Spatiotemporal variation in community structure of marine benthic ciliates in the Yellow Sea during and after macroalgal and giant jellyfish blooms

The annual bloom of the green macroalgal Ulva prolifera from May through July since 2008 and another of giant jellyfish Nemopilema nomurai from June through September have been frequent events in the Yellow Sea. However, the patterns of benthic ciliate communities during and after the blooms are still not known. In combination with analyses of benthic environmental factors, we investigated the distribution and community composition of benthic ciliates in the Yellow Sea in July and November 2011. In July, ciliates had high standing crops and diversity in the northern Yellow Sea, and in the inshore area off the southern Shandong Peninsula, where large numbers of green macroalgae accumulated. In November, the abundance, biomass and diversity of ciliates were high in the sea areas off the Shandong Peninsula and Changjiang estuary, where a large quantity of jellyfish occurred in August. Neither the abundance nor the biomass had significant difference between seasons, or between different compartments of the Yellow Sea. The species number, and both Margalef and Shannon-Wiener indices of ciliates were all significantly higher in November than in July. In both seasons, prostomateans and karyorelicteans consistently constituted the first and second most important ciliate groups in biomass; and carnivorous ciliates constituted the primary feeding type in terms of biomass as well as species richness, followed by bacterivores, algivores and omnivores. Compared with that in June 2007 when no macroalgae occurred, the percentage of small-sized bacterivores (e.g. Metacystis spp., Euplotes spp. and scuticociliates) increased in July 2011. The proportion of carnivorous ciliates increased in November, and this increased dominance of carnivorous ciliates may be a response to the increase in predominance of heterotrophic nanoflagellates, which might in turn be ascribed to an effect of green macroalgal and giant jellyfish blooms in the Yellow Sea.     

Annual variation in Calanus sinicus abundance and population structure in the northern boundary area of the Yellow Sea Cold Water Mass

The Yellow Sea Cold Water Mass （YSCWM） was suggested as an over-summering site of the dominant copepod species Calanus sinicus in coastal Chinese seas. Population abundance and structure were investigated by monthly sampling along three transects across the northern boundary of the YSCWM during 2009-2010. Results show that thermal stratification existed from June to October and that the vertical thermal difference increased with depth. Generally, total abundance was lowest in October and highest in June, and the female/male sex ratio was highest in February and lowest in August. Evident spatial differences in abundance were observed during the existence of the YSCWM. In June, total abundance averaged 158.8 ind/m~ at well-stratified stations, and 532.1 ind/m3 at other stations. Similarly, high abundances of 322.0 and 324.4 ind/m3 were recorded from July to August inside the YSCWM, while the abundance decreased from 50.4 to 1.9 ind/m3 outside the water mass. C. sinicus distribution tended to even out over the study area in September when the YSCWM disappeared. We believe that the YSCWM may retard population recruitment in spring and preserve abundant cohorts in summer. The summer population was transported to neritic waters in autumn. In addition to low temperatures, stable vertical structure was also an essential condition for preservation of the summer population. C. sinicus can survive the summer in marginal areas in high abundance, but the population structure is completely different in terms of C5 proportion and sex ratio.     

Investigation into the hemolytic activity of tentacle venom from jellyfish <Emphasis Type="Italic">Cyanea nozakii</Emphasis> Kishinouye

Cyanea nozakii Kishinouy e (C. nozakii), a giant cnidarian of the class Scyphomedusae, order Semaeostomeae and family Cyaneidae, is widely distributed in the East China Sea, the Yellow Sea and the Bohai Sea, and is abundant from late summer to early autumn. Venom produced by C. nozakii during mass agglomerations can contaminate seawater resulting in death of the halobios and seriously damage commercial fisheries. Swimmers and fishermen commonly suff er painful stings from this jellyfish, resulting in local edema, tingling, breathing difficulties, depressed blood pressure and even death. Such effects arise from the complex mixture of biologically active molecules that make up jellyfish venom. In the present study, the hemolytic activity of venom from tentacles of C. nozakii and factors aff ecting its activity were assayed. The HU₅₀ ( defined as the amount of protein required to lyse 50 % of erythrocytes) of the venom against dove and chicken erythrocytes was 34 and 59 μg/mL, respectively. Carboxylmethyl chitosan and glycerol could increase hemolytic activity at concentrations greater than 0.06% and 0.2 mol/L, respectively.     

