East China Sea Continental Shelf Food Web
Marine
East China Sea — between China, Korea, and Japan
Description
The East China Sea continental shelf receives massive nutrient inputs from the Yangtze River, creating a productive but heavily exploited marine food web. Large yellow croaker was once the dominant predator but collapsed from overfishing in the 1970s. Jellyfish blooms have expanded to fill the ecological vacuum left by depleted fish stocks.
Trophic Pyramid
Level 5
Decomposers
Benthic bacteria
Polychaete worms
Sea cucumbers
3 species
Level 4
Tertiary Consumers
Large yellow croaker (depleted)
Finless porpoise
Blue shark
3 species
Level 3
Secondary Consumers
Hairtail
Jellyfish
Small yellow croaker
3 species
Level 2
Primary Consumers
Japanese anchovy
Acetes shrimp
Copepods
3 species
Level 1
Producers
Skeletonema diatoms
Prorocentrum dinoflagellates
Kelp
3 species
Apex Predators
Tertiary Consumers
Secondary Consumers
Primary Consumers
Producers
Key Interactions
- Yangtze River discharge creates a nutrient-rich plume supporting high productivity
- Large yellow croaker fishery collapsed from overfishing, altering food web structure
- Jellyfish blooms increased as competing fish populations declined
- Finless porpoises are critically endangered due to bycatch and habitat degradation