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.     

Phytoplankton Assemblage of Yangtze River Estuary and the Adjacent East China Sea in Summer, 2004

A cruise was conducted from late August to early September 2004 with the intention of obtaining an interdisciplinary understanding of the Yangtze River Estuary including the biological, chemical and physical subjects. Water sample analysis indicated that total phytoplankton species richness was 137. Of them 81 were found in Bacillariophyta and 48 in Pyrrophyta, accounting for 59.1% and 35.0% respectively. The average cell abundance of surface water samples was 8.8×104 cells L-1, with the maximum, 102.9×104 cells L-1, encountered in the area (31.75°N, 122.33°E) and the minimum, 0.2×104 cells L-1, in (30.75°N, 122.17°E). The dominant species at most stations were Skeletonema costatum and Proboscia alata f. gracillima with the dominance of 0.35 and 0.27. Vertical distribution analysis indicated that obvious stratification of cell abundance and dominant species was found in the representative stations of 5, 18 and 33. Shannon-Wiener index and evenness of phytoplankton assemblage presented negative correlation with the cell abundance, with the optimum appearing in (30.75°N, 122.67°E). According to the PCA analysis of the environmental variables, elevated nutrients of nitrate, silicate and phosphate through river discharge were mainly responsible for the phytoplankton bloom in this area.     

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.     

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…     

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.     

小东江茂名段浮游生物及污染状况分析

2007年7月对茂名市小东江的浮游生物及污染状况进行调查和分析,结果共检出浮游植物122种,其中蓝藻门15属34种,占(总种类数,下同)27.9%,硅藻门16属26种,占21.3%,绿藻门29属52种,占42.6%,裸藻门3属6种,占4.9%,金藻门1属1种,占0.8%,黄藻门3属3种,占2.5%;浮游动物78种,其中原生动物门26属36种,占46.2%,轮虫动物门9属16种,占20.5%,节肢动物门枝角类8属14种,占17.9%,桡足类10属11种,占14.1%,水生昆虫1属1种,占1.3%。各调查断面浮游植物的种类数平均为37种,细胞密度在11.3×104~19.5×104/L,Ⅴ断面最高,Ⅰ断面最低,平均为14.4×104/L;浮游动物种类数平均为27种,密度平均为2 895/L。相邻断面间Jaccard种类相似性指数范围为0.13~0.23,各断面环境异质性相差较大,该季节河水流动性小。叶绿素a含量为19.9~45.3μg/L,它与细胞密度呈显著的正相关,与无机氮、无机磷和COD均不存在明显的相关性。各断面的浮游植物多样性指数为3.1~4.5,均匀度为0.62~0.85;浮游动物的多样性指数为2.7~3.9,均匀度我0.59~0.80。对βm-αm指示种种类组成和群落结构分析,Ⅱ、Ⅲ、Ⅳ、Ⅴ断面水质属生态中污类型,而Ⅰ断面属生态寡污类型。以国家地表水质量标准评判,各断面COD含量为Ⅰ类水;无机氮含量除Ⅰ断面外,其他断面均为Ⅲ类水;无机磷含量均优于Ⅱ类水;石油类除Ⅰ、Ⅱ断面为Ⅳ类水外,其他断面均为Ⅴ类水。单因子污染指数分析表明,小东江流域水质为中污染至重污染之间。     

Study on the phytoplankton · in a large reservoir

A comprehensive study on the community structure and function of the phytoplankton in Taipinghu Reservoir, the largest reservoir (9400 ha) in Anhui Province, China, was carried out during 1985–1986. A total of 175 species of algae belonging to 8 phyla and 87 genera was noted. The composition of phytoplankton was dominated by species of Chlorophyta, Cyanophyta and Bacillariophyta. The species number, cell density and biomass of the three groups were respectively 88%, 86.5% and 78.9% of the total phytoplankton. The weighted annual average biomass was 1.52 mg/L and cell density was 1.43×10⁶ ind/L. The growth maximum was observed in summer. Diatoms were abundant in the region adjoining a river. A large number of flagellated algae such asEuglena andChromulina occurred in the artificial fish culture bay. It can be inferred from the algal composition and total nitrogen concentration (1.48 mg/L) that this reservoir is a mesotrophic water body that had undergone slight natural eutrophication. Presented are an equation for the relation between cell density and biomass of algae and a newly developed method based on the energy flow principle in ecology for theoretically estimating algal fishery potential. The algae volumes of 128 species were measured for calculating the biomass.     

