南海表层水悬浮颗粒物脂肪酸组成特征及其生态指示意义*

doi:10.11978/2025114

Abstract

Abstract:

Fatty acids, as key lipid components of membranes, hold significant value as bio-indicators. However, there are few studies on how the composition of fatty acids in marine particulate matter effectively reflects the source of organic matter and the community structure characteristics of marine plankton, particularly in the South China Sea (SCS). This study presents a detailed analysis of fatty acids in surface suspended particulate matter of the SCS during summer, identifying 30 fatty acid compounds. Based on statistical cluster analysis, these fatty acids are categorized into five sources: fresh phytoplankton, phytoplankton detritus, bacteria, zooplankton, and terrestrial higher plants. Fresh phytoplankton-produced unsaturated fatty acids, especially polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFA), can be attributed to diatoms, dinoflagellates, and cyanobacteria. These fatty acids are relatively rich in the southwest and west regions of the SCS, affected by summer upwelling, indicating abundant fresh phytoplankton, particularly diatoms. In contrast, the northeastern region, with high temperature and salinity, is dominated by short-chain saturated fatty acids from phytoplankton detritus. Zooplankton fatty acids exhibit corresponding high levels in relation to fresh phytoplankton and phytoplankton detritus fatty acids. Bacterial fatty acids show an inverse distribution to phytoplankton unsaturated fatty acids, reflecting a shift between primary production and decomposition in the ecosystem: primary production is dominant in the southwest and west, while microbial respiration is more active in the central and southeast regions. Terrestrial long-chain fatty acids are minimal and follow a summer current-driven distribution pattern, decreasing from the southwest to the northeast. This study demonstrates that fatty acids, as effective molecular biomarkers, can effectively indicate the input of different biogenic sources to the SCS, demonstrating its potential value helpful in uncovering marine ecological structures over large spatial scale.

Key words: fatty acid, biomarker, sea surface suspended particulate matter, plankton, South China Sea

CLC Number:

Q178

LI Dongping, SHI Haolei, LUO Zhongyuan, CAO Jiantao, JIA Guodong. Compositional characteristics and ecological significance of fatty acids of the surface suspended particulate matter in the South China Sea^*[J].Journal of Tropical Oceanography, 2026, 45(3): 61-73.

Figures/Tables 7

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Compositional characteristics and ecological significance of fatty acids of the surface suspended particulate matter in the South China Sea^*

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Compositional characteristics and ecological significance of fatty acids of the surface suspended particulate matter in the South China Sea*

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Compositional characteristics and ecological significance of fatty acids of the surface suspended particulate matter in the South China Sea^*