Research articles
ScienceAsia 51 (2023): 1-8 |doi:
10.2306/scienceasia1513-1874.2023.037
Year-round occurrence of crustacean holoplankton in Mae
Klong River Mouth as indicators of natural food availability in
the Gulf of Thailand
Bongkot Wichachucherda,*, Sirinya Sirimahawana, Panisa Duanghwangb, Eknarin Rodcharoenb
ABSTRACT: Climate change has been a cause of significant global environmental variation, with rising temperatures
observed in many regions. Temperature is a critical factor affecting organisms, including crustacean holoplanktons, a
key food sources in aquatic ecosystem, particularly in nursery grounds for aquatic animals. Estuarine areas, such as
river mouths, are especially important as they experience considerably physiochemical fluctuations. This study was
conducted year-round at two sites: Don Hoi Lod (DH) and Mae Klong River (MK) in Samut Songkhram Province,
Thailand. Water samples (approximately 30 m3 each) were collected at a 30 cm depth by 200 ?m sieve size of
plankton net. The samples were preserved and identified in laboratory. The density of crustacean holoplankton
was estimated and expressed by individuals per m3. Field measurements were recorded. The relationship between
crustacean holoplankton and environmental factors were analyzed using canonical correspondence analysis. The
results indicated that salinity and temperature exhibited similar pattern between the DH and the MK sites which were
high in the dry season and low in the southwest and northwest monsoons. However, these physical factors varied
significantly across different seasons. Two main crustacean taxa were identified: class Copepoda and order Cladocera
(class Branchiopoda). The copepod groups included order Calnoida Cycoida, Harpecticoida and the nauplius stage.
Species richness was higher at the DH site than the MK. Seasonal change had a strong influence on holoplankton
between the two sites. Additionally, the overall population of crustacean holoplankton decreased significantly with
rising temperatures. These findings suggested that seasonal changes and increasing temperature could impact the
biodiversity of crustacean holoplankton in estuarine area.
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| a |
Department of Science and Bioinnovation, Faculty of Liberal Arts and Science, Kasetsart University,
Kamphaeng Saen, Nakhon Pathom 73140 Thailand |
| b |
Aquatic Science and Innovative Management Division, Faculty of Natural Resources; and Discipline of Excellence
for Sustainable Aquaculture, Prince of Songkla University, Songkhla 90110 Thailand |
* Corresponding author, E-mail: bongkot.w@ku.th
Received 2 Sep 2024, Accepted 26 Feb 2025
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