Changes in the small-jellyfish community in recent decades in Jiaozhou Bay, China

We used long term monitoring data to evaluate changes in abundance and species dominance of small-jellyfish (collected with zooplankton net whose bell diameter was less than 5 cm) between 1991 and 2009 in the Jiaozhou Bay, China. Zooplankton samples were vertically towed with conical plankton net from near-bottom to surface, identified microscopically, and mapped in time-space using Grapher 7.0 and Surfer 8.0. Results show that the abundance of small-jellyfish throughout the bay had been increasing during 2001-2009 on average of 15.2 ind./m 3 , almost 5 times higher than that between 1991 and 2000. The occurrence of peak abundance shifted from spring to summer after 2000, and two peaks appeared in spring and summer, respectively, after 2005. Both the abundance and the frequency of blooms of small-jellyfish increased after 2000 in the bay. In addition, the biodiversity of jellyfish has increased significantly in recent years with a change in dominant species. Several new dominant species appeared after 2000, including Rathkae octopunctata in winter, Phialidium hemisphaericum in spring, summer, and autumn, Phialucium carolinae in spring, and Pleurobrachia globosa in summer and autumn, while some previous dominant species throughout the 1990s (Eirene ceylonensis, Zanclea costata, Lovenella assimilis, and Muggiaea atlantica) were no longer dominant after 2000. The abundance of small-jellyfish was positively correlated with the density of dinoflagellates, and the abundance of zooplankton. We believe that the changes in smalljellyfish abundance and species composition were the result of eutrophication, aquaculture and coastal construction activities around the bay. Concurrently, seawater warming and salinity decrease in recent decades promoted the growth and reproduction of small-jellyfish in the bay.     

Seasonal variations of net-phytoplankton community structure in the southern Yellow Sea

Based on the field survey data of four cruises in 2011, all phytoplankton communities in the southern Yellow Sea (SYS) were investigated for the species composition, dominant species, abundance and diversity indices. A total of 379 species belonging to 9 phyla were identified, of which the most abundant group was Bacillariophyta (60.9%), followed by Pyrrophyta (23.7%) and Haptophyta (6.9%). The seasonal distribution of abundance was: summer (4137.1×10³ ind m^?3) > spring (3940.4×10³ ind m^?3) > winter (3010.6×10³ ind m^?3) > autumn (340.8 ×10³ ind m^?3), while the horizontal distribution showed a decreasing tendency from inshore to offshore regions. The dominant species of phytoplankton varied in different seasons. The dominant species were Thalassiosira pacifica, Skeletoema spp. and Chaetoceros cinctus in spring, Chaetoceros debbilis, Chaetoceros pseudocurvisetus and Chaetoceros curvisetus in summer, Thalassiosira curviseriata, Alexandrium catenella and Ceratium fusus in autumn, Paralia sulcata, Phaeocystis sp. and Bacillaria paradoxa in winter, respectively. In SYS, the group of temperate coastal species was the major ecotype, and the groups of the central SYS species and oceanic species were also important constituents. The average values of Shannon-Weaver diversity index (H’) and Pielou evenness index (J) were 2.37 and 0.65 respectively. The indices H’ and J in the open sea were higher than those in coastal waters. Obvious co-variation tendencies between H’ and J were observed in all but the summer cruise of this survey.     

Seasonal changes in phytoplankton biomass and dominant species in the Changjiang River Estuary and adjacent seas: General trends based on field survey data 1959–2009

