Characteristics of phytoplankton community structure during and after a bloom of the dinoflagellate Scrippsiella trochoidea by HPLC pigment analysis

A bloom of the dinoflagellate Scrippsiella trochoidea was detected for the first time in inner Tolo Harbor, Hong Kong in 2 000. Water samples were collected at eight stations along a transect passing through a red tide patch for microscopic analysis of phytoplankton composition and high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) analysis of phytoplankton pigments. During the bloom, the density of dinoflagellates was 1.1×10⁶ cells L⁻¹ within the patch and 8.6×10⁵ cells L⁻¹ outside the patch where the phytoplankton community was dominated by diatoms. After the bloom the S. trochoidea began to decrease in density and was replaced by diatoms as the dominating bloom-causing organisms at all stations, and the density of dinoflagellates at most stations was less than 1.0 × 10⁶ cells L⁻¹. The status of S. trochoidea as the causative species of the bloom was indicated by the presence of peridinin, the marker pigment for dinoflagellates. The shift from dinoflagellates to diatoms was marked by the decline of peridinin and the prevalence of fucoxanthin. Phytoplankton pigment markers also revealed the presence of other minor phytoplankton assemblages such as cryptomonads and blue-green algal.     

Comparative study of hydrographic conditions for algal bloom formation in the coastal waters of east and west of Hong Kong during 1998

Phytoplankton abundance was found to be positively correlated with seasonal changes of seawater temperature in Port Shelter and Lamma Channel, Hong Kong in 1998. Rising water temperature from around 20°C to 25°C coincided with an increase in phytoplankton abundance at both locations. Heavy rains from June to September reduced salinity from 30 to 20, but the decrease in salinity was not correlated with a decline in phytoplankton abundance. In spring 1998, over 0.6×106 cells dm-3 and 0.1×106 cells dm-3 of the...     

THE BIOGEOCHEMISTRY OF PHOTOSYNTHETIC PIGMENTS IN THE JIULONG RIVER ESTUARY AND WESTERN XIAMEN BAY

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Identification of dissolved and particulate carbonyl compounds produced by marine harmful algal bloom species

Carbonyl compounds,especially polyunsaturated aldehydes(PUAs),are increasingly reported as teratogenic to grazers and deleterious to phytoplankton.While PUAs have been considered to be mainly produced by diatoms after cell wounding,little is known about whether microalgae other than diatoms,particularly harmful algal bloom(HAB)-forming species,produce carbonyl compounds.In this study,we analyzed the carbonyl compounds from eight common HAB-forming species(Akashiwo sanguinea,Karenia mikimotoi,Karlodinium veneficum,Margalefidinium polykrikoides,Prorocentrum donghaiense,P.minimum,Scrippsiella trochoidea,and Heterosig,ma akashiwo)using gas chromatography-mass spectrometry in full scan and selected ion monitoring(SIM)modes.Our results show a ubiquitous presence of carbonyl colmpounds in both dissolved and particulate forms in all species we examined.In the full scan mode,133 chromatographic peaks were detected from 51 samples altogether.Both the varieties of carbonyl compounds and their quantities were algal species dependent,although most of the carbonyl compounds could not be fully identified according to the mass spectral database only due to the unavailability of enough standards for all analytes.Aided with nine standards in SIM mode,we further identified and quantified all nine aldehydes(2-methyl-2-pentenal,trans-2-nonenal,cis-6-nonenal,2,6-dimethyl-5-heptenal,trans-2-hexenal,trans-2-decenal,2,4-heptadienal,trans-trans-2,4-octadienal,and trans-trans-2,4-decadienal).Four of these nine aldehydes were detected in particulate form,which confirmed that trans-2-nonenal could be produced by K.mikimotoi,Karl.veneficum,P.donghaiense,P.minimum,S.trochoidea,and H.akashiwo,2,4-heptadienal and trans-trans-2,4-decadienal by A.sanguinea,M.polykrikoides,and S.trochoidea,and trans,trans-2,4-octadienal by S.trochoidea,respectively.We proved that some dinoflagellate and raphidophyte species could contribute to the pool of carbonyl compounds including PUAs in a marine ecosystem.Some carbonyl compounds,particularly those in high cell quota and/or dissolved concentration,may be related to fishkilling or allelopathy which needs further identification and quantification.     

