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<p>Early life stages of marine fishes play a critical role in shaping recruitment variability and population dynamics, yet the environmental processes structuring ichthyoplankton communities remain poorly understood in many marginal seas. Here, we investigated the seasonal dynamics of early life stage (ELS) fish assemblages and their environmental drivers in the offshore waters of Liaoning Province in the northern Yellow Sea using monthly ichthyoplankton surveys conducted from April to December 2021. Community structure and environmental relationships were examined using multivariate statistical analyses, and species distribution models were applied to project potential spawning habitats of the dominant species <i>Engraulis japonicus</i> under future climate scenarios. A total of 36 fish species were recorded, with spawning activity peaking between May and August. The ichthyoplankton assemblage exhibited pronounced seasonal succession characterized by shifts in dominant species composition and community structure. Temperature-related variables, particularly surface and bottom temperature, together with bottom salinity and depth, were identified as primary environmental drivers shaping the spatial and temporal organization of ELS fish communities. Distribution modelling further indicated that suitable spawning habitats for <i>E. japonicus</i> may expand under low-emission climate scenarios (RCP 2.6) but show increasing instability and potential contraction under moderate (RCP 4.5 and 6.0) and high emission scenarios (RCP 8.5). Our results demonstrate that environmental gradients and seasonal hydrographic variability jointly structure ichthyoplankton communities in the northern Yellow Sea, while future climate change may substantially alter spawning habitat availability for key pelagic species. These findings provide new insights into the mechanisms linking environmental variability and early life stage fish dynamics and highlight potential risks to regional fisheries resources under ongoing climate change.</p>

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Early life stage fish community structure and environmental drivers in offshore waters of Liaoning Province, Yellow Sea

  • 期刊论文

  • 出版模式：

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  • 发表日期：

    2026年6月24日

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  • Xuening Li,
  • Peidong Cui,
  • Qingpeng Han,
  • Xiaodong Bian,
  • Xun Li,
  • Ming Sun,
  • Xilong Xu

摘要

Early life stages of marine fishes play a critical role in shaping recruitment variability and population dynamics, yet the environmental processes structuring ichthyoplankton communities remain poorly understood in many marginal seas. Here, we investigated the seasonal dynamics of early life stage (ELS) fish assemblages and their environmental drivers in the offshore waters of Liaoning Province in the northern Yellow Sea using monthly ichthyoplankton surveys conducted from April to December 2021. Community structure and environmental relationships were examined using multivariate statistical analyses, and species distribution models were applied to project potential spawning habitats of the dominant species Engraulis japonicus under future climate scenarios. A total of 36 fish species were recorded, with spawning activity peaking between May and August. The ichthyoplankton assemblage exhibited pronounced seasonal succession characterized by shifts in dominant species composition and community structure. Temperature-related variables, particularly surface and bottom temperature, together with bottom salinity and depth, were identified as primary environmental drivers shaping the spatial and temporal organization of ELS fish communities. Distribution modelling further indicated that suitable spawning habitats for E. japonicus may expand under low-emission climate scenarios (RCP 2.6) but show increasing instability and potential contraction under moderate (RCP 4.5 and 6.0) and high emission scenarios (RCP 8.5). Our results demonstrate that environmental gradients and seasonal hydrographic variability jointly structure ichthyoplankton communities in the northern Yellow Sea, while future climate change may substantially alter spawning habitat availability for key pelagic species. These findings provide new insights into the mechanisms linking environmental variability and early life stage fish dynamics and highlight potential risks to regional fisheries resources under ongoing climate change.