Distribution and abundance of pelagic tunicates in the North Yellow Sea

In this paper, the distribution patterns and abundance of pelagic tunicates in the North Yellow Sea of China during the period 2006-2007 were analyzed. Zooplankton samples were obtained with vertical towing from bottom to surface using a WP2 plankton net(200 μm mesh size; mouth area: 0.25 m2). Five species belonging to two classes were identified: Oikopleura dioica, O. longicauda and Fritillaria borealis belonging to class Appendicularia; Salpa fusiformis and Doliolum denticulatum of class Thaliacea. O. dioica and O. longicauda were the dominant species, occurring in the samples of all four seasons, with different distribution patterns. Their maximum abundance were 1664.7 ind. m-3(spring) and 1031.7 ind. m-3(spring) respectively. Following Oikopleura spp. were D. denticulatum, which was found only in autumn with an average abundance of 149.6 ind. m-3, and S. fusiformis, which was detected all the year long except for autumn with low abundance(max. abundance 289.4 ind. m-3 in summer). Only a very small amount of F. borealis was detected in summer samples, with an average abundance of 2.7 ind. m-3. The relationship between tunicates abundances and the environmental factors was analyzed using the stepwise regression model for each species. The variation of appendicularian abundance showed a significant correlation with the surface water temperature and with the concentration of Chl-a. No relationship was found between tunicates abundance and salinity, likely due to the slight changes in surface salinity of the studied area during the four seasons. Salps abundance and that of doliolids were significantly correlated to bottom water temperature, indicating that these two species(S. fusiformis and D. denticulatum) migrate vertically in the water column. In particular D. denticulatum, known to be a warm water species, showed not only an important correlation with water temperature, but also a spatial distribution connected to the warm currents in the North Yellow Sea. The occurrence of D. denticulatum represents an interesting result never found in past research work. Water temperature, algal distribution and currents were the most relevant environmental factors influencing the tunicate abundance and distribution in the North Yellow Sea. Further research is needed in order to get more information on the ecology of these organisms and to better understand their role in the ecosystem including the oceanic food web.     

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.     

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.     

Seasonal variations in the phytoplankton community and the relationship between environmental factors of the sea around Xiaoheishan Island in China

Seasonal variations in the phytoplankton community and the relationship between environmental factors of the sea area around Xiaoheishan Island are investigated in the present study. Xiaoheishan Island is located at 37°58′14″N and 120°38′46″E in Shandong Province, China. A total of 65 species of phytoplankton belonging to three phyla and 27 genera were identified, with Bacillariophyta having the largest number of species. The annual average chlorophyll a concentration for this area was 3.11 μg/L, and there occurs a Skeletonema costatum bloom in winter. The Shannon-Weaver indexes(log_2) of the phytoplankton from all stations were higher than 1, and the Pielou indexes were all higher than 0.3. The results of the canonical correspondence analysis(CCA) indicated that water temperature, PO_4~(3ˉ) and Cu were the environmental factors that had the greatest influence on the distribution of the phytoplankton community throughout the entire year. Although the concentration of heavy metal is well up to the state standards of the first grade of China(GB 3097-1997), these metals still have an impact on the phytoplankton community from this area.     

Maixi River estuary to the Baihua Reservoir in the Maotiao River catchment: phytoplankton community and environmental factors

Phytoplankton and environmental variables were measured monthly from July 2009 to August 2011 in the Maixi River from the estuary to Baihua Reservoir in the Maotiao River catchment,southwestern China,to understand phytoplankton community structure and environmental factors.The relationship between phytoplankton community structure and environmental factors including hydrological,meteorological,physical,and chemical variables were explored using multivariate analysis.A total of 81 taxa of phytoplankton were identified,which were mainly composed of chlorophyta,bacillariophyta,and cyanobacteria.The phytoplankton community was dominated by Pseudanabaena limnetica during summer and fall and by Cyclotella meneghiniana during winter and spring.The abundance of phytoplankton ranged from 0.24×104 cells/L to 33.45×106 cells/L,with the minimum occurring during February 2010 and the maximum during July 2009.The phytoplankton community was dominated mainly by cyanobacteria from April to September,and by bacillariophyta and pyrrophyta from October to March.Canonical correspondence analysis showed that temperature,pH values,and orthophosphate were the most important driving factors regulating the composition and dynamics of the phytoplankton community in the estuary.Cyanobacteria and euglenophyta abundance and biomass were affected mainly by temperature and pH values,while most chlorophyta and bacillariophyta were influenced by the concentrations of nutrients.     

Spatio-temporal distribution of phytoplankton in the Danjiangkou Reservoir, a water source area for the Southto-North Water Diversion Project (Middle Route), China