Macrobenthic community structure and species composition in the Yellow Sea and East China Sea in jellyfish bloom

To understand the characteristics of macrobenthic structures and the relationship between environment and benthic assemblages in jellyfish bloom, we studied the macrobenthos and related environmental factors in the coastal waters of the Yellow Sea and East China Sea. Data were collected during two seasonal cruises in April and August of 2011, and analyzed with multivariate statistical methods. Up to 306 macrobenthic species were registered from the research areas, including 115 species of Polychaeta, 78 of Crustacea, 61 of Mollusca, 30 of Echinodermata, and 22 of other groups. Nine polychaete species occurred at frequencies higher than 25% from the sampling stations： Lumbrineris longifolia, Notomastus latericeus, Nin6e palmata, Ophelina acuminata, Nephtys oligobranchia, Onuphis geophiliformis, Glycera chirori, Terebellides stroemii, and Aricidea fragilis. Both the average biomass and abundance of macrobenthos are higher in August （23.8 g/m^2 and 237.7 ind./m^2） than those in April （11.3 g/m^2 and 128 ind./m^2）; the dissimilarity ofmacrobenthic structures among stations is as high as 70%. In terms of the dissimilarity values, we divided the stations into four clusters in spring and eight in summer. The ABC curve shows that the macrofauna communities in high jellyfish abundance were not changed. Canonical correspondence analysis showed that depth, temperature, median grain size, total organic carbon of sediment and total nitrogen in sediment were important factors affecting the macrozoobenthic community in the study area.     

Seasonal variation in community structure and body length of dominant copepods around artificial reefs in Xiaoshi Island, China

This study aims to investigate the seasonal variations in copepod community structure and prosome length of dominant species from March 2009 to January 2010 around artificial reefs in Xiaoshi Island,Yellow Sea,Weihai,China.Samples were collected using two types of plankton net(Model I and Model II) for different-sized copepods.The number of taxon was calculated from the data of both the net types,while the copepod abundance was done using the samples from Model II only.Sixteen species of planktonic copepods,including 5 dominant species,were recorded.Results reveal that Oithona similis was the first dominant species from March to June,and was replaced by Paracalanus parvus in September;both dominated the copepod community in January.Acartia hongi was the second dominant species from March to September.Centropages abdominalis was the third dominant species from March to June,and was replaced by O.similis in September and Corycaeus affinis in January.C.affinis was the fourth dominant species in September.Population density of the dominant copepods was compared with that of other similar regions.We found that the dominant species were mostly small copepods(<1 mm) except for adult Centrapages abdominalis.Seasonal variation in prosome length of O.similis,C.abdominalis,and C.affinis,and their copepodites were studied for the first time in China.For P.parvus and A.hongi,seasonal trends in prosome length variation were similar with those in Jiaozhou Bay,Yellow Sea,Qingdao,China,in a similar temperate domain.The results are helpful for future calculation of copepod biomass and production,and for investigation of the relationship between copepods and fish resources.     

Lipids and fatty acids in Calanus sinicus during over-summering in the southern Yellow Sea

Over-summering is a crucial period for Calanus sinicus in the southern Yellow Sea,where it is a key member of the zooplankton community.Lipids play an important role in copepod diapause,which is part of their over-summering strategy.We investigated how different fatty acids and lipid classes,including wax esters,changed during over-summering of C.sinicus during three cruises in June and August 2011 and November 2010,corresponding to the pre-,during and post-diapause periods,respectively.Large amounts of lipids were accumulated,mainly wax esters as previously found in C.finmarchicus during its diapause,and most of the storage lipids were used during over-summering.Wax ester polyunsaturated fatty acids(PUFAs) showed the most variation of the fatty acids(FAs),while the percentage composition of FAs in polar lipids was relatively stable.Selective use of wax ester PUFAs has already been shown to play important roles in the winter diapause of Calanus species in other regions,and our FA results show that this is the case for the Yellow Sea Cold Bottom Water(YSCBW) population that diapauses in summer.     