Effects of Lugol's iodine solution and formalin on cell volume of three bloom-forming dinoflagellates

Fixatives are traditionally used in marine ecosystem research.The bias introduced by fixatives on the dimensions of plankton cells may lead to an overestimation or underestimation of the carbon biomass.To determine the impact of traditional fixatives on dinoflagellates during short-and long-term fixation,we analyzed the degree of change in three bloom-forming dinoflagellates(Prorocentrum micans,Scrippsiella trochoidea and Noctiluca scintillans) brought about by Lugol's iodine solution(hereafter Lugol's) and formalin.The fixation effects were species-specific.P.micans cell volume showed no significant change following long-term preservation,and S.trochoidea swelled by approximately 8.06% in Lugol's and by 20.97% in formalin as a percentage of the live cell volume,respectively.N.scintillans shrank significantly in both fixatives.The volume change due to formalin in N.scintillans was not concentration-dependent,whereas the volume shrinkage of N.scintillans cells fixed with Lugol's at a concentration of 2% was nearly six-fold that in cells fixed with Lugol's at a concentration of 0.6%-0.8%.To better estimate the volume of N.scintillans fixed in formalin at a concentration of 5%,we suggest that the conversion relationship was as follows:volume of live cell=volume of intact fixed cell/0.61.Apart from size change,damage induced by fixatives on N.scintillans was obvious.Lugol's is not a suitable fixative for N.scintillans due to high frequency of broken cells.Accurate carbon biomass estimate of N.scintillans should be performed on live samples.These findings help to improve the estimate of phytoplankton cell volume and carbon biomass in marine ecosystem.     

HPLC pigment profiles of 31 harmful algal bloom species isolated from the coastal sea areas of China

Chemotaxonomy based on diagnostic pigments is now a routine tool for macroscopic determination of the composition and abundance of phytoplankton in various aquatic environments. Since the taxonomic capability of this method depends on the relationships between diagnostic pigments and chlorophyll a of classified groups, it is critical to calibrate it by using pigment relationships obtained from representative and/or dominant species local to targeted investigation area. In this study, pigment profiles of 31 harmful algal bloom(HAB) species isolated from the coastal sea areas of China were analyzed with high performance liquid chromatography(HPLC). Pigment compositions, cellular pigment densities and ratios of pigments to chlorophyll a were determined and calculated. Among all these species, 25 kinds of pigments were detected, of which fucoxanthin, peridinin, 19'-butanoyloxyfucoxanthin, 19'-hexanoyloxyfucoxanthin, violaxanthin, and antheraxanthin were diagnostic pigments. Cellular pigment density was basically independent of species and environmental conditions, and therefore was recommended as a bridge to compare the results of HPLC-CHEMTAX technique with the traditional microscopy method. Pigment ratios of algal species isolated from the coast of China, especially the diagnostic pigment ratios, were higher than those from other locations. According to these results, pigment ratio ranges of four classes of phytoplankton common off the coast of China were summarized for using in the current chemotaxonomic method. Moreover, the differences of pigments ratios among different species under the same culturing conditions were consistent with their biological differences. Such differences have the potential to be used to classify the phytoplankton below class, which is meaningful for monitoring HABs by HPLC-CHEMTAX.     

Amplicon-Based Illumina Sequencing and Quantitative PCR Reveals Nanoplankton Diversity and Biomass in Surface Water of Qinhuangdao Coastal Area,China

Aureococcus anophagefferens caused brown tides for three consecutive years from 2009 to 2011 in the coastal waters of Qinhuangdao, China, with numerous, widespread ecological and economic impact on ecosystems. To understand the population dynamics of nanoplankton during the brown tides, sequences of the V9 region of the 18 S rDNA gene, used as a marker, were analyzed by Illumina sequencing to assess nanoplankton biomass, and real-time fluorescence quantitative PCR was performed to analyze spatial variation in the 18 S rDNA copy concentrations of nanoplankton off the Qinhuangdao coast in July, 2011. The results showed that A. anophagefferens and Minutocellus polymorphus were the dominant species in the local phytoplankton community during the brown tide in July 2011. The highest 18 S rDNA copy concentrations of A. anophagefferens and M. polymorphus were detected at stations SHG and FN, respectively. The central area most strongly affected by the brown tide migrated southward from 2011 to 2013. Redundancy analysis(RDA) showed that the decreasing NOx concentration might provide suitable nutrient conditions for the A. anophagefferens outbreak. During the brown tide caused by A. anophagefferens, other phytoplankton, such as diatoms, cryptophytes, chlorophytes, dinoflagellates and other flagellates, could co-occur with it. For zooplankton, due to less selective feeding behavior, Amoebozoa was the most abundant zooplankton at station SHG, while Ciliophora was the most abundant zooplankton at other stations for its more selective feeding.     

