Characterization of marine microplankton communities of Qingdao coastal areas using randomly amplified polymorphic DNA（RAPD）

Microplankton communities of three coastal sites of Qingdao, Shandong Province, China were investigated using RAPD (random amplified polymorphic DNA) molecular markers and morphological observations. Eight RAPD-primers were selected to amplify the DNA polymorphy. The genetic distances inferred from the pairwise similari-ties were calculated for the phylogenetic tree construction. Meantime, the traditional microscopic determination, a way of visualizing the species composition, was performed to detect the major taxa of microplanktons from all samples. Results showed that: (1) the band sharing index values were in the range of 0. 504 2-0. 763 2 among samples from the same sampling site at different time scales, while 0.406 5-0.685 7 among the samples from different stations at the same time scales, indicating that spatial variations of microplankton communities were more pronounced than temporal ones; (2) samples from the same station basically clustered together, cor-responding to the geographic distribution of the sampling sites; (3) diversity derived from genetic and morpho-logical data did not correspond with each other well.     

山东部分海域红藻的鉴定与多样性分析

在山东青岛、威海和烟台近海海域的潮间带进行采样调查,共采取36株红藻样本,对其形态学特征进行了详细的观察.结果显示,所采集的样本在色泽、大小、形态、叶状体形状等外观上均有一定差异,但部分样本间差别并不明显.同时作者采用分子系统学的方法,从藻类样本中分离了rbcL基因片段,并进行了序列分析,利用 rbcL 基因建立了分子系统进化树,对样品间的亲缘关系及多样性进行了系统分析.结果表明,本研究采得的红藻样本有很好的多样性,分别与 GenBank 中已报道的红藻门中的16个属亲缘关系较近.在青岛、烟台和威海3个海域的红藻样本呈现不同的多样性,并且同一属的样品表现出很好的属内种间多样性.     

Monitoring meiobenthos using cm-, m- and km-scales in the Southern Bight of the North Sea

Meiobenthos at the mouth of the Grevelingen and Oosterschelde Estuaries in the Southern Bight of the North Sea was monitored using meiobenthic abundance and nematode community structure. Hierarchical sampling included 54 subsamples nested within 18 cores within six stations within two transects. The spatial patterns of the meiofaunal populations and communities are presented in cm-scale (among subsamples), m-scale (among cores), km-scale (among stations) and 10 km-scale (between transects). The variance components analysis of meiofaunal abundances showed that km-scale and 10 km-scale represented 63–90% of total variance while m-scale and cm-scale provided only 10–37%. Different communities were found among stations rather than among cores or subsamples by detrended correspondence analysis ordination and clustering analysis. The main assemblage of meiofauna occurred at the km-scale. Nematode diversity was more powerful than meiofaunal abundance in detecting spatial variation at all scales. However, at least two replicates are required for monitoring when sampling using a 10 cm² subsampling core.     

Comparison of sampling devices for the determination of polychlorinated biphenyls in the sea surface microlayer

Over 30 sea surface microlayer (SML) samples from two contrasting sites in the North Western Mediterranean -- Barcelona (Spain) and Banyuls-sur-Mer (France) -- were collected using three different sampling devices, namely, glass plate, metal screen (MS) and a surface slick sampler (SS), and compared with the corresponding underlying water (16 samples). The distributions of 41 polychlorinated biphenyl congeners (PCBs) were determined in the different phases: particulate (1.17-10.8 SigmaPCB ng L(-1)), truly dissolved (0.080-16.7 SigmaPCB ng L(-1)) and colloidal matter (1.17-43.0 SigmaPCB ng L(-1)), being the last two estimated from the analysis of the apparently dissolved phase. Concentrations of PCBs in the SML were higher than those in the underlying water (ULW), giving rise to enrichment factors (EF=[C](SML)/[C](ULW)) up to first-order of magnitude. The ANOVA statistical approach was used to assess differences of bulk data (e.g. dissolved organic carbon, DOC; particulate organic carbon, POC; suspended particulate matter, SPM) among sampling devices, whilst p-tailed t paired tests were used in order to compare the enrichments obtained for each sampling date. In this respect, no significantly different enrichment factors were found among sampling devices (p < 0.05), although the surface SS showed lower enrichments, probably due to the dilution of the SML with the ULW during sampling. The MS seemed to be the most suitable device for the determination of PCBs in the SML in terms of sampling efficiency under a variety of meteorological conditions.     