Marine ciliate community in relation to eutrophication of coastal waters in the Yellow Sea

We assessed the potential of marine ciliate community as an indicator to coastal water quality using water samples collected from four stations in the Yellow Sea in the summer 2000. The four stations were characterized by different levels of pollution. The ciliate communities consisted primarily of tintinnids and aloricate ciliates that were <30 μm. A total of 78 species were classified: 55 species at Station 2, 51 species each at Stations 1 and 4, and 47 species at Station 3. The mean number of species at each site was 29.2±2.0 (Station 1), 28.5±2.9 (Station 2), 27.8±1.7 (Station 3), and 24.5±2.3 (Station 4). The abundance was highly variable: 19 331±11 187 ind./L at Station 1, 7 960±5 639 ind./L at Station 2, 29 015±12 999 ind./L at Station 3, and 8 190±4 658 ind./L at Station 4. Our results suggest that neither the simple chemical analysis (e.g. chemical oxygen demand, dissolved inorganic nitrogen, and phosphate) nor the eutrophication/pollution index adequately described the water quality at the four stations. The same was true of the number of species and their abundance, both of which had no correlation with the chemical indices. In contrast, Margalef’s diversity index values (3.12 at Station 2, 2.89 at Station 1, and 2.64 at Stations 3 and 4) generally discriminated the water quality status of the four stations. The difference in water quality among the stations was strongly supported by the pattern of species richness (i.e. the total number of species) of ciliates at each station. Our evaluation was consistent with the results of long-term water quality monitoring at the four stations. With increasing eutrophication, we observed also a compositional and functional shift in the ciliate assemblages from algivorous oligotrich/choreotrich to nonselective-omnivorous gymnostomatids to bacterivorous-detrivorous scuticociliatids. Thus, ciliates may be used to indicate the coastal water quality status of a given site.     

Seasonal variation and principle of cyanobacterial biomass and forms in the water source area of Chaohu City,China

We investigated seasonal variations in cyanobacterial biomass and the forms of its dominant population(M. aeruginosa) and their correlation with environmental factors in the water source area of Chaohu City,China from December 2011 to October 2012. The results show that species belonging to the phylum Cyanophyta occupied the maximum proportion of phytoplankton biomass,and that the dominant population in the water source area of Chaohu City was M. aeruginosa. The variation in cyanobacterial biomass from March to August 2012 was well fitted to the logistic growth model. The growth rate of cyanobacteria was the highest in June,and the biomass of cyanobacteria reached a maximum in August. From February to March 2012,the main form of M.aeruginosa was the single-cell form; M.aeruginosa colonies began to appear from April,and blooms appeared on the water surface in May. The maximum diameter of the colonies was recorded in July,and then gradually decreased from August. The diameter range of M. aeruginosa colonies was 18.37–237.77 μm,and most of the colonies were distributed in the range 20–200 μm,comprising 95.5% of the total number of samples. Temperature and photosynthetically active radiation may be the most important factors that influenced the annual variation in M. aeruginosa biomass and forms. The suitable temperature for cyanobacterial growth was in the range of 15–30°C. In natural water bodies,photosynthetically active radiation had a significant positive influence on the colonial diameter of M.aeruginosa(P0.01).     

