Distribution patterns of benthic diatoms during summer in the Niyang River,Tibet,China

The aim of this study was to investigate the distribution, density, community structure and biodiversity characteristics of benthic diatoms, and to analyze whether differences in species composition and abundance exist in different regions of the Niyang River, Tibet. Among the 157 taxa observed in 15 sampling sites in the main river and tributary, most were casual species （〉100）, the relative abundance of the genera Achnantkes and Fragilaria was 67% of the total relative abundance. Acknantkes minutissima was the most important species and dominated the whole river reaches （average relative abundance was 30%）; the average diatom densities were 7.4 x 105 cell/cm2 at all sites, and increased slowly from the upper section to downriver. The significant indicator taxa with higher relative abundance were Achnanthes biasolettiana （18.0%） and Fragilaria arcus （18.2%）, Fragilaria capucina var. vaucheriae （31.2%）, Fragilaria construens var. renter （11.3%） and Cymbella affinis （11.0%） in the upper, tributary and mid-river sections, respectively. Achnanthes minutissima was the most abundant species （56%） in the downriver section. Biodiversity indices showed a gradual decrease from the up- to down-river section, and dominant species were more abundant in the upper and mid-river sections than in the downriver section. A two-way indictor species analysis （TWINSPAN） of diatom composition clearly showed four different groups, namely the upper, mid, lower and tributary sections. Detrended correspondence analysis （DCA） supported the results of TW1NSPAN, and the characteristics of site distribution and species composition in the Niyang River supported the spatial structure of diatom assemblages. This study indicates that bio-assessment programs utilizing benthic diatoms could clearly benefit lotic water with regional stratification.

Deformity frequencies of benthic marine diatoms associated with contaminated sediments in Hong Kong

The relationship between contaminated sediments and deformity frequencies for benthic diatoms was the subject of this study. There were two basic types of diatom deformities observed in this study of Tolo Harbour diatoms: 1. Diatoms with deformed cell wall morphology and 2. diatoms with deformed ornamentation. Deformed individuals of Fragilaria capucina and Achananthes hauckiana Grun. displayed external cell wall deformities while deformed individuals of Diatoma displayed deformities in valve ornamentation. Abnormal cell morphology was used as an indicator of a degraded ecosystem. There was a significant correlation( P <0.05, r s=0.652) between sediment toxicity as reflected by the microtox test and benthic diatom diversity. Species diversity and species richness levels at the twelve sites were closely correlated with one another and inversely correlated with sediment toxicity as reflected by our microtox results( r s=0.809, P <0.01). The microtox test for acute toxicity was correlated ( P <0.05) with diatom species richness. The deformity frequencies and microtox tests were not significantly correlated. This lack of correlation was expected as in numerous laboratory studies, toxic substances were not necessarily mutagenic. The use of diatom deformity frequencies as a means of assessing the mutagenic/teratogenic impacts of anthropogenic substances on a marine benthic diatom community necessitates the enumeration of a large number of diatoms making this method extremely labor intensive.

Water quality assessment of benthic diatom communities for water quality in the subalpine karstic lakes of Jiuzhaigou,a world heritage site in China

Jiuzhaigou, characterized by its magnificent waterscapes and subalpine karstic features, is both a World Heritage Site and a World Biosphere Reserve in southwestern China. In recent years, this unique ecosystem has shown signs of stress due to increasing tourism activities within the reserve. The various routine methods, which monitor physical and chemical properties, do not fully reflect water quality in the subalpine and alpine lakes, while the indicators using aquatic organisms to evaluate the water quality or status of the subalpine lakes are poorly reported. Thus, in this study, benthic diatoms from multiple habitats in Jiuzhaigou were sampled and assessed for water quality monitoring. Canonical Correspondence Analysis （CCA） showed that the canonical coefficients for elevation, water temperature and total nitrogen on the first Canonical Corresnondence Analysis axis were -0.84. 0.78 and -0.53, respectively, environmental variables associated with the distribution patterns of benthic diatoms. The dominance of diatom taxa indicative of nutrient enrichment indicates a clear trend toward eutrophication in the Pearl Shoal and Colorful Lake, two of the sites mostly visited by tourists. It was observed that the effect of the type of substratum on diatom community composition is not significant in subalpine lakes. The most dominant species in Jiuzhaigou lakes are the genera Achnanthes, Fragilaria, CymbeUa, Cocconeis, Diatoma and Denticula. In combination with dominant and sensitive species in the benthic diatom communities, CCA and CA methods can be used to evaluate the impact of human activities on subalpine karstic lakes. The dominance of diatom taxa is indicative of nutrient enrichment and the results of CCA and CA indicate a clear trend toward eutrophication in the Pearl Shoal and Colorful Lake, two of the sites mostly visited by tourists.

Decadal variations in diatoms and dinoflagellates on the inner shelf of the East China Sea, China

Diatoms and dinoflagellates are two major groups ofphytoplankton that flourish in the oceans, particularly in coastal zone and upwelling systems, and their contrasting production have been reported in several world seas. However, this information is not available in the coastal East China Sea （ECS）. Thus, to investigate and compare the decadal trends in diatoms and dinoflagellates, a sediment core, 47-cm long, was collected from the coastal zone of the ECS. Sediment chlorophyll-a （Chl-a）, phytoplankton-group specifc pigment signatures of diatoms and dinoflagellates, and diatom valve concentrations were determined. The sediment core covered the period from 1961 to 2011 AD. The chlorophyll-a contents ranged from 2.32 to 73 gg/g dry sediment （dw） and averaged 9.81 gg/g dw. Diatom absolute abundance ranged from 29 152 to 177 501 valve/gram （v/g） dw and averaged 72 137 v/g dw. Diatom valve and diatom specific pigment marker concentrations were not significantly correlated. Peridinin increased after the 1980s in line with intensified use of fertilizer and related increases in nutrient inputs into the marine environment. The increased occurrence of dinoflagellate dominance after the 1980s can be mostly explained by the increase in nutrients. However, the contribution of dinoflagellates to total phytoplankton production （Chl-a） decreased during the final decade of this study, probably because of the overwhelming increase in diatom production that corresponded with the construction of the Three Gorges Dam （TGD） and related light availability. Similarly, the mean ratio of fucoxanthin/peridinin for the period from 1982 to 2001 was 6% less than for 1961 to 1982, while the ratio for 2001 to 2011 was 45.3% greater than for 1982 to 2001. The decadal variation in the fucoxanthirdperidinin ratio implies that dinoflagellate production had been gradually increasing until 2001. We suggest that the observed changes can be explained by anthropogenic impacts, such as nutrient loading and dam construction.

The benthic diatom community of Xiangshan Bay

The samples collected from the surface sediments in Xiangshan Bay,Zhejiang province in May and November 2005 were analyzed under a light microscope.The species composition,abundance,