Spatio-temporal distribution of net-collected phytoplankton community and its response to marine exploitation in Xiangshan Bay

To explore the spatial-temporal distribution of the phytoplankton community and evaluate the combined effects of marine resource exploitation, net-collected phytoplankton and physical-chemical parameters were investigated in the Xiangshan Bay during the four seasons of 2010. A total of eight phyla, 97 genera, and 310 species were found, including 232 diatom species, 45 dinoflagellate species and 33 other taxa. The phytoplankton abundances presented a significant (P<0.001) seasonal difference with the average of 60.66×10⁴ cells/m³. Diatoms (mainly consisting of Coscinodiscus jonesianus, Cerataulina pelagica, Skeleto n ema costatum, and genus Chaetoceros) dominated the phytoplankton assemblage in all seasons. We found great spatio-temporal variation in community composition based on the multidimensional scaling and similarity analysis. Canonical correspondence analysis show that temperature, nutrition, illumination, and salinity were the main variables associated with microalgal assemblage. Compared with the previous studies, an increase in phytoplankton abundance and change in the dominant species coincided with increased exploitation activities in this bay (e.g. operation of coastal power plants, intensive mariculture, tidal flat reclamation, and industrial and agricultural development). The present findings suggest that the government should exercise caution when deciding upon developmental patterns in the sea-related economy.