Spatio-temporal variability of phytoplankton assemblages in the Pearl River estuary, with special reference to the influence of turbidity and temperature

The Pearl River Estuary is among the largest estuaries in the subtropical areas of the world. Along the salinity and turbidity gradient between the freshwater reach of the Pearl River and the marine water of the South China Sea, the spatial and temporal composition and abundance of phytoplankton was examined in relation to physic-chemical variables during the dry and wet seasons of 2009. Water samples for phytoplankton and environmental parameters were collected from 18 stations during two seasons along a transect from upper estuary to estuarine and marine sectors. A total of 162 species belonging to 7 phyla were identified, with diatoms dominated in both seasons while dinoflagellates proliferated in autumn. Two main clusters and three sub-clades under each main cluster corresponding to seasons and water sectors were defined with multivariate analysis (cluster and nMDS). Based on the species composition and abundance of phytoplankton, both seasonal and spatial variability were observed at a significant level (ANOSIM: season effect, R=0.896, P<0.01; station effect, R=0.463, P<0.01). The correlation analysis between biotic and abiotic variables indicated that instead of the “proverbial” anthropogenic nutrients loading and salinity gradient, the best 2-variable combination (temperature and turbidity) showed a significant effect on the pattern of phytoplankton assemblages (ρ_w=0.49, BIOENV analysis) between wet and dry seasons in the Pearl River Estuary. This result suggests that physical disturbance either natural or manmade is a more important factor in regulating the phytoplankton community structure within the hydrologically distinct zone of estuaries.     

Petrology of the greenstones of the Lower Sorachi Group in the Sorachi–Yezo Belt, central Hokkaido, Japan, with special reference to discrimination between oceanic plateau basalts and mid-oceanic ridge basalts

Abstract   The Lower Sorachi Group of the Sorachi–Yezo Belt in central Hokkaido, Japan is a peculiar accretionary complex characterized by numerous occurrences of greenstones (metabasalts and diabases), which are mostly composed of aphyric basalts. Clinopyroxene-rich phenocryst assemblage in phyric basalts is different from olivine–plagioclase assemblage in mid-oceanic ridge basalts (MORB). The greenstones are geochemically uniform, and show a lower-Ti trend than MORB in an FeO*/MgO-TiO₂ diagram, mostly plotting on the island arc tholeiite (IAT) field in a TiO₂−10MnO−10P₂O₅ diagram. In a MORB-normalized spider diagram, the greenstones show a flat pattern from P to Y, which are lower than those of normal mid-oceanic ridge basalt (N-MORB). These indicate that the greenstones were derived by a higher degree of partial melting from a depleted mantle similar to a N-MORB source, and experienced olivine–clinopyroxene fractional crystallization. However, a positive spike of Nb in the spider diagram cannot be explained, and may be attributed to mantle heterogeneity. These characteristics are analogous to those of oceanic plateau basalts (OPB) such as in Ontong Java Plateau, Manihiki Plateau and Nauru Basin, suggesting that the greenstones in the Lower Sorachi Group are of oceanic plateau origin. The present study proposes new field divisions to distinguish OPB from MORB in the conventional FeO*/MgO–TiO₂ and TiO₂−10MnO−10P₂O₅ diagrams.