Midlittoral polychaete communities in the Eastern Mediterranean Sea: new information from the implementation of the Natural Geography in Shore Areas (NaGISA) protocol and comparisons at local and regional scales

The aim of this study was to attempt to fill current knowledge gaps on midlittoral Mediterranean biodiversity at local and regional scales, by using benthic polychaetes as a model taxon. Two different data sets were analysed: (i) a quantitative data set from the two Natural Geography in Shore Areas (NaGISA) study sites in Crete and (ii) a qualitative data set from multiple sites across the Mediterranean. At the local scale, the results provide evidence that (i) discrete species communities are formed in midlittoral Mediterranean habitats, which vary by geographical location and year, depending on the scale of observation; (ii) macrophyte coverage and Chl‐a are the only environmental variables associated, albeit weakly, with the above pattern; (iii) although naturally disturbed, the Cretan NaGISA sites do not seem to experience any anthropogenic stress; (iv) environmental heterogeneity and history seem to be much less important in shaping the polychaete communities than inter‐specific interactions; however, it is not possible to specify at this stage whether local or regional processes or even their interactions may shape the polychaete communities. At the regional scale, the results indicate that (i) the only factor that seems to be involved in the regional pattern is the identity of the study providing the data sets, which implies variability and bias in how research projects are carried out, from the sampling design through to data collection and analysis; (ii) the Cretan NaGISA sites may be considered as representative of the habitat in the Mediterranean, under certain conditions.     

Effect of pollution on genetic diversity in the bay mussel Mytilus galloprovincialis and the acorn barnacle Balanus glandula.

To test if environmental contamination acts as a selection force affecting genetic diversity at the population level, two intertidal invertebrate species, Mytilus galloprovincialis and Balanus glandula, were collected from seven different bay sites in southern California. Collections were made at three relatively pristine 'clean' sites and four 'impacted' sites exposed to heavy industrial or boating activity, and which had previously been identified as having measurable levels of pollution. Genetic diversity at each site was assessed by comparing fragment polymorphisms generated from genomic DNA by randomly amplified polymorphic DNA-polymerase chain reaction (RAPD-PCR). All populations retained a large amount of genetic diversity and were genetically similar to each other. However, several different measures of diversity indicated that, for most primers, the populations of both species from impacted sites had lower genetic diversity compared to those populations from clean sites. Individuals at impacted sites were more likely to share the same haplotypes than were those from clean sites. Few bands seen in the clean sites were absent from the impacted sites or vice versa, but a number of bands in the clean site populations were significantly less common in the impacted populations, while a few bands uncommon in clean site populations were more common at impacted sites. Together, these results suggest that pollution at the impacted sites may reduce genetic diversity among the resident invertebrate populations.     

Staggered nested designs to identify hierarchical scales of variability

Staggered nested sampling designs are virtually unknown in biology, but are widely used in manufacturing because they are highly efficient. I used a staggered nested design to address variation in the abundance of an intertidal clam Austrovenus stutchburyi (Gray) at four spatial scales. The scales were addressed by sampling cells containing five samples spaced at 50, 5, 0.5, and 0.05 m from one another. Estimates of variation from staggered nested designs can be made via ANOVA and principal component methods. ANOVA and principal component methods estimated roughly equal variability among those four spatial scales of abundance, and at all but the smallest scales variances were estimated very imprecisely. Staggered nested designs are highly efficient, applicable to any nested design, and deserve to be investigated more widely.     

中国沿海西施舌5个自然群体形态差异和RAPD分析

采用随机扩增多态性DNA(RAPD)技术,对5个西施舌自然群体的遗传多样性进行了研究.在选择的20个随机引物中共检测到168条标记条带.每个引物扩增谱带数在3～15之间.片段长度250～3 000 bp不等.利用Popgen1.32和PHILIP统计软件对实验数据进行处理,确立了5个群体间的亲缘关系,并对3个形态参数进行了方差分析,探讨了与RAPD结果的关联.结果表明:5个群体内和群体间遗传距离都较大,广西北海群体由于地理环境等因素的影响,无论是外部形态和遗传距离与其他4群体有较大差异,可能已经形成了地理种群.5个群体多态位点比例和平均遗传杂合度都较高,平均值为78.97%和0.308 7,香农多样值在0.301 8～0.367 3之间,聚类分析显示,山东群体与江苏群体亲缘关系最近,然后依次是浙江群体和福建群体.我国西施舌遗传多样性处于较高的水平,种质资源良好,西施舌养殖有很好的发展前景.     