The characteristics of seasonal variation in phytoplankton biomass and dominant species in the Changjiang River Estuary and adjacent seas were discussed based on field investigation data from 1959 to 2009. The field data from 1981 to 2004 showed that the Chlorophyll-a concentration in surface seawater was between 0.4 and 8.5 μg dm-3. The seasonal changes generally presented a bimodal trend, with the biomass peaks occurring in May and August, and Chlorophyll-a concentration was the lowest in winter. Seasonal biomass changes were mainly controlled by temperature and nutrient levels. From the end of autumn to the next early spring, phytoplankton biomass was mainly influenced by temperature, and in other seasons, nutrient level(including the nutrient supply from the terrestrial runoffs) was the major influence factor. Field investigation data from 1959 to 2009 demonstrated that diatoms were the main phytoplankton in this area, and Skeletonema costatum, Pseudo-nitzschia pungens, Coscinodiscus oculus-iridis, Thalassinoema nitzschioides, Paralia sulcata, Chaetoceros lorenzianus, Chaetoceros curvisetus, and Prorocentrum donghaiense Lu were common dominant species. The seasonal variations in major dominant phytoplankton species presented the following trends: 1) Skeletonema(mainly S. costatum) was dominant throughout the year; and 2) seasonal succession trends were Coscinodiscus(spring) →Chaetoceros(summer and autumn) → Coscinodiscus(winter). The annual dominance of S. costatum was attributed to its environmental eurytopicity and long standing time in surface waters. The seasonal succession of Coscinodiscus and Chaetoceros was associated with the seasonal variation in water stability and nutrient level in this area. On the other hand, long-term field data also indicated obvious interannual variation of phytoplankton biomass and community structure in the Changjiang River Estuary and adjacent seas: average annual phytoplankton biomass and dinoflagellate proportion both presented increased trends during the 1950 s-2000 s.     

Seasonal variability of phytoplankton community structure in relation to different nitrogen-phosphorus ratios in the southern coastal waters of Zhejiang, China

With the rapid development of economy and increase of population in the drainage areas, the nutrient loading has increased dramatically in the Changjiang estuary and adjacent coastal waters. To properly assess the impact of nutrient enrichment on phytoplankton community, seasonal microcosm experiments were conducted during August 2010–July 2011 in the coastal waters of Zhejiang Province. The results of the present study indicated that the chl a concentration, cell abundance, diversity indices, species composition and community succession of the phytoplankton varied significantly with different N/P ratios and seasons. Higher growth was observed in the 64:1 (spring), 32:1 (summer), 16:1 (autumn) and 128:1, 256:1 (winter) treatments, respectively. The values of Shannon-Wiener index (H′) and Pielou evenness index (J) were lower in the 8:1 and 16:1 treatments in autumn test, while H′ value was higher in the 128:1 and 8:1 treatments in winter test. A definite community succession order from diatoms to dinoflagellates was observed in the autumn and winter tests, while the diatoms dominated the community throughout the culture in the spring and summer tests.     

A model study on dynamical processes of phytoplankton in Laizhou Bay

A three-dimensional ecosystem model, using a PIC (Particle-In-Cell) method, is developed to reproduce the annual cycle and seasonal variation of nutrients and phytoplankton biomass in Laizhou Bay. Eight state variables, i.e., DIN (dissolved inorganic nitrogen), phosphate, DON (dissolved organic nitrogen), DOP (dissolved organic phosphorus), COD (chemical oxygen demand), chlorophyll-a (Chl-a), detritus and the zooplankton biomass, are included in the model. The model successfully reproduces the observed temporal and spatial variations of nutrients and Chl-a biomass distributions in the bay. The nutrient concentrations are at high level in winter and at low level in summer. Double-peak structure of the phytoplankton (PPT) biomass exists in Laizhou Bay, corresponding to a spring and an autumn bloom respectively. Several numerical experiments are carried out to examine the nutrient limitation, and the importance of the discharges of the Yellow River and Xiaoqinghe River. Both DIN limitation and phosphate limitation exist in some areas of the bay, with the former being more significant than the latter. The Yellow River and Xiaoqinghe River are the main pollution sources of nutrients in Laizhou Bay. During the flood season, the algal growth is inhibited in the bay with the Yellow River discharges being excluded in the experiment, while in spring, the algal growth is enhanced with the Xiaoqinghe River excluded.     

Winter Phytoplankton Assemblages of Coastal Yellow Sea Connected to Jiaozhou Bay,China

I Introduction Phytoplankton play an important role in the primary production of ocean (Ning et al., 1995). They are impor-tant biological mediators of carbon turnover in seawater ecosystems (Zhu et al., 1993). Phytoplankton in Jiaozhou Bay have been preliminarily studied on the subjects of community structure, primary productivity and carbon budget (Qian et al., 1983; Guo et al., 1992; Jiao et al., 1994). It has been found that seasonal variation of phytoplankton cell abundance presents w…     

Examination of Silicate Limitation of Primary Production in Jiaozhou Bay,North China：Ⅲ.Judgment Method ,Rules and Uniqueness of Nutrient Limitation Among N,P,and Si

