Sediment granulometry and salinity drive spatial and seasonal variability of an estuarine demersal fish assemblage dominated by juvenile fish

Abiotic factors are known to structure estuarine fish communities; however, their effects on the ichthyofauna are not yet clear. The objective of this study was to evaluate abundance and composition, by species and size, of the demersal ichthyofauna in a Mexican Central Pacific lagoon, and correlate its spatial and seasonal variations with selected abiotic factors. Eight sampling campaigns were conducted in representative months of the dry and rainy seasons between April 2015 and February 2017. Salinity, temperature and sediment granulometry were recorded. A total of 10 093 individuals of 64 species were collected and measured for total length. Of the 22 most abundant species, 19 were mainly juveniles ( > 50%). Diapterus brevirostris, Achirus mazatianus, Centropomus robalito and Lutjanus argentiventris comprised more than 80% of the total collection. PERMANOVA yielded significant differences in fish community composition between sites and months, and post hoc tests resulted in four homogenous, significantly different groups of sites based on fish assemblage composition. These groups of sites lie well ordered along a west-east axis inside the lagoon. Two well separated seasonal groups of months were defined, namely dry season (February, April) and rainy season (July, October). The spatial changes in abundance and composition of the fish fauna were primarily explained by the Site factor in a spatial scale, while the Month factor influenced to a lesser degree the community structure on a seasonal scale. Redundancy analysis showed the type of sediment, the bottom salinity and the organic matter content were highly correlated with the composition and abundance of ichthyofauna in the lagoon. One species group (dominated by D. brevirostris, C. robalito and A. mazatlanus) was found to be highly positively correlated with percentage of mud and organic matter but negatively correlated with bottom salinity. Another species group (dominated by Diodon holocanthus, Eucinostomus dowii, Sphoeroides armulatus and Chaetodon humeralis) was highly correlated with percentage of sand and bottom salinity. A high number of juveniles in the catches also validates the Barra de Navidad lagoon as a probable nursery area.