Resumen del producto

The objective of the present study is to detect the effects of “El Niño Godzilla 2015-2016” in larval fish habitats, from the southern Gulf of California to Cabo Corrientes, the northern limit of the shallow oxygen minimum zone of the Tropical Pacific. Based on the hydrographic data and stratified zooplankton samples collected in April 2012 and March 2016, recurrent larval fish habitats were detected, although with strong changes in their distribution and abundance of species, result of the hydrographic differences and variation of the domain of the water masses converging in the region. In April 2012, before the warm event, a habitat was detected in Tropical Surface Water, mainly about oxycline, dominated by Vinciguerria lucetia larvae; while during the warm event, in March 2016, this habitat was extended in depth, associated to the sinking of the surface mixed layer and oxycline. Another recurrent habitat was near Islas Marías, where the hypoxic water rose up to 40 m deep before the warm event, being dominated by larvae of Bregmaceros bathymaster; while during the warm event, this habitat was extended northward below the oxycline in Subtropical Subsurface Water. Likewise, others non-recurrent larval habitats were defined in each period, that could be associated with seasonal or mesoscale processes. The preliminary analysis of the results shows that the “El Niño 2015-2016” could strongly affect the pelagic ecosystem in general.

Palabras clave: larval fish habitats; shallow oxygen minimum zone; Tropical Pacific off; México; “El Niño Godzilla 2015-2016”

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