Analysis and comparison of Jiaozhou Bay data collected from May 1991 to February 1994 (12 seasonal investigations) provided by the Ecological Station of Jiaozhou Bay revealed the characteristic spatiotemporal variation of the ambient concentration Si∶DIN and Si∶16P ratios and the seasonal variation of Jiaozhou Bay Si∶DIN and Si∶16P ratios showing that the Si∶DIN ratios were <1 throughout the year in Jiaozhou Bay; and that the Si∶16P ratios were <1 throughout Jiaozhou Bay in spring, autumn and winter. The results proved that silicate limited phytoplankton growth in spring, autumn and winter in Jiaozhou Bay. Analysis of the Si∶DIN and Si∶P ratios showed that the nutrient Si has been limiting the growth of phytoplankton throughout the year in some Jiaozhou Bay waters; and that the silicate deficiency changed the phytoplankton assemblage structure. Analysis of discontinuous 1962 to 1998 nutrient data showed that there was no N or P limitation of phytoplankton growth in that period. The authors consider that the annual cyclic change of silicate limits phytoplankton growth in spring, autumn and winter every year in Jiaozhou Bay; and that in many Jiaozhou Bay waters where the phytoplankton as the predominant species need a great amount of silicate, analysis of the nutrients N or P limitation of phytoplankton growth relying only on the N and P nutrients and DIN∶P ratio could yield inaccurate conclusions. The results obtained by applying the rules of absolute and relative limitation fully support this view. The authors consider that the main function of nutrient silicon is to regulate and control the mechanism of the phytoplankton growth process in the ecological system in estuaries, bays and the sea. The authors consider that according to the evolution theory of Darwin, continuous environmental pressure gradually changes the phytoplankton assemblage's structure and the physiology of diatoms. Diatoms requiring a great deal of silicon either constantly decrease or reduce their requirement for silicon. This will cause a series of huge changes in the ecosystem so that the whole ecosystem requires continuous renewal, change and balancing. Human beings have to reduce marine pollution and enhance the capacity of continental sources to transport silicon to sustain the continuity and stability in the marine ecosystem. This study was funded by the NSFC (No. 40036010) and subsidized by Special Funds from the National Key Basic Research Program of P. R. China (G199990437), the Postdoctoral Foundation of Ocean University of Qingdao, the Director's Foundation of the Beihai Monitoring Center of the State Oceanic Administration and the Foundation of Shanghai Fisheries University.     

Seasonal succession of phytoplankton in response to the variation of environmental factors in the Gaolan River, Three Gorges Reservoir, China

To understand the responses of a freshwater ecosystem to the impoundment of the Three Gorges Reservoir (TGR), phytoplankton was monitored in the tributaries of the TGR area. From August 2010 to July 2011, algal species composition, abundance, chlorophyll a and other environmental parameters were investigated in the Gaolan River, which is a tributary of Xiangxi River. Thirty-one algal genera from seven phyla were identified. Results show that the lowest concentrations of total phosphorus (TP) and total nitrogen (TN) were 0.06 mg/L and 1.08 mg/L, respectively. The values of TP and TN exceeded the threshold concentration of the eutrophic state suggested for freshwater bodies. In the Gaolan River, the succession of phytoplankton showed clear seasonal characteristics. Different dominant species were observed among seasons under the control of environment factors. In spring and summer, the dominant species were Nitzschia sp. and Aphanizomenon flos-aquae (L.) Ralfs, the limiting nutrient was NO ₃ ^? -N, and the key environmental factor for phytoplankton population succession was water temperature (WT). In autumn and winter, the dominant species were A. flos-aquae and Chlorella sp., the limiting nutrient was PO ₄ ^3? -P, and the key environmental factors were transparency and WT. This study illustrates the influence of physical and chemical factors on phytoplankton seasonal succession in a tributary of TGR since the downstream regions of Xiangxi River and Gaolan River became reservoirs after impoundment of the Three Gorges Dam. We suggest that this activity has significantly affected water quality in the dam area.     