Seasonal phenology of the heterotrophic dinoflagellate Noctiluca scintillans(Macartney) in Jiaozhou Bay and adjacent coastal Yellow Sea,China

Seasonal variations in numerical abundance, cell diameter and population carbon biomass of the heterotrophic dinoflagellate Noctiluca scintillans were studied for 10 years from 2004 to 2013 in Jiaozhou Bay and adjacent coastal Yellow Sea, China, and their ecological functions were evaluated. In both areas, N. scintillans occurred throughout the year and demonstrated an essentially similar seasonality; the cell abundance increased rapidly from the winter minimum to an annual peak in late spring and early summer, and decreased gradually toward the autumn-winter minimum. The peak abundance differed by years, and there was no consistent trend in long-term numerical variations. The cell diameter also showed a seasonal fluctuation, being larger in spring and early summer than the other seasons. Estimated carbon biomass of N. scintillans population reached to a peak as high as 90.3 mg C/m~3, and occasionally exceed over phytoplankton and copepod biomass. Our results demonstrate that N. scintillans in northwestern Yellow Sea displays the seasonal phenology almost identical to the populations in other temperate regions, and play important trophic roles as a heterotroph to interact with sympatric phytoplankton and copepods.     

Community composition,abundance and biomass of zooplankton in Zhangzi Island waters,Northern Yellow Sea

Samples were collected monthly from the sea area around Zhangzi Island,northern Yellow Sea,from July 2009 to June 2010.Vertical net towing was used to examine spatial and temporal variability in zooplankton abundance and biomass.Overall,C alanus sinicus and Saggita crassa were the dominant species found during the study period,while the amphipod T hemisto gracilipes was dominant in winter and spring.Vast numbers of the ctenophore species of the genus Beroe were found in October and November.It was not possible to count them,but they constituted a large portion of the total zooplankton biomass.Zooplankton species diversity was highest in October,and species evenness was highest in April.Zooplankton abundance(non-jellyfi sh)and biomass were highest in June and lowest in August,with annual averages of 131.3 ind./m3and 217.5 mg/m3,respectively.Water temperature may be responsible for the variations in zooplankton abundance and biomass.B eroe biomass was negatively correlated with other zooplankton abundance.Longterm investigations will be carried out to learn more about the infl uence of the environment on zooplankton assemblages.     

Primers to block the amplification of symbiotic apostome ciliate 18S rRNA gene in a PCR-based copepod diet study

Pelagic copepods play an important role in the marine food web. However, a full understanding of the ecological status of this zooplankton group depends on the careful study of their natural diets. In previous PCR-based copepod diet studies, we found many apostome ciliates that live symbiotically under the exoskeleton of the copepods, and their sequences were often over-represented in the 18S rRNA gene （18S rDNA） libraries. As a first step to address this issue, we designed three apostome ciliate 18S rDNA blocking primers, and tested their blocking efficiency against apostome ciliate 18S rDNA under various PCR conditions. Using a semi-quantitative PCR method, we optimized the conditions to efficiently amplify the 18S rDNA of the prey while simultaneously excluding the symbiotic apostome ciliates. This technique will facilitate PCR-based diet studies of copepods and other zooplankton in their natural environments.     

Complementary DNA sequencing (cDNA): an effective approach for assessing the diversity and distribution of marine benthic ciliates along hydrographic gradients

The Yellow Sea Cold Water Mass(YSCWM) is a distinct hydrographic phenomenon of the Yellow Sea,and the distribution pattern of meio-and macrobentho s diffe rs inside and outside of the YSCWM.However,such a pattern has never been observed in the microbenthic ciliate communities.Therefore,we hypothesized that benthic ciliates followed a similar distribution pattern as meio-and macrobentho s,but this pattern has not been uncovered by morphological methods.We evaluated the diversity and distribution of benthic ciliates at five stations along hydrographic gradients across the YSCWM and adj acent shallow water by using morphology and DNA and complementary DNA(cDNA) high-throughput sequencing of the V4 region of 18 S rRNA gene.Results showed that the diversity of benthic ciliate s detected by DNA(303 OTU s),and the cDNA(611 OTUs) sequencing was much higher than that detected by the morphological method(79 species).Morphological method detected roughly different ciliate communities inside and outside of the YSCWM,but without statistical significance.No clear pattern was obtained by DNA sequencing.In contrast,cDNA sequencing revealed a distinct distribution pattern of benthic ciliate communities like meioand macrobenthos,which coincided well with the results of the environmental parameter analysis.More than half of the total sequences detected by DNA sequencing belonged to planktonic ciliates,most(if not all) of which were recovered from historic DNA originating through the sedimentation of pelagic forms because none of them were observed morphologically.The irrelevant historic DNA greatly influenced the recovery of rare species and thus limited the understanding of the benthic ciliate diversity and distribution.Our research indicates that the methods used have significant effects on the investigation of benthic ciliate communities and highlights that cDNA sequencing has great advantages in estimating the diversity and distribution of benthic ciliates,as well as the potential for benthic environmental assessments.     

