Figure 6. Correlation of climatic changes with the palaeo-productivity and population dynamics of cutlassfish in the China seas.

In the East China Sea, increased precipitation and discharge from the Changjiang during the intensified summer monsoons caused an increase in primary production. However, in the northern South China Sea, primary production was mainly influenced by nutrient advection caused by upwelling currents during winter monsoons. Thus, different population dynamic responses to climatic cycles were observed between the East China Sea and the northern South China Sea.