A dinoflagellate <Emphasis Type="Italic">Cochlodinium geminatum</Emphasis> bloom in the Zhujiang (Pearl) River estuary in autumn 2009

A severe Cochlodinium geminatum red tide (>300 km2) was observed in the Zhujiang (Pearl) River estuary, South China Sea in autumn 2009. We evaluated the environmental conditions and phytoplankton community structure during the outbreak. The red tide water mass had significantly higher dissolved inorganic phosphate (DIP), ammonia, and temperature, but significantly lower nitrite, nitrate, dissolved inorganic nitrogen (DIN), and DIN/DIP relative to the non-red-tide zones. The phytoplankton assemblage was dominated by dinoflagellates and diatoms during the red tide. C. geminatum was the most abundant species, with a peak density of 4.13×107 cell/L, accounting for >65% of the total phytoplankton density. The DIN/DIP ratio was the most important predictor of species, accounting for 12.45% of the total variation in the phytoplankton community. Heavy phosphorus loading, low precipitation, and severe saline intrusion were likely responsible for the bloom of C. geminatum.     

Seasonal variation in fatty acid composition of seston and the copepod Calanus sinicus (Brodsky, 1962) in Jiaozhou Bay and its trophic implications

The fatty acid compositions of seston and Calanus sinicus were investigated to study trophic relationships in Jiaozhou Bay. Principal component analysis was carried out to ordinate the fatty acid patterns of seston in stations and months. The results showed that diatoms were most abundant in the phytoplankton at station A5 (located in the northwest of the bay:36°9′N, 120°20′E) and least abundant at station D7 (located outside of the bay: 35°59′N, 120°26′E). By contrast, dinoflagellates were most abundant at station D7 and least abundant at station A5. According to the annual variations of 16:1ω7 and 18:4ω3/ 16:1ω7, diatoms flourished mainly in spring and summer, while dinoflagellates bloomed exclusively in summer. A distinctive feature of the fatty acid composition of C. sinicus was the prevalence of 20:5ω3 and 22:6ω3. The higher content of 16:1ω7 over 18:4ω3 in females indicated that diatoms contributed more than dinoflagellates to the diet of C. sinicus. The feeding intensity of C. sinicus on diatoms was higher in spring and autumn than in other seasons. The herbivorous indicators 20:1 and 22:1 were comparatively low, suggesting that besides phytoplankton, C. sinicus might feed on a wider range of particles including organic detritus, bacteria and small copepods.     

Distribution patterns of phytoplankton in the Changjiang River estuary and adjacent waters in spring 2009

The Changjiang River estuary and adjacent waters are one of the most notable regions for red tides/harmful algal blooms in China's coastal waters.In this study,phytoplankton samples were collected and analyzed during the outbreak stage of red tides in May 2009.It was found that dinoflagellates,Prorocentrum donghaiense and Karenia mikimotoi,and diatoms,Skeletonema spp.and Paralia sulcata,were the major taxa dominating the phytoplankton community.Cluster analysis,non-metric multidimensional scaling(NMDS) and analysis of similarities(ANOSIM) was conducted on a data matrix including taxa composition and cell abundance of the phytoplankton samples.The analyses categorized the samples into three groups at a similarity level of 30%.Group Ⅰ was characterized by estuarine diatoms and distributed mainly in the highly turbid estuarine region.Group Ⅱ,which was dominated by the diatom Skeletonema spp.and represented the red tide of Skeletonema spp.,was situated around Group Ⅰ in the sea area west of 122°50'E.Group Ⅲ was characterized by a high proportion of dinoflagellates and was found further offshore compared with Groups Ⅰ and Ⅱ.Group Ⅲ was further divided into two subgroups(Ⅲ-S1 and Ⅲ-S2) at a similarity level of 40%.Group Ⅲ-S1 was characterized by the presence of the benthic diatom P.sulcata,representing phytoplankton samples collected either from the bottom or from the sea area affected by upwelling.GroupⅢ-S2 was dominated by dinoflagellates and represented red tides formed by P.donghaiense and K.mikimotoi.A gradual change of red-tide causative species was observed from the estuary to the offshore sea area,from diatoms to armored dinoflagellates and then unarmored dinoflagellates.Environmental factors associated with each group,and thus affecting the distribution of phytoplankton and red tides,are discussed.     