Significance of different microalgal species for growth of moon jellyfish ephyrae, <Emphasis Type="Italic">Aurelia</Emphasis> sp.1

The scyphozoan Aurelia aurita (Linnaeus) sp. l., is a cosmopolitan species-complex which blooms seasonally in a variety of coastal and shelf sea environments around the world. The effects of different microalgal species on the growth of newly-released Aurelia sp.1 ephyrae were studied under laboratory conditions. We fed ephyrae with four different microalgal species (diatom, autotrophic dinoflagellate, heterotrophic dinoflagellate, and chlorophyta) plus Artemia nauplii for 12-24 d at 18°C. Results showed that the growth rate diverged significantly for Artemia nauplii compared to other food types. In addition, there was no significant variation between the growth rates for Skeletonema costatum and Prorocentrum donghaiense, and no significant variation was found in the growth rates for N. scintillans and P. subcordiformis. Artemia nauplii could support the energy requirement for the newly-released ephyrae to develop to meduase, and the ephyrae with Artemia nauplii showed a significant average growth rate of 25.85% d^?1. Newly-released ephyrae could grow slightly with some species of microalgae in the earliest development stage. Chain diatom Skeletonema costatum and autotrophic dinoflagellate Prorocentrum donghaiense, could not support the growth of the ephyrae, while heterotrophic dinoflagellate Noctiluca scintillans and chlorophyta Platymonas subcordiformis could support the growth of the ephyrae. However, none of the ephyrae fed with the tested phytoplankton could mature to medusae.     

Spatio-temporal distribution of dissolved sulfide in China marginal seas

With sulfide increasingly recognized as an important parameter to assess the oxidation-reduction level in aqueous environment, research on its geochemical behavior is becoming important. Water samples collected in Bohai Sea(1–19 August, 2010), Yellow Sea(20–30 November, 2010) and East China Sea(3–17 June, 2010 and 1–10 November, 2010) were used to determine the occurrence and distribution of dissolved sulfide by methylene blue spectrophotometric method. Results show that:(1) horizontally, concentration of dissolved sulfide significantly varied from the coastal region to the open sea and profoundly influenced by physical processes. High values occurred in the river-sea boundary zone "marginal filter" due to rich riverine input, frequent upwelling and active exchange in shelf edge. Terrestrial input from adjacent rivers and the current cycling contributed to the high sulfide appeared in western Bohai Sea, eastern Shandong Peninsula, and northeast of Changjiang(Yangtze) River estuary. Especially, relative higher sulfide values occurred in Yellow Sea, which is consistent with the variation of salinity largely due to the hydrodynamic feature;(2) vertically, measurement of dissolved sulfide in bottom water was higher and more variable than that in surface water caused by the wind-induced resuspension and dissimilatory sulfate reduction. Moreover, nutrient-type profile clearly identified that oxidation plays a major role in the biogeochemistry cycle of sulfide in water;(3) seasonally, investigation for East China Sea in June and November reflected seasonal variation of Changjiang River Diluted Water, Kuroshio Current, and Taiwan Warm Current. Concentration in June was much higher than that sampled in November at most stations. Mean concentration of dissolved sulfide varied seasonally from 2.26 μg/L(June) to 1.16 μg/L(November) in surface and 3.00 μg/L(June) to 1.56 μg/L(November) in bottom. Progress in the field is slow and more effort is needed to ensure the accuracy and reliability of determination and estimate the natural or anthropogenic contribution of dissolved sulfide in ecosystems.     