Examination of Silicate Limitation of Primary Production in Jiaozhou Bay, North ChinaⅢ.Judgment Method, Rules and Uniqueness of Nutrient Limitation Among N, P, and Si

ＩＮＴＲＯＤＵＣＴＩＯＮＮａｎｄＰｉｎｐｕｔｔｅｄｉｎｔｏＪｉａｏｚｈｏｕＢａｙｂｙｒｉｖｅｒｓａｎｄｂｙｓｅｗａｇｅｅｆｆｌｕｅｎｔｓｏｆｃｉｔｉｅｓ ,ｈａｖｅｍａｄｅｔｈｅＢａｙｂｅｃｏｍｅｍｏｒｅａｎｄｍｏｒｅｅｕｔｒｏｐｈｉｃｄａｙｂｙｄａｙ .Ｓｈｅｎ ( 1994)ｔｈｏｕｇｈｔｔｈａｔｐｈｙｔｏｐｌａｎｋｔｏｎｇｒｏｗｔｈｗａｓｌｉｍｉｔｅｄｂｙｔｈｅｃｈａｎｇｅｆｒｏｍｎｉｔｒｏｇｅｎｔｏｐｈｏｓｐｈｏｒｏｕｓ ;ａｎｄｔｈａｔｔｈｅｓｉｌｉｃａｔｅｃｏｎｃｅｎｔｒａｔｉｏｎｉｎＪｉａｏｚｈ…     

In-situ studies of microzooplankton grazing pressure on phytoplankton in Jiaozhou Bay, China

Preliminary studies on microzooplankton grazing were conducted with dilution method in Jiaozhou Bay from summer 1998 to spring 1999. Four experiments were carried out at St. 5 located at the center of Jiaozhou Bay. Chlorophyll a concentrations were consistently dominated by netphytoplankton (net-, >20μm), except during the autumn 1998 cruise, when they were dominated by nanophytoplankton(nano-, 2–20μm). The contribution of picophytoplankton (pico-, <2μm) to total chlorophyll a concentrations (<200μm) varied considerably between cruises. Instantaneous growth coefficients(u) of phytoplankton varied from 0.098 to 1.947d⁻¹, with mean value of 0.902d⁻¹. Instantaneous coefficients(g) of microzooplankton grazing on phytoplankton ranged from 0.066 to 0.567d⁻¹, mean value of 0.265d⁻¹, which was equivalent to daily lose of 21.9% of the initial standing stock and 58.1% of the daily potential production. Project No KZCX3-SW-214 supported by Chinese Academy of Sciences.     

Spatial-temporal variation of phytoplankton community structure in Jiaozhou Bay,China

To better understand the spatial-temporal variation in phytoplankton community structure and its controlling factors in Jiaozhou Bay,Qingdao,North China,four seasonal sampling were carried out in 2017.The phytoplankton community structure and various environmental parameters were examined.The phytoplankton community in the bay was composed of mainly diatoms and dinoflagellates,and several other species of Chrysophyta were also observed.Diatoms were the most dominant phytoplankton group throughout the year,except in spring and winter,when Noctiluca scintillans was co-dominant.High Si/N ratios in summer and fall reflect the high dominance of diatoms in the two seasons.Temporally,the phytoplankton cell abundance peaked in summer,due mainly to the high temperatures and nutrient concentrations in summer.Spatially,the phytoplankton cell abundance was higher in the northern part of the bay than in the other parts of the bay in four seasons.The diatom cell abundances show significant positive correlations with the nutrient concentrations,while the dinoflagellate cell abundances show no correlation or a negative correlation with the nutrient concentrations but a significant positive correlation with the stratification index.This discrepancy was mainly due to the different survival strategies between diatoms and dinoflagellates.The Shannon-Wiener diversity index(H')values in the bay ranged from 0.08 to 4.18,which fell in the range reported in historical studies.The distribution pattern of H' values was quite different from that of chlorophyll a,indicating that the phytoplankton community structure might have high biomass with a low diversity index.Compared with historical studies,we believe that the dominant phytoplankton species have been changed in recent years due mainly to the changing environment in the Jiaozhou Bay in recent 30 years.     

