemonids Macrobrachium equidens, M. mirabile, and Exopalaemon vietnamicus, along with the penaeids Parapenaeopsis hardwickii and Metapenaeus lysianassa. Analysis revealed significant spatiotemporal variations in species composition and abundance. Crustacean densities were notably higher during the dry season (163.21 ± 206.69 inds./1000 m2), at the Cua Dai estuary (163.50 ± 211.15 inds./1000 m2), and in the outer estuary area (155.96 ± 166.74 inds./1000 m2). Diversity indices including Shannon–Wiener, Margalef, and evenness, also varied significantly across seasons and locations. These patterns were likely influenced by environmental factors. In particular, crustacean abundances and diversities were positively correlated with dissolved oxygen and salinity, indicating these as key determinants of assemblage structure. Salinity alone was responsible for approximately one-third of the observed variation in the crustacean assemblages. The findings offer valuable insights for the management and conservation of crustacean assemblages, particularly in the context of environmental changes and increasing fishing pressures.
期刊介绍:
Aquatic Sciences – Research Across Boundaries publishes original research, overviews, and reviews dealing with aquatic systems (both freshwater and marine systems) and their boundaries, including the impact of human activities on these systems. The coverage ranges from molecular-level mechanistic studies to investigations at the whole ecosystem scale. Aquatic Sciences publishes articles presenting research across disciplinary and environmental boundaries, including studies examining interactions among geological, microbial, biological, chemical, physical, hydrological, and societal processes, as well as studies assessing land-water, air-water, benthic-pelagic, river-ocean, lentic-lotic, and groundwater-surface water interactions.