mtDNA COI基因在轮虫分子系统重建中的意义

为分析mtDNA COI基因在轮虫分子系统重建中的作用．扩增并测定了B．calyciflorus和B．quadridentatus mtDNA COI基因部分序列。通过对扩增序列和Genbank中其它轮虫序列进行比较分析．发现COI序列包含丰富的遗传信息。利用Kimura双参数法计算遗传距离，在属和物种水平上间存在不同程度的遗传分化。利用NJ和MP法构建基因树。各物种形成独立进化枝．在属、科水平上与传统分类结果基本一致．这说明COI在轮虫系统重建中具有重要意义。在种内不同的单元型之间存在着遗传差异，部分种类不同地理种群之间存在较大的遗传变异．因此在系统重建过程中要注意种内多态的影响。     

The consequences of scale: assessing the distribution of benthic populations in a complex estuarine fjord

Evidence suggests that patterns of benthic community structure are functionally linked to estuarine processes and physical characteristics of the benthos. To assess these linkages for coarse-sediment shorelines, we used a spatially nested sampling design to quantify patterns of distribution and abundance of both macroinfauna and macroepibiota. We examined replicate beach segments within a site (∼1 km), sites within areas of relatively uniform salinity and temperature (∼10 km), and areas (∼100 km) in the two major basins of Puget Sound, Washington. Because slight variations in physical characteristics of a beach can lead to significant alterations in biota, we minimized confounding physical influences by working only in the predominant shoreline habitat type in Puget Sound, a mixture of sand, pebbles and cobbles. Species richness decreased steadily from north to south along gradients of declining wave energy, increasing temperature and decreasing salinity. A few taxa were confined to the South Basin, but many more were found in the North. Most of the variability in population abundance was captured at the smaller spatial scales. Physical conditions tend to become increasingly different with distance among sites. Communities became more different from north to south as species intolerant of more estuarine conditions dropped out. There was significant spatial autocorrelation among populations on neighboring beach segments for 73 of the 172 species sampled. Populations of these benthic species may be connected via dispersal on scales of at least km in Puget Sound. Our results strengthen prior conclusions about the strong linkages between the biota and physical patterns and processes in estuaries. It is important for monitoring and impact-detection studies to account for natural variation of physical gradients across the sampling scales used. Nested, replicated sampling designs can facilitate the detection of environmental change at spatial scales ranging from global (e.g., warming or El Niño), to regional (e.g., estuary-wide changes in salinity patterns), to local (e.g., from development at a site).     

Microphytobenthic biomass and species composition in intertidal flats of the Nakdong River estuary, Korea

Intertidal microphytobenthos (MPB) were investigated monthly from August 2006 to March 2008 at four different sites in the sand flats of Nakdong River estuary, Korea. Samples of surface sediment (ca. 1 cm) were collected, and chlorophyll a was extracted as biomass estimation. Species identification and enumeration were carried out by light microscopy, assisted where necessary by scanning electronic microscopy. Biomass varied between 0.47 and 16.58 μg cm⁻³, abundance changed from 5.25 to 414.75 × 10³ cells cm⁻³, while the Shannon diversity indexes ranged between 0.69 and 2.35 H′. Thirty-nine MPB taxa were identified, primarily composed of epipelic diatoms, among which Amphora and Navicula were the most abundant genera. Based on the biomass, abundance, species composition and their dynamics, MPB assemblages of sampling sites were grouped into three distinct communities corresponding to their sediment composition characteristics. Multivariate correlation analysis revealed that biomass was positively related to mud and very fine sand, negatively related to fine and medium sand, but not significantly related to environmental factors such as pore water nutrients, light intensity and salinity, which fluctuated rapidly during emersion period. Cluster analysis corroborated the division of MPB communities according to site types on seasonal scales, and also showed seasonality between sites by cluster of all summer groups. Principal component analysis identified that variability in species composition was significantly affected by mud, very fine sand, fine sand, light intensity, and sediment temperature. This study suggests that sediment composition plays an important role in the functioning of intertidal MPB communities in estuarine ecosystems.     

