Journal of Tropical Oceanography ›› 2021, Vol. 40 ›› Issue (2): 49-60.doi: 10.11978/2020040CSTR: 32234.14.2020040

• Marine Biology • Previous Articles     Next Articles

Phytoplankton responses to Dan’ao River estuary water enrichment in terms of size structure and community composition*

XIANG Chenhui1,2,3,4(), LIU Jiaxing1, KE Zhixin1, ZHOU Linbin1, TAN Yehui1,2,3,4()   

  1. 1. Key Laboratory of Tropical Marine Bio-resources and Ecology, Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Applied Marine Biology, South China Sea Institute of Oceanology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Guangzhou 510301, China
    2. University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049, China
    3. Southern Marine Science and Engineering Guangdong Laboratory (Guangzhou), Guangzhou 510301, China
    4. Innovation Academy of South China Sea Ecology and Environmental Engineering, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Guangzhou, 510301, China
  • Received:2020-04-14 Revised:2020-06-01 Online:2021-03-10 Published:2020-06-01
  • Contact: TAN Yehui E-mail:xiangchenhui0615@163.com;tanyh@scsio.ac.cn
  • Supported by:
    Natural Science Foundation of China(31971432);Natural Science Foundation of China(41506161);Southern Marine Science and Engineering Guangdong Laboratory (Guangzhou)(GML2019ZD0405);Guangdong Marine Economy Promotion Projects Fund(GDOE[2019]A32);Science and Technology Planning Project of Guangdong Province, China(2017B0303014052);Innovation Academy of South China Sea Ecology and Environmental Engineering, Chinese Academy of Sciences(ISEE2018PY01)

Abstract:

Daya Bay is experiencing ecological problems such as eutrophication and frequent algal bloom under the pressure of intense anthropogenic activities. The Dan’ao River is the largest rive entering Daya Bay. We found the concentrations of total dissolved nitrogen and phosphorus at the Dan’ao River estuary reached 85.3 and 1.5 μmol·L-1, respectively. In situ enrichment experiments were conducted to explore the effect of estuary water from the Dan’ao River on phytoplankton community. Our results showed filtered water (0.2 μm) from the Dan’ao River estuary promoted total Chlorophyll a (Chl a) and phytoplankton abundance, and shifted the dominated Chl a size structure to smaller size (0.7 ~ 20 μm), and also increased the relative abundance of dinoflagellates (Scrippsiella trochoidea and Prorocentrum spp.). The phytoplankton size structure and species composition changed in the same pattern under the addition of dissolved organic nitrogen (DON) of urea. Although combined addition of dissolved inorganic nitrogen and phosphorus increased total Chl a and abundance, the phytoplankton size structure and dinoflagellate abundance did not show significant changes. Our results demonstrate that DON may be the causative nutrient component that leads to miniaturization of the phytoplankton community and promotes the growth of dinoflagellate by comparing the enrichment results of estuary water to N and P nutrient enrichments. These results indicate the significance of DON for eutrophication and harmful algal blooms in Daya Bay, which should be included in management strategies of coastal water eutrophication.

Key words: Daya Bay, Dan’ao River, urea, phytoplankton community, size

CLC Number: 

  • P735.121