SPECIES COMPOSITION, HORIZONTAL DISTRIBUTION AND SEASONAL SUCCESSION OF PHYTOPLANKTON IN THE CHANNEL FROM DONGTING LAKE TO THE CHANGJIANG RIVER, CHINA

The species composition, horizontal distribution and seasonal succession of the phyto-plankton at five sampling stations in the channel between Dongting Lake and the Changjiang River, China were studied from May 1995 to December 1997. A total of 416 taxa were observed; diatoms comprised the most diverse taxonomic group representing 58.2 % of the total species. The β-mezotrophic indicators were 92 taxa or 22 % of the total, the a-mezotrophic or α, β-eutrophic indicators decreased distinctly to 20 taxa or 4.8 % of the total. The species number and composition of various phyla were approximately similar at Stations 1, 2, 3 and 4, but at Station 5 the number of species was the minimum and the ratio of diatoms to total phytoplankton in the number of species was the highest. In seasonal succession of the phytoplank-ton species, the number was the highest in May and June, lower in December, January, March and July in the channel. The dominant species were different in different months. The ratio of diatoms species number to blue green algae and green algae species number diminished gradually from winter to summer and autumn, and then increased gradually from autumn to winter and early spring in the annual cycle. Margalef, Simpson and Shannon—Weaver diversity indices changed in different months, their values were higher in winter, lower in summer. Nygaard‘s diatoms quotients were lower in winter, then in spring and autumn, higher in summer. These results indicated that the water quality was the best in winter, better in spring and autumn than in summer. The relationship between the structure of the phytoplankton communi-ty and the water environmental quality was discussed.     

Dynamics of phytoplankton communities in the Jiangdong Reservoir of Jiulong River,Fujian, South China

Phytoplankton blooms occurring in the Jiangdong Reservoir of Jiulong River, Fujian Province, South China, are a potential source of contamination of the drinking water of Xiamen （Amoy） City. To understand the main factors governing phytoplankton composition and succession, we sampled phytoplankton and measured environmental parameters in the reservoir, weekly or biweekly from Jan. 2010 to Feb. 2012. We identified 123 species of phytoplankton from 7 phyla and 74 genera. The major phyla were Chlorophyta, Bacillariophyta, Cryptophyta, Cyanophyta, and Dinophyta. The main trend in the succession of phytoplankton was from prevalence of Cryptophyta-Bacillariophyta communities to those of Chlorophyta-Cyanophyta. High cell concentrations of Cryptophyta, predominantly Komma caudate, Cryptomonas marssonii, and Cryptomonas erosa, were present in winter, associated with low river discharge and cold water. Bacillariophyta, primarily Cyclotella meneghiniana, Aulacoseira granulata, and Aulacoseira granulata var. angustissima, dominated in early spring, coinciding with high turbulence and low irradiance. During early summer and autumn, Chlorophyta, comprising Scenedesmus quadricauda, Dictyosphaerium ehrenbergianum, and Pandorina sp. were prevalent during conditions of warmer water temperatures and low turbulence. Cyanophyta, with dominance ofPseudanabaena mucicola, Merismopedia tenuissima and Raphidiopsis sp. increased throughout the summer, coinciding with higher water temperatures and lower nutrient concentrations. Dinophyta content was occasionally high during winter and summer. Peridiniopsis penardii （Dinophyta） bloomed during winter 2009, with a persistently high biomass recorded into early spring. Canonical correspondence analysis indicated that phytoplankton communities were influenced by river discharge, irradiance, water temperature, and nutrient concentrations.     

A field study on the conversion ratio of phytoplankton biomass carbon to chlorophyll-<Emphasis Type="Italic">a</Emphasis> in Jiaozhou Bay,China

A one-year field study was conducted to determine the conversion ratio of phytoplankton biomass carbon (Phyto-C) to chlorophyll-a (Chl-a) in Jiaozhou Bay, China. We measured suspended particulate organic carbon (POC) and phytoplankton Chl-a samples collected in surface water monthly from March 2005 to February 2006. The temporal and spatial variations of Chl-a and POC concentrations were observed in the bay. Based on the field measurements, a linear regression model II was used to generate the conversion ratio of Phyto-C to Chl-a. In most cases, a good linear correlation was found between the observed POC and Chl-a concentrations, and the calculated conversion ratios ranged from 26 to 250 with a mean value of 56 μg μg⁻¹. The conversion ratio in the fall was higher than that in the winter and spring months, and had the lowest values in the summer. The ratios also exhibited spatial variations, generally with low values in the near shore regions and relatively high values in offshore waters. Our study suggests that temperature was likely to be the main factor influencing the observed seasonal variations of conversion ratios while nutrient supply and light penetration played important roles in controlling the spatial variations.     