Tempo-spatial variation of nutrient and chlorophyll-α concentrations from summer to winter in the Zhangzi Island Area (Northern Yellow Sea)

Nutrient and Chlorophyll-a (Chl-a) concentrations were investigated monthly along three transects extending from a mariculture area to open waters around the Zhangzi Island area from July to December 2009. The objective of this study is to illustrate food availability to the bottom-sowed scallop Patinopecten yessoensis under the influences of the Yellow Sea Cold Water Mass (YSCWM), freshwater input and feedbacks of cultivated scallops. Significant thermal stratification was present in open waters from July to October, and salinity decreased in July and August in surface layers in the mariculture area. Nutrient concentrations increased with depth in both areas in summer, but were similar through water column in November and December. On average, nutrient increased from summer to autumn in all components except ammonia. Nutrient concentrations lower than the minimum thresholds for phytoplankton growth were present only in upper layers in summer, but stoichiometric nitrogen limitation existed in the entire investigation period. Column-averaged Chl-a concentration was lower in open waters than in mariculture area in all months. It increased significantly in mariculture area in August and October, and was less variable in open waters. Our results show that nutrients limitation to phytoplankton growth is present mainly in upper layer in association with stratification caused by YSCWM in summer. Freshwater input and upwelling of nutrients accumulated in YSCWM can stimulate phytoplankton production in mariculture area. Farming activities may change stoichiometric nutrient ratios but have less influence on Chl-a concentration.     

Zooplankton Distribution in Coastal Water off Gopalpur,North-Western Bay of Bengal

An interannual study on zooplankton abundance, biomass, and species composition was carried out during different seasons in two local coastal water types off Gopalpur, north-western Bay of Bengal. Although, Type-1 was observed with higher zooplankton abundance in comparison to Type-2, pattern of variation followed similar seasonal trends in both water types during individual years. Well pronounced seasonality was observed in zooplankton distribution. Zooplankton community was composed of 217 holoplankton and 22 meroplankton. The holoplankton community was predominated by copepod in terms of species diversity and abundance followed by hydrozoa, tintinnida, malacostraca, gastropoda, chaetognatha and chordata. The meroplankton were represented by larval forms viz. bivalve veliger, brachyuran zoea larvae, caridean larvae, copepod nauplii, fish egg and gastropod veliger. Dominance of copepod species viz. Acrocalanus longicornis, Paracalanus aculeatus and Paracalanus parvus were observed frequently in both water types. The species richness was higher in Type-1 in comparison to Type-2 during both the years. Salinity regimes and availability of phytoplankton prey influenced the distribution and species composition of zooplankton assemblage.     

Phytoplankton abundance and community structure in the Antarctic polar frontal region during austral summer of 2009

The Antarctic polar front region in the Southern Ocean is known to be most productive. We studied the phytoplankton community structure in the Indian sector at this frontal location during late austral summer (February, 2009) onboard R/V Akademic Boris Petrov. We used the phytoplankton and microheterotrophs abundance, as also the associated physico-chemical parameters to explain the low phytoplankton abundance in the study region. This study emphasizes the shift of phytoplankton, from large (>10 μm) to small (<10 μm) size. The phytoplankton abundance appears to be controlled by physical parameters and by nutrient concentrations and also by the microheterotrophs (ciliates and dinoflagellates) which exert a strong grazing pressure. This probably reduces small (<10 μm) and large (>10 μm) phytoplankton abundance during the late austral summer. This study highlights the highly productive polar front nevertheless becomes a region of low phytoplankton abundance, due to community shifts towards pico-phytoplankton (<10 μm) during late austral summer.     