One of the water source areas of the South-to-North Water Diversion Project is the Danjiangkou Reservoir (DJKR). To understand seasonal variation in phytoplankton composition, abundance and distribution in the DJKR area before water diversion, as well as to estimate potential risks of water quality after water diversion, we conducted an investigation on phytoplankton in the DJKR from August 2008 to May 2009. The investigation included 10 sampling sites, each with four depths of 0.5, 5, 10, and 20 m. In this study, 117 taxa belonging to 76 genera were identified, consisting of diatoms (39 taxa), green algae (47 taxa), blue-green algae (19 taxa), and others (12 taxa). Annual average phytoplankton abundance was 2.01 × 10⁶ ind./L, and the highest value was 14.72 × 10⁶ ind/L (at site 3 in August 2008). Phytoplankton abundance in front of the Danjiangkou Dam (DJKD) was higher than that of the Danjiang Reservoir Basin. Phytoplankton distribution showed a vertical declining trend from 0.5 m to 20 m at most sites in August 2008 (especially at sites of 1, 2, 4 and 10), but no distinct pattern in other sampling months. In December 2008 and March 2009, Stephanodiscus sp. was the most abundant species, amounting to 55.23% and 72.34%, respectively. We propose that high abundance of Stephanodiscus sp. may have contributed greatly to the frequent occurrence of Stephanodiscus sp. blooms in middle-low reaches of the Hanjiang River during the early spring of 2009. In comparison with previous studies conducted from 1992 to 2006, annual average phytoplankton density, green algae and blue-green algae species, as well as major nutrient concentrations increased, while phytoplankton diversity indices declined. This indicates a gradual decline in water quality. More research should be conducted and countermeasures taken to prevent further deterioration of water quality in the DJKR.     

Phytoplankton distribution and community structure in the East China Sea (ECS) continental shelf

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Composition and distribution of planktonic ciliates in the southern South China Sea during late summer: Comparison between surface and 75 m deep layer

Ciliates are very important components in most marine ecosystem.They are trophic link between the microbial food web and grazing food chain.In this study,ciliates were collected from 11 sites in the southern South China Sea(SCS) during August 25 to September 28,2011.Their composition and distribution at the surface and 75 m deep depth of the ocean were studied.A total of 30 species belonging to 22 genera were identified,and 22 species of 15 genera were Tintinnids.Eutintinnus fraknoii and E.stramentus were the most common species.The other dominants were strombidiids ciliates including Strombidium conicum and S.globosaneum,which were followed by the tide form,Mesodinium pulex.Ciliates abundance ranged from 46 ind L~(-1) to 368 ind L~(-1) in the open sites,46–368 ind L~(-1) at surface and 73–198 ind L~(-1) at 75 m deep layer.In the Yongshu reef,ciliates abundance ranged from 167 ind L~(-1) to 365 ind L~(-1) in the water column,similar to that in Sanya coral reef waters.Ciliates composition showed obvious difference between surface and 75 m deep layer at station S2(P 0.05),while no similar result was observed at other sites.At 75 m deep layer,salinity was negatively related to mixed layer depth(P 0.05),but positively to chlorophyll a concentration(P 0.05),indicating that the change of vertical mixing in water column influenced vertical distribution of ciliates in the southern SCS.     

Seasonal dynamics of crustacean zooplankton community structure in Erhai Lake,a plateau lake,with reference to phytoplankton and environmental factors

The seasonal dynamics of a crustacean zooplankton community in Erhai Lake was investigated from May 2010 to April 2011. In total, 11 species were recorded, including six （6 genera） cladoceran and five （5 genera） copepod species. The crustacean zooplankton densities ranged from 24.3 to 155.4 ind./L. In winter and spring, the large-bodied cladoceran Daphnia galeata dominated the crustacean plankton community. In summer and autumn, when the colonial or filamentous algae dominated the phytoplankton communities, the small-bodied species （e.g. Bosminafatalis, Ceriodaphnia quadrangular, and Mesocyclops leuckarti） replaced the large-bodied ones. One-way ANOVA and redundancy analysis revealed that community structure was dependent upon total nitrogen, total phosphorus, water temperature, transparency, and the biomass of small algae. The variation in both phytoplankton structure and environmental variables were important factors in the seasonal succession of crustacean zooplankton structure in Erhai Lake.     

Distributions of picophytoplankton and phytoplankton pigments along a salinity gradient in the Changjiang River Estuary,China

We investigated the abundance of different picophytoplankton groups and the phytoplankton pigment ratio in relation to environmental factors such as nutrients and suspended solids along a salinity gradient in the Changjiang River Estuary. The average numbers of Synechococcus spp.(Syn) and picoeukaryotes(Euk) were(2.7 ±5.1) ×103 and(1.1±1.4) ×103 cells m L-1, respectively. Prochlorococcus spp.(Pro) was only found in the high-salinity brackish water with the concentration of 3.0×103 cells m L-1. Syn and Euk numbers both tended to increase offshore and Syn showed a larger variation in cell abundance than Euk. The contribution of picophytoplankton to total phytoplankton biomass increased with increasing salinity and decreasing nutrient concentrations from the estuary to the open ocean. The response of different picophytoplankton groups to environmental variables was different. Water temperature was more important in its control over Euk than over Syn, while nutrients were more important in their influence over Syn than over Euk. Phytoplankton pigment ratios were different in the three different ecological zones along the salinity gradient(i.e., freshwater zone with 0-5 range, fresh and saline water mixing zone with 5-20 range, and high-salinity brackish water zone with 20-32 range), where three different phytoplankton communities were discovered, suggesting that phytoplankton pigment ratios can be considered as a complementary indicator of phytoplankton community structure in the Changjiang River Estuary.     

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 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.