Abundance, biomass and composition of spring ice algal and phytoplankton communities of the Laptev Sea （Arctic）

Abundance,biomass and composition of the ice algal and phytoplank-ton communities were investigated in the southeastern Laptev Sea in spring 1999.Diatoms dominated the algal communities and pennate diatoms dominated the dia-tom population.12 dominant algal species occurred within sea ice and underlyingwater column,including Fragilariopsis oceanica,F.cylindrus,Nitzschiafrigida,N.promare,Achnanthes taeniata,Nitzschia neofrigida,Naviculapelagica,N.vanhoef fenii,N.septentrionalis,Melosira arctica,Clindrothecaclosterium and Pyrarnimonas sp.The algal abundance of bottom 10 cm sea icevaried between 14.6 and 1562.2×10~4 ceils l~(-1)with an average of 639.0×10~4cells l~(-1),and the algal biomass ranged from 7.89 to 2093.5μg C l~(-1)with an av-erage of 886.9μg C l~(-1),which were generally one order of magnitude higherthan those of sub-bottom ice and two orders of magnitude higher than those ofunderlying surface water.The integrated algal abundance and biomass of lower-most 20 cm ice column were averagely 7.7 and 12.2 times as those of upper 20 mwater column,respectively,suggesting that the ice algae might play an importantrole in maintaining the coastal marine ecosystem before the thawing of sea ice.Icealgae influenced the phytoplankton community of the underlying water column.However,the“seeding”of ice algae for phytoplankton bloom was negligible be-cause of the iow phytoplankton biomass within the underlying water column.     

Allelopathic effects of mixotrophic dinoflagellate Akashiwo sanguinea on co-occurring phytoplankton: the significance of nutritional ecology

Blooms of Akashiwo sanguinea frequently break out around the world, causing huge economic losses to the aquaculture industry and seriously damaging coastal ecosystems. However, the formation mechanisms of A. sanguinea blooms remain unclear. We investigated the allelopathic effects of A. sanguinea on multiple phytoplankton species, explored the mode of allelochemicals action and the way of nutrient factors regulation of the allelopathic activity. Results show that strains of A. sanguinea could inhibit the growth of co-occurring phytoplankton including Scrippsiella trochoidea, Phaeocystis globosa, and Rhodomonas salina, but inhibition of Prorocentrum micans was not obvious. The inhibition rates on phytoplankton were positively correlated with the cell densities of A. sanguinea. The highest inhibition rate of 94% on R. salina was for A. sanguinea CCMA256 culture of 2 000 cells/mL at 72 h. We observed that cells of S. trochoidea, Ph. g lobosa, and R. sali na were lysed when co-cultured with A. sanguinea, with the shortest time for S. trochoidea. Additionally, the growth rates of A. sanguinea were promoted by coculturing with S. trochoidea, Ph. globosa, and R. salina. Four components of A. sanguinea culture were all able to inhibit growth of R. salina:the strongest inhibitory effect was found in the sonicated culture, followed by whole-cell culture, filtrates of sonicated culture, and filtrate culture. The crude extract of A. sanguinea culture also lysed cells of R. salina, and the inhibition rates on R. salina increased with the increasing dose of crude extract. It was shown that both nutrient enrichment and nitrogen:phosphorus ratio imbalance enhanced remarkably the allelopathic activity of A. sanguinea. The highest inhibition rate on R. salina of 70% occurred in A. sanguinea JX13 treatment at 2 000 cells/mL under high nutrient condition in 48 h. In JX14 treatment at 2 000 cells/mL for N:P of 10:1, the inhibition rate increased by 1.7 times of that for N:P of 20:1. In addition, the allelopathy of A. sanguinea could not only be a competitive strategy but also a nutrition strategy, playing an important role in formation and/or maintenance of blooms of the mixotrophic dinoflagellate A. sanguinea.     

