Growth parameters of fish are commonly assumed homogeneous in traditional fish stock assessment. However, increasing studies in recent years have shown that the growth of marine fish is characterized by spatial heterogeneity. To evaluate the spatial heterogeneity of growth traits of the fishes in the Haizhou Bay and its adjacent waters, this study analyzed the spatial distribution of 4 fish species and estimated their von Bertalanffy growth function parameters using otter trawl data collected from 2013 to 2018. We fitted the growth equations for Pholis fangi, Syngnatus acus, Larimichthys polyactis and Thryssa kammalensis using Electronic Length Frequency Analysis method in combination with the Bootstrap and compared the differences in growth parameters between deep- and shallow-water regions. The results show that growth parameters of the fish species exhibit certain levels of spatial heterogeneity, in particular Syngnatus acus and Larimichthys polyactis show substantial spatial heterogeneity. These differences may be attributed to the variations in spatial physical and chemical conditions, community structure and migration of the species.
| 科 Family | 属数 Number of genus | 种数 Number of species | 占总种数比例 Percentage of total species (%) | 属 Genus | 种数 Number of species | 占总种数比例 Percentage of total species (%) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 鹅膏菌科Amanitaceae | 2 | 11 | 5.26 | 鹅膏菌属 Amanita | 10 | 4.78 |
| 小菇科 Mycenaceae | 2 | 12 | 5.74 | 丝盖伞属 Inocybe | 5 | 2.39 |
| 多孔菌科 Polyporaceae | 8 | 14 | 6.70 | 蜡蘑属 Laccaria | 5 | 2.39 |
| 红菇科 Russulaceae | 3 | 23 | 11.00 | 小皮伞属 Marasmius | 6 | 2.87 |
| 小菇属 Mycena | 11 | 5.26 | ||||
| 光柄菇属 Pluteus | 5 | 2.39 | ||||
| 红菇属 Russula | 17 | 8.13 | ||||
| 栓菌属 Trametes | 5 | 2.39 |