Relationship between toxic and harmful microalgae and environmental factors in typical mariculture areas of East China Sea

Toxic and harmful algal blooms are usually more frequent in mariculture areas due to the abundant trophic conditions. To investigate the relationship between toxic and harmful microalgae and environmental factors, we set up 12 stations near three mariculture regions (Gouqi Island, Sandu Bay, and Dongshan Bay) in the East China Sea. We collected samples from all four seasons starting from May 2020 to March 2021. We identified 199 species belonging to 70 genera, of which 38 species were toxic and harmful, including 24 species of Dinophyceae, 13 species of Bacillariophyceae, and 1 species of Raphidophyceae. The species composition of toxic and harmful microalgae showed a predominance of diatoms in the summer (August), and dinoflagellates in the spring (May), autumn (November), and winter (March). The cell densities of toxic and harmful microalgae were higher in summer (with an average value of 15.34×10³ cells/L) than in other seasons, 3.53×10³ cells/L in spring, 1.82×10³ cells/L in winter, and 1.0×10³ cells/L in autumn. Pseudonitzschia pungens, Prorocentrum minimum, Paralia sulcata, and Prorocentrum micans were the dominant species and were available at all 12 stations in the three mariculture areas. We selected 10 toxic and harmful microalgal species with frequency >6 at the survey stations for the redundancy analysis (RDA), and the results show that NO ^?₃ , water temperature (WT), pH, DO, and NO ^?₂ were the main factors on distribution of toxic and harmful microalgae. We concluded that the rich nutrient conditions in the East China Sea mariculture areas increased the potential for the risk of toxic and harmful microalgal bloom outbreaks.

     

Phytoplankton assemblage structure shaped by key environmental variables in the Pearl River Estuary,South China

Spatial distribution and temporal dynamics of phytoplankton community and their relationships with environmental factors were studied in the Pearl River Estuary (PRE), South China, in three seasons. Salinity was considered as the key environmental variable controlling horizontal distributions of phytoplankton community composition. A transition from dominance of freshwater diatoms (Aulacoseira granulata and A. granulata v. angustissima) to estuarine species (Skeletonema costatum and Pseudonitzschia delicatissima) was observed in the high flow season (summer) along the estuary gradient; in the low flow season (spring), the inner estuary was relatively homogeneous and some typical estuarine species could be found near the river mouth. In the normal flow season (autumn), a potentially toxic bluegreen species, Microcystis spp. was predominant in the middle reaches of the estuary, which should be seeded from upstream and transported downstream by river discharges. Phytoplankton abundance was negatively correlated with suspended solid content and nutrient concentration in the PRE, suggesting that turbidity and nutrient availability were the crucial factors regulating the algal biomass. Phytoplankton abundance in the outer estuary was enhanced by increasing irradiance and continued to be enhanced until phosphorus-limitation.     

Standing crop and primary production of benthic microalgae on the tidal flats in Yueqing Bay

The standing stock and primary production of benthic microalgae on tidal flats were measured seasonally at 3 transects (Puqing, Dahengchuang and Puqi) in Yueqing Bay during 2002 2003. The results showed that the integral chlorophyll a (Chl a) concentration in tidal flat mud exhibited a seasonal variation with the order of magnitude: winter (14.0 4.2 mg m-2) > spring (13.0 6.3 mg m-2) > autumn (7.7 5.9 mg m-2) > summer (4.6 3.2 mg m-2). The primary production showed an order of magnitude: spring (270.5 224.9 mgC m-2 d-1)>winter (238.7 225.5 mgC m-2 d-1)>autumn (214.1 56.2 mgC m-2 d-1)>summer (71.6 44.6 mgC m-2 d-1). Both chlorophyll a and primary production showed maximum values in the surface layer of sediment, and decreased rapidly with increasing depth due to sun light limitation. The results of variance analysis indicated that seasonal variation and tidal flat condition affected Chl a greatly, but had no significant effect on primary production. The annual primary production of benthic microalgae on tidal flats in Yueqing Bay was estimated at 16143 tons carbon, which is sufficient to support 1.02×105 tons shellfish production. The environmental factors affecting chlorophyll and primary production on the tidal flats in Yueqing Bay were discussed. By comparing with other bays on China’s coast, it was observed that Yueqing Bay is a region with high benthic microalgae standing crop and primary production, which may be related to the type of its sediment.     