Pigment characterization for the 2011 bloom in Qinhuangdao implicated "brown tide" events in China

A large-scale bloom occurred from May to June in 2011 in sea area near Qinhuangdao of the Bohai Sea, leading to huge damage of the scallop culture industry. Similar blooms have been observed in this region for three years. The causative species of the bloom, which dominated the phytoplankton community with the maximum cell density around 109 cell/L, could not be identified with morphological features due to the small cell size (~2 mm). A pigment analytical method was then adopted to analyze the pigment profile of the phytoplankton samples collected from the blooming sea area. It was found that pico-sized (<2 mm), nano-sized (2-20 mm), and bulk phytoplankton samples had similar pigment profile, representing the pigment signature of the bloom-causative species. The major pigments detected included 19-butanoyloxyfucoxanthin (But-fuco), fucoxanthin (Fuco), diadinoxanthin (Diad) and chlorophyll a (Chl a), and high content of But-fuco was the most significant characteristics of the phytoplankton samples. Based on the pigment composition and content, the bloom-causative species could be tentatively identified as pelagophyte, "type 8" group of haptophyte, or silicoflagellate. Some unique features of the bloom, such as the extremely high cell density, small-sized and But-fuco containing cells, occurring in early summer, and the feeding-cessation effects on scallops, suggest it be a "brown tide" event similar to those reported in the east coast of the United States of America. The recurrent "brown tide" events and their dramatic impacts on the shellfish mariculture industry in Qinhuangdao need close attention in the coming years.     

Physicochemical conditions in affecting the distribution of spring phytoplankton community

To better understand the physicochemical conditions in af fecting regional distribution of phytoplankton community, one research cruise was carried out in the Bohai Sea and Yellow Sea during 3 rd and 23 th May, 2010. The phytoplankton community, including Bacillariophyta(105 taxa), Pyrrophyta(54 taxa), Chrysophyta(1 taxon) and Chlorophyta(2 taxa), had been identified and clearly described from six ecological provinces. And, the six ecological provinces were partitioned based on the top twenty dominant species related with notable physicochemical parameters. In general, the regional distributions of phytoplankton ecological provinces were predominantly influenced by the physicochemical properties induced by the variable water masses and circulations. The predominant diatoms in most of water samples showed well adaptability in turbulent and eutrophic conditions. However, several species of dinoflagellates e.g., Protoperidinium conicum, Protoperidinium triestinum, Protoperidinium sp. and Gymnodinium lohmanni preferred warmer, saltier and nutrient-poor environment. Moreover, the dinoflagellates with high frequency in the Yellow Sea might be transported from the Yellow Sea Warm Current. The horizontal distribution of phytoplankton was depicted by diatoms and controlled by phosphate concentration, while the vertical distribution was mainly supported by light and nutrients availability in the subsurface and bottom layers, respectively.     

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.     

Temporal dynamics of phytoplankton communities in a semi-enclosed mariculture pond and their responses to environmental factors

Variations in physical-chemical factors, species composition, abundance and biomass of nano- and micro-phytoplankton assemblages, as well as their responses to environmental factors, were investigated over a complete cycle (6 months) in a semi-enclosed shrimp-farming pond near Qingdao, northern China. The aim was to establish the temporal patterns of phytoplankton communities and to evaluate protists as suitable bioindicators to water quality in mariculture systems. A total of 34 taxa with nine dominant species were identified, belonging to six taxonomic groups (dinoflagellates, diatoms, cryptophyceans, chlorophyceans, euglenophyceans and chrysophyceans). A single peak of protist abundance occurred in October, mainly due to chlorophyceans, diatoms and chrysophyceans. Two biomass peaks in July and October were primarily due to dinoflagellates and diatoms. Temporal patterns of the phytoplankton communities significantly correlated with the changes in nutrients, temperature and pH, especially phosphate, either alone or in combination with NO₃-N and NH₃-N. Species diversity, evenness and richness indices were clearly correlated with water temperature and/or salinity, whereas the biomass/abundance ratio showed a significant correlation with NO₃-N. The results suggest that phytoplankton are potentially useful bioindicators to water quality in semi-enclosed mariculture systems.     

Classification of marine diatoms using pigment ratio suites

Diatoms are widely distributed in many temperate areas and some species frequently form extensive blooms in spring. Hence, monitoring the variations of specific genera or species of diatoms is necessary for studying phytoplankton population dynamics in marine ecosystems. To test whether pigment ratios can be used to identify diatoms at a below-class taxonomic level, we analyzed 14 species/strains of diatoms isolated from Chinese seas using high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC). We normalized all pigment concentrations to total chlorophyll a to calculate the ratios of pigment to chlorophyll a, and calculated the ratios between accessory pigments (or pigment sums). Cluster analysis indicated that these diatoms could be classified into four clusters in terms of three accessory pigment ratios: chlorophyll c2: chlorophyll c1, fucoxanthin:total chlorophyll c and diadinoxanthin:diatoxanthin. The classification results matched well with those of biological taxonomy. To test the stability of the classification, pigment data from one species, cultured under different light intensities, and five new species/strains were calculated and used for discriminant analysis. The results show that the classification of diatom species using pigment ratio suites was stable for the variations of pigment ratios of species cultured in different light intensities. The introduction of new species, however, may confuse the classification within the current scheme. Classification of marine diatoms using pigment ratio suites is potentially valuable for the fine chemotaxonomy of phytoplankton at taxonomic levels below class and would advance studies on phytoplankton population dynamics and marine ecology.     