Monthly Variation in Crustacean Assemblage(Decapod and Stomatopod) and Its Relationships with Environmental Variables in Laizhou Bay,China

In this study,we investigated the community structure of crustaceans(decapod and stomatopod) inhabiting the sandy mud bottoms of Laizhou Bay(northeastern China) monthly from May 2011 to April 2012.Investigation was stopped from December 2011 to February 2012 because of the extreme weather and sea ice.A total of 205,057 specimens belonging to 31 species(shrimp,15;crab,15;and stomatopod,1) were collected in 148 hauls.From 2011 to 2012,Oratosquilla oratoria was the dominant biomass species(47.80%),followed by Charybdis japonica(15.49%),Alpheus japonicas(12.61%),Portunus trituberculatus(6.46%),and Crangon spp.(4.19%).Crangon spp.was the most dominant species by individual(32.55%).O.oratoria was the most-frequently encountered species(81.76%),followed by Palaemon gravieri(70.95%),C.japonica(65.54%),A.japonicas(62.16%),and P.trituberculatus(54.73%).The biomass density increased from August to September 2011 and decreased from March 2012 to April 2012.The dynamics of the ecological indices evolve in a similar manner,with high values of diversity and evenness and rich species from May to June 2011 and low values from September to October 2011.O.oratoria,C.japonica,and P.trituberculatus differed by biomass data between groups I(samples obtained from September to October 2011) and II(samples in other months).These species contributed more than 70% to the similarity of the crustacean community structure.Furthermore,the subsets of environmental variables that best matched the crustacean-assemblage structure were as follows:water depth(WD) in summer(June to August);sea surface temperature(SST),dissolved oxygen(DO),and WD in autumn(September to November);and DO,salinity,and WD in spring(March to May).The calculated correlation coefficients and significance level were higher in the period of July to August 2011 than in other months.Comparing 2011 to 2012 with 1982 to 1983,the species composition remained stable.However,the dominant species changed significantly.High value and large species,such as F.chinensis,P.trituberculatus,and T.curvirostris,have been replaced by low value and small species(i.e.,Crangon spp.,P.gravieri,and C.japonica).     

Distribution of Different Biogeographical Tintinnids in Yellow Sea and Bohai Sea

There were different biogeographical tintinnids in the oceans. Knowledge of their distribution pattern and mixing was important to the understanding of ecosystem functions. Yellow Sea (YS) and Bohai Sea (BS) were semi-enclosed seas influenced by warm water intrusion and YS cold bottom water. The occurrence of tintinnids in YS and BS during two cruises (summer and winter) were investigated to find out: i) whether warm-water tintinnids appeared in YS and BS; ii) whether boreal tintinnids appeared in high summer; iii) the core area of neritic tintinnids and iv) how these different biogeographical tintinnids mixed. Our results showed that tintinnid community was dominated by neritic tintinnid. We confirmed the occurrence of warm-water tintinnids in summer and winter. In summer, they intruded into BS and mainly distributed in the upper 20 m where Yellow Sea Surface Warm Water (YSSWW) developed. In winter, they were limited in the surface water of central deep region (bottom depth >50 m) of YS where were affected by Yellow Sea Warm Water (YSWW). Boreal tintinnids occurred in YS in high summer (August) and in winter, while they were not observed in BS. In summer, the highest abundance of boreal tintinnids occurred in Yellow Sea Bottom Cold Water, indicating the presence of an oversummering stock. In winter, they were concentrated in the north of YSWW. Vertically, neritic tintinnids abundance was high in the bottom layers. Horizontally, high neritic tintinnids abundance in bottom layers occurred along the 50 m isobath coinciding with the position of front systems. Front systems were the core distribution area of neritic tintinnids. High abundance areas of warm-water and boreal tintinnids were clearly separated vertically in summer, and horizontally in winter. High abundance of neritic tintinnids rarely overlapped with that of warm-water or boreal tintinnids.     

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.