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cje ›› 2012, Vol. 31 ›› Issue (07): 1763-1770.

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Spatiotemporal distribution and related affecting factors of red tide latent organisms in Zhanjiang Bay, Guangdong Province of South China.

ZHANG Cai-xue, GONG Yu-yan, SUN Xing-li**   

  1. (Monitoring Center of Ocean Resource and Environment, Guangdong Ocean University, Zhanjiang 524088, Guangdong, China)
  • Online:2012-07-10 Published:2012-07-10

Abstract: An investigation was conducted on the phytoplankton community and environmental factors in the Zhanjiang Bay of Guangdong in February (winter), May (spring), August (summer), and November (autumn) 2009 to analyze the spatiotemporal distribution and related affecting factors of red tide latent organisms in this sea area. A total of 126 red tide latent species were recorded, among which, 85 species of 26 genera belonged to Bacillariophyta, accounting for 67.5% of all species, 36 species of 14 genera were of Pyrrophyta, accounting for 28.6%, 2 species of 1 genus were of Cyanophyta, accounting for 1.6%, 2 species of 2 genera were of Chrysophyta, accounting for 1.6%, and 1 species of 1 genus was of Raphidophyceae, accounting for 0.8%. Eighty nine species occurred in spring, 61 species in summer, 71 species in autumn, and 58 species in winter. The average cell abundances of the red tide latent organisms ranged from 12.36×104 cells·L-1 to 43.55×104 cells·L-1, with the maximum in spring, the second in summer, and the minimum in winter. The abundances of the red tide latent species did not reach the threshold value of the outbreak of red tide, according to the cell abundances and cell sizes of the majority of the dominant species in this sea area. There were 31 red tide latent species which occurred in all seasons. The seasonal Jaccard similarity index ranged from 0.43 to 0.50, implying no obvious seasonal succession. A total of 19 dominant species were observed, all of which belonged to Bacillariophyta, and no Pyrrophyta. The species with maximum dominance were Eucampia zoodiacus, Chaetoceros curvisetus, and Skeletonema costatum. No dominant species occurred all year round.S.costatum, C. curvisetus, and Asterionellopsis glacialis were dominated in three seasons. The abundance of the red tide latent organisms were significantly positively correlated to the water body’s chlorophyll a, temperature, salinity, and pH, significantly negatively correlated to the DIN and silicate, but had no significant correlation to the phosphate content.

Key words: Hangzhou Bay, zooplankton, community structure, water masses.