Hydrobiological variables as a regulatory factor on the abundance of heterotrophic flagellates in an urban pond

The seasonal abundance of flagellates has been monitored over a period of 1 year from December2013 to November 2014(divided into 4 conjugative seasons namely winter, spring, summer, and autumn) in an experimental pond located in Rajshahi City Corporation area, Bangladesh. To our knowledge, this study is the first to shed light on the occurrence and possible interrelationships among heterotrophic flagellates(HF),bacteria and zooplankton in Bangladesh and the result obtained by this study will be beneficial for similar water ecosystem all over the world. Standard methods were used to determine the prescribed hydrological parameters and zooplankton cell density. Maximum HF abundance(14 346.00 cells/mL) was found in the spring and the minimum(5 215.00 cells/mL) occurred in the summer. Inverse to HF, significantly(P0.05)higher zooplankton abundance was found during the winter(782.00±47.62 cells/mL) and the lowest value was found in the autumn(448.00±39.15 cells/mL). Whereas similar to the HF, total bacterial abundance was significantly higher during the spring((2.25±1.05)×10~5 cells/mL) and lower in the summer((0.79±0.06)×105 cells/mL). Multivariate analyses(ANOSIM and MDS) have shown significant seasonal differences for cell numbers where MDS ordination plot and cluster analysis based on similarity in the genera abundance of HF revealed overlapping condition between winter and spring. Canonical correspondence analysis(CCA) also showed a distinct separation among the genera based on the prevailing hydrological situation and indicated that temperature, pH, BOD_5, and NO_3~- were the most important environmental variables in determining the observed variation in HF community structure. Among the biological factors, zooplankton showed negative but total bacteria were positively correlated with HF abundance.     

Strategy of photo-protection in phytoplankton assemblages in the Kongsfjorden,Svalbard, Arctic

Photo-protective functions were investigated in phytoplankton assemblages at Kongsfjorden, Svalbard in spring, using their UV-absorbing compounds (mycosporine-like amino acids (MAAs)), xanthophyll pigments (diadinoxanthin (DD) and diatoxanthin (DT)) and < beta >- dimethylsulphoniopropionate (< beta >_-DMSP). The dominant phytoplankton species in the inner bay were dominated by Phaeocystis spp. and nanoflagellates, while the offshore waters were dominated by Thalassiosira spp. In the inner bay, UVabsorbing compounds and xanthophyll pigments exhibited higher ratios of MAA to chlorophyll a (MAA:chl a ratio), and both DD and DT to chlorophyll a (DD:chl a ratio and DT:chl a ratio), respectively. Thus, the photoprotective-pigments such as DD and DT appear to complement MAAs in the natural phytoplankton assemblage. However, the ratio of < beta >_-DMSP to chlorophyll a (< beta >_-DMSP:chl a ratio) did not show a distinct spatial distribution according to environmental factors or interspecies differences. In this study, we found that photoprotective compounds occurred in a manner dependent on the phytoplankton species composition in Kongsfjorden Bay, where Phaeocystis is the dominant species.     

Macrobenthic community in the Xiaoqing River Estuary in Laizhou Bay, China

The macrobenthic community of the Xiaoqing River Estuary and the adjacent sea waters was investigated in May and November 2008, August 2009, and May and September 2010, respectively. A total of 95 species of macrobenthos were identified in the five cruises and most of them were polychaetes (46.39%), mollusks (28.86%) and crustaceans (20.62%). The Shannon-Wiener index of macrobenthos was lower than 2 in 67% sites. Along the stream channel, estuary and the coastal waters, the species of polychaetes reduced gradually, while the abundance increased at first and then decreased. The abundance was the biggest at regions with salinity of 5–20 in the estuary. The species and abundance of mollusks and crustaceans increased gradually. As for seasonal distribution, the species, abundance and biomass were higher in spring and lower in summer and autumn. Contemporaneously compared with Laizhou Bay and Yellow River Estuary, the species of macrobenthos appeared in the Xiaoqing River Estuary were much less, while the percentage of polychaetes was higher. Abundance and biomass were higher in Xiaoqing River estuary, then consequently followed by Laizhou Bay and Yellow River Estuary. The dominant species in Xiaoqing River Estuary was polychaete, and Layzhou Bay mollusk. The community structure characteristics of macrobenthos in the Xiaoqing River Estuary revealed a significant pollution status in this region.