Autumn living coccolithophores in the Yellow Sea and the East China Sea

An investigation was carried out on living coccolithophores (LCs) distribution in the Yellow Sea and the East China Sea from October 17 to November 24, 2011. A total of 223 samples from different depths were collected at 48 stations. Totally 18 taxa belonging to coccolithophyceae were identified using a polarized microscope at the 1000×magnification. The maximum species abundance was found at the outside of Transect P. The dominated species were Gephyrocapsa oceanica, Emiliania huxleyi, Helicosphaera carteri, and Algirosphaera robusta. The abundance of coccoliths and cells ranged 0-2965.73 coccoliths/mL, and 0-119.16 cells/ mL, with the average values of 471.00 coccoliths/mL and 23.42 cells/mL, respectively. The LCs in surface layer were mainly observed on the coastal belt and middle part of the survey area. The comparison among Transects A, F, P and E indicated lower species diversity and less abundance in the Yellow Sea than those of the East China Sea. The highest abundance of LCs was found in transect F and P. The coccolith abundance increased slightly from surface to bottom in the water column, but the highest value of the cell abundance was observed in the depth of 10-30 m. Temperature, depth and nutrient concentration were suggested as the major environmental factors controlling the distribution and species composition of LCs in the studying area based on canonical correspondence analysis (CCA).