Spatial scale and habitat-dependent diversity patterns in nematode communities in three seepage related sites along the Norwegian Sea margin

Assessing the relative contribution of local diversity to regional biodiversity may be the key to understanding large-scale and even global patterns in species diversity. Here, the contribution of habitat heterogeneity of cold seeps at three spatial scales [micro-scale (ms), macro-scale (10 to 100s of ms), and mega-scale (10 to 100s of km)] to the total nematode biodiversity (genus level) along the Norwegian continental margin is evaluated. Due to the development of higher resolution bathymetry and increased bottom sampling in recent years, continental margins, once regarded as monotonous landscapes, are now acknowledged to have a high degree of habitat complexity and diversity. By calculating the additive partitioning of gamma diversity in alpha and beta fractions, we examined to what extent habitat diversity of seep sites significantly increases the nematode genus composition and diversity at different spatial scales. Siboglinidae patches and control sediments yielded comparably high levels of nematode genus richness. They exhibited low turnover rates within and across the different seep sites. In contrast, the bacterial mats at Håkon Mosby Mud Volcano (HMMV) and the reduced sediments at the Nyegga pockmarks harboured genus-poor nematode communities with an equally high dominance of one or two species, which were different for each seep. Different habitats, in particular at the HMMV, contributed significantly to the seep nematode richness. This study demonstrates that the presence of distinct habitat types within multiple seep sites contributes to the high diversity of nematode communities inhabiting the seeps in the Norwegian deep sea.     

三峡库区短颌鲚(Coilia brachygnathus)新建种群的年龄结构、生长特征及遗传多样性分析

2019~2020年在三峡库区巫山(WS)、万州(WZ)、丰都(FD)、涪陵(FL)4个采样点采集到新建短颌鲚(Coilia brachygnathus)种群153尾个体,基于鳞片和10个微卫星DNA标记进行年龄结构、生长特征与遗传多样性分析。结果显示,短颌鲚种群体长分布范围为102.1~301.6mm,平均体长(196.6±40.0)mm;体重分布范围为1.90~79.70g,平均体重(17.70±13.06)g。短颌鲚种群年龄组为1~5龄,其中2龄和3龄为优势年龄组,占总个体数的82.35%。体长-体重呈幂函数指数关系,属于正异速生长类型。微卫星DNA标记分析结果显示,10个微卫星位点共检测到82个等位基因,各群体平均等位基因数(N_a)为5.600 0~7.300 0,平均有效等位基因数(N_e)为3.541 4~3.831 5,平均观测杂合度(H_o)为0.617 7~0.700 0,平均期望杂合度(H_e)为0.682 3~0.702 9之间,平均多态信息含量(PIC)为0.628 5~0.648 4。4个群体的遗传多样性水平均较高,呈现出由三峡库区下游至上游逐渐减小的特点。遗传结构分析结果显示,群体间遗传分化水平很低,遗传变异主要来源于个体内部。结果表明,三峡库区短颌鲚种群处于快速扩张阶段,4个群体均具有较丰富的遗传多样性,遗传结构未发生显著群体分化,群体间基因交流频繁。由此提示,三峡库区短颌鲚很可能来源于三峡大坝下种群扩张迁入三峡库区水域而繁殖建群。     

采水量对寡营养海域浮游真核微生物分子多样性评价的影响

真核微生物是海洋生态系统中生物多样性高且功能重要的组成部分,但因个体微小且形态特征不明显,传统的分类学方法很难全面评估其多样性。环境DNA结合高通量测序技术为真核微生物多样性研究提供了可靠技术支撑,然而采水量对于评估寡营养海域浮游真核微生物多样性的影响仍知之甚少。本研究在吕宋海峡及菲律宾海盆中设置5个采样点,每个站点各取4个10 L表层海水样品用于真核微生物高通量测序分析。对各站每个重复所获得的真核微生物多样性进行研究,并分析了采水量与真核微生物OTU数量、群落结构及优势种和稀有种之间的关系。研究发现,采水量和真核微生物OTU数量之间呈正相关关系,10 L水所获得的平均OTU数量为40 L水的64%,20 L水可获得82%,30 L水为92%。10 L样品所获得的群落多样性指数显著低于30 L和40 L样品检获的群落,而20 L样品与30 L和40 L样品在多样性指数上无显著差异。随着采水量增加,更多的稀有OTUs被检获,而丰富OTUs数量变化不明显。但统计分析显示,10 L与40 L组样品检获的真核微生物群落结构无显著差异。因此,综合考虑样品的可得性和现场处理时间,最低20 L的采水量可用于评估这一寡营养海域的真核微生物多样性和群落结构特点。     

Detecting patterns in hyporheic community structure: Does sampling method alter the story?

Hyporheic invertebrates were sampled in six small headwater streams draining pine, pasture, and native forest catchments. Sites were sampled in autumn and spring using three different hyporheic sampling methods (colonisation pots, pump sampling, and freeze‐coring). Total invertebrate abundance and taxon richness differed significantly among sites on both sampling occasions for pump samples, whereas freeze‐coring did not discriminate among sites, and pot samples showed significant differences in autumn, but not in spring. Differences among sites with respect to community composition were not consistent between sampling methods. Community ordination indicated that samples from colonisation pots tended to group together, whereas pump and freeze core samples were widely separated. Differences across land uses were also apparent (native forest sites formed a distinct cluster separated from pine and pasture sites). Results suggest that colonisation pots may provide a pathway for the entry of epigean organisms into the hyporheic zone even when hydraulic connectivity between surface and hyporheic zones is low. Invertebrate abundance was very low in pump samples, and this method also captured the fewest taxa of the three methods. The size bias known to exist with pump sampling techniques may restrict the usefulness of the method when comparing streams of differing hydraulic conductivity.     

Response of intertidal macrobenthic communities to long term human induced changes in the Eo estuary (Asturias, Spain): implications for environmental management

Long term macrobenthos data together with physical habitat parameters were analysed to investigate spatial and temporal changes at an estuary under different anthropogenic pressures, mainly increasing shellfish farming. The aim was to assess the possible impacts of these pressures on the macrobenthic communities by comparing a period before and after changes in these pressures. Benthic samples were seasonally collected in 1990 (before major anthropogenic changes), 2000 and 2005 at the same sampling stations located on three different habitats in the Eo estuary (Northern Spanish coast). Multivariate and univariate methods were used to assess spatial variability of benthic assemblages and to compare community changes over time. Data from 1990 was assumed as the reference situation to appraise the subsequent impacts. We observed a significant spatial variability of the benthic assemblages in the system as a function of habitat heterogeneity in relation to sediment composition, presence/absence and density of seagrasses, and hydrodynamic regime. Changes were detected in the community composition at all sites during this 15 year period. The extent of changes was related to initial community conditions, rather than the intensity of the pressure. The results suggest that the responses of the benthic communities to human induced perturbations occurring in the system are largely dependent on its intrinsic buffer capacity, and that these communities have been able to cope with an increasing environmental stress (organic enrichment). In conclusion, to keep shellfish farming at a sustainable level without undesirable impacts, the disturbance intensity must be kept below the system carrying capacity. This will allow natural communities to cope with pressures and thus avoid further deterioration in ecological quality.     

三种胡子鲶的遗传变异及其系统分类的研究

为确定三种胡子鲶(胡子鲶Clarias fuscus、两栖胡子鲶C.batrachus和革胡子鲶C.lazera)的遗传变异及系统分类关系,采用淀粉凝胶电泳技术比较了三种胡子鲶4个样本的30—31个基因座位。每个座位观测到的平均等位基因数(Na)为1.01—1.39;多态座位百分比P_(0.99)为3.33—16.13％,平均杂合度观测值(Ho)为0.004—0.072;期望值(He)为0.004—0.064。3个种的遗传变异均较小,其中以革胡子鲶的遗传变异较其它两种大。两栖胡子鲶因采样的限制和养殖群体的奠基者效应而引起多态基因座位减少。4个样本的遗传相似性(I)和遗传距离(D)的比较,表现了3个水平的进化趋异;1)胡子鲶的两个没有生殖隔离的群体间的比较,彼此具有高度的遗传相似性(I=0.999);2)胡子鲶和两栖胡子鲶这对姐妹种间的比较,尽管它们在形态上难以分辨,但在遗传上仍有11个基因座位各具种的特异性;3)外表区别明显的种间比较,彼此表现了很大的遗传分异(D=0.999和0.818)。可见胡子鲶与两栖胡子鲶之间的系统分类关系较它们与革胡子鲶间的关系更密切。     

Cold seeps of the deep Gulf of Mexico: Community structure and biogeographic comparisons to Atlantic equatorial belt seep communities

Quantitative collections of tubeworm- and mussel-associated communities were obtained from 3 cold seep sites in the deep Gulf of Mexico: in Atwater Valley at 1890 m depth, in Alaminos Canyon at 2200 m depth, and from the Florida Escarpment at 3300 m depth. A total of 50 taxa of macro- and megafauna were collected including 2 species of siboglinid tubeworms and 3 species of bathymodiolin mussels. In general, the highest degree of similarity was between communities collected from the same site. Most of the dominant families at the well-characterized upper Louisiana slope seep sites of the Gulf of Mexico were present at the deep sites as well; however, there was little overlap at the species level between the upper and lower slope communities. One major difference in community structure between the upper and lower slope seeps was the dominance of the ophiuroid Ophioctenella acies in the deeper communities. The transition between upper and lower slope communities appears to occur between 1300 and 1700 m based on the number of shared species with the Barbados seeps at either end of this depth range. Seep communities of the deep Gulf of Mexico were more similar to the Barbados Accretionary Prism seep communities than they were to either the upper slope Gulf of Mexico or Blake Ridge communities based on numbers of shared species and Bray–Curtis similarity values among sites. The presence of shared species among these sites suggests that there is ongoing or recent exchange among these areas. An analysis of bathymodioline mussel phylogeography that includes new collections from the west coast of Africa is presented. This analysis also suggests recent exchange across the Atlantic equatorial belt from the Gulf of Mexico to the seeps of the West Nigerian margin.     

Over 10 years of variation in Mediterranean reef benthic communities

During the last several decades, the Mediterranean littoral shallow water benthic communities have suffered significant changes in their structure and taxa composition. Despite numerous studies conducted to characterize these changes at various levels, it has always been very difficult to disentangle the effects of natural factors from anthropic ones. The main purpose of this work was to evaluate possible changes, over a 10‐year scale, in diversity and abundance of the most representative species of the benthic communities considered to be primarily and potentially affected by natural stressors in a highly protected area. Sets of macro‐photographs were taken in 2002–2003 of three sites inside a small bay called Ca’ dell'Oro, which is the “no entry—no take” zone of the Marine Protected Area of Portofino, in order to analyse the structure of the benthic communities at different depths over a short time scale. The same sampling was repeated 10 years later in 2013. In the 10‐year span, a significant change in the macroalgal coverage and composition was observed, while the overall richness and coverage of species remained almost unchanged. This process resulted in a significant reduction of the habitat complexity of the three‐dimensional algal components. Likewise, a remarkable change in terms of presence and abundance occurred among all zoobenthic components. The benthic communities seem to have suffered from detrimental effects probably caused by climatic events that have been occurring in recent years in the Ligurian Sea.     

Effects of tidal flushing on phytoplankton in a eutrophic tropical lagoon in Taiwan

The effects of tidal flushing on the abundance, productivity, and community structure of phytoplankton in response to eutrophication were examined every 2–3 months for more than 2 years in Tapong Bay, a tropical lagoon with only 1 tidal inlet connecting it to the sea in southern Taiwan. Water flushing time ranged from 4–12 d (8–25% d⁻¹) in the outer region subject to fast flushing to 8–24 d (4–12% d⁻¹) in the inner region subject to poor flushing. Chlorophyll a, cell number, and gross production (GP) rate of phytoplankton were significantly greater in the inner region than in the outer region. However, while GP rate was normalized by chlorophyll a (P^B) and was expressed as photosynthetic intensity, no significant differences were detected among the study sites. These parameters exhibited a unimodal seasonal pattern across all study sites, with greater values in summer and lower values in winter. No significant differences in species richness or Shannon–Wiener diversity were detected among the study sites. Nevertheless, diversity indices were significantly higher in winter and lower in summer. Classification of phytoplankton communities showed that the grouping patterns were primarily determined by sampling time. Ordination by non-metric multidimensional scaling (MDS) revealed a clear temporal continuum of changes in species composition across all study sites, suggesting that the communities were primarily structured by time, but that it was little affected by study site. Analyses of similarities (ANOSIM) showed that phytoplankton communities sampled in winter could be separated from those in summer, but others were barely separable at all. In summer, the most frequently observed species were the diatom Skeletonema costatum and the cyanobacterium Oscillatoria sp., and these shifted to the diatoms S. costatum and Cylindrotheca closterium in winter. Our results suggest that tidal flushing is an important factor for regulating responses of phytoplankton abundance and productivity to eutrophication in tropical lagoons, but the community structure was little affected due to horizontal mixing by the tidal circulation.