Asociaciones interespecificas de copépodos en la costa oeste de Baja California Sur, México

Abstract

The analysis of copepod communities of the Baja California Sur coast during May 1984 and 1986 and July 1987 and 1988, shows that the most important feature of this taxocoenosis is the dominance of Calanus pacificus, a transitional species. Other recurrent secies were: Pleuromamma abdominalis and Calanus minor, both belonging to the warm water biota and are integrated into a group that constantly occurs in the region. As observed through the rank abundance analysis. Acartia danae, Rhincalanus nasutus and Euchaeta marina, are semi-permanent elements of the recurrent species group. May 1984 and 1986 species diversity averages were higher than in July 1987 and 1988, these values being associated to positive temperature anomalies in 1984 and 1986 as well as to negative anomalies in 1987 and 988. A cluster analysis of the copepod species groups indicates that there exists some degree of flexibility in their integration from one survey to the other, thus reflecting the variability of th hydrological features prevaling at this region.