Short- and long-term response of phytoplankton to ENSO in Prydz Bay,Antarctica: Evidences from field measurements,remote sensing data and stratigraphic biomarker records

The study provides one of the first lines of evidence showing linkages between Antarctic phytoplankton abundance and composition in response to ENSO, based on historical reconstruction of sediment biomarkers. In addition to sediment biomarkers, field measured and remote sensing data of phytoplankton abundance were also recorded from Prydz Bay, Eastern Antarctica. Com-munity structure of field measured phytoplankton showed significant El Ni？o/La Ni？a-related succession during 1990 to 2002. In general, the number of algae species decreased during El Ni？o and La Ni？a years compared to normal years. Austral summer monthly variation of remotely sensed chlorophyll-a （Chl-a）, particulate organic carbon （POC）, and sea surface temperature （SST） indicated that ENSO impacted the timing of phytoplankton blooms during 2007 to 2011. Phytoplankton blooms （indicated by Chl-a and POC） preceded the increases in SST during El Ni？o years, and lagged behind the SST increases during La Ni？a years. Stratigraphic record of marine sedimentary lipid （brassicasterol, dinosterol and alkenones） biomarkers inferred that the proportions of different algae （diatoms, dinoflagellates and haptophytes） changed significantly between El Ni？o and La Ni？a events. The relative proportion of diatoms increased, with that of dinoflagellates being decreased during El Ni？o years, while it was reversed during La Ni？a years.     

Production of DMS and DMSP in different physiological stages and salinity conditions in two marine algae

Dimethylsulfide(DMS) and dimethylsulfoniopropionate(DMSP) production by Scrippsiella trochoidea and Prorocentrum minimum was investigated to characterize the effects of physiological stage and salinity on DMS and DMSP pools of these two marine phytoplankton species.Axenic laboratory cultures of the two marine algae were tested for DMSP production and its conversion into DMS.The results demonstrated that both algal species could produce DMS,but the average concentration of DMS per cell in S.trochoidea(12.63 fmol/L) was about six times that in P.minimum(2.01 fmol/L).DMS and DMSP concentrations in algal cultures varied significantly at different growth stages,with high release during the late stationary growth phase and the senescent phase.DMS production induced by three salinities(22,28,34) showed that the DMS concentrations per cell in the two algal cultures increased with increasing salinity,which might result from intra-cellular DMSP up-regulation with the change of osmotic stress.Our study specifies the distinctive contributions of different physiological stages of marine phytoplankton on DMSP and DMS production,and clarifies the influence of salinity conditions on the release of DMS and DMSP.As S.trochoidea and P.minimum are harmful algal bloom species with high DMS production,they might play an additional significant role in the sulfur cycle when a red tide occurs.     

Kuroshio intrusion drives the Trichodesmium assemblage and shapes the phytoplankton community during spring in the East China Sea

To understand the influence of Kuroshio intrusion on the phytoplankton community,a field investigation was conducted in spring 2017 in the East China Sea(ECS),and 130 seawater samples were collected and analyzed.Trichodesmium comprised the highest cell abundance contributing about 66%of the total phytoplankton followed by diatoms(17%) and dinoflagellates(16%).The dominance of the Kuroshio Waters(KW) and the Taiwan Warm Currents(TWC) were higher than the Coastal Waters(CW).The vertical distribution of physicochemical parameters depicted the intrusion of KW at the bottom layer,but it failed to reach the surface as strong upwelling was not initiated.Therefore,the dissolved inorganic phosphate(DIP) concentrations and P/N ratios were the lowest in the CW and the upper water layers,which limited the diatom growth in this area.Besides,the dinoflagellates cell abundance was also lower except in the surface and CW,though they comprised the maximum richness of species among the phytoplankton community.However,the unique characteristics such as diazotrophy and gas vacuoles of Trichodesmium made the situation advantageous,and they comprised the maximum cell abundance in this area especially in KW and the TWC.Temperature,DIP and P/N ratios appeared to be the major environmental drivers for Trichodesmium proliferation in the ECS during the study period.