Comparison of Two Methods to Assess the Size Structure of Phytoplankton Community Assemblages, in Liaodong Bay, China

Abstract

Liaodong Bay is one of the largest semi-enclosed bays located in Bohai Sea, in northeast China. It is an important feeding and spawning place, even wintering and breeding migration base for many marine organisms. The size structure of phytoplankton communities is a key feature of marine ecosystems and can be used as an indicator for algae disaster, but the methods to evalute is still challenging. Here, we compared the size-fractionated chlorophyll- a method with a high-throughout sequencing method in an evaluation of the size structure of phytoplankton assemblages in Liaodong Bay, China, in 2014. The proportion of picophytoplankton was estimated at just 19% according to the results based on size-fractionated chlorophyll- a, which likely represents a severe underestimation. The sequencing method confirmed that many kinds of phytoplankton species appeared in more than one size-fractionated filter membrane, with some even dominating where the filter membrane pore size was greater than the individual phytoplankton size. According to the sequencing method, the phytoplankton assemblages in Liaodong Bay were dominated by picophytoplankton (average proportion = 44%), followed by the nanophytoplankton (average 32%), a composition that is more consistent with other studies. The sequencing method provides a more robust way to assess the size structure and taxonomic diversity of marine phytoplankton communities.

Journal

Journal ID (publisher-id): JOUC

Title: Journal of Ocean University of China

Publisher: Science Press and Springer (China )

ISSN (Electronic): 1672-5182

Publication date (Electronic): 24 August 2019

Publication date (Print): 01 October 2019

Volume: 18

Issue: 5

Pages: 1207-1215

Affiliations

¹State Key Laboratory of Urban Water Resource and Environment, School of Environment, Harbin Institute of Technology, Haerbin 150090, China

²Key Laboratory of Marine Biological Resources and Ecology Liaoning Ocean and Fisheries Science Research Institute, Dalian 116023, China

Author notes

*Corresponding author: WANG Peng

Article

Publisher ID: s11802-019-3960-0

DOI: 10.1007/s11802-019-3960-0

Copyright statement: Copyright © Ocean University of China, Science Press and Springer-Verlag GmbH Germany 2019.

License:

The copyright to this article, including any graphic elements therein (e.g. illustrations, charts, moving images), is hereby assigned for good and valuable consideration to the editorial office of Journal of Ocean University of China, Science Press and Springer effective if and when the article is accepted for publication and to the extent assignable if assignability is restricted for by applicable law or regulations (e.g. for U.S. government or crown employees).

Product

Self URI (journal-page): https://www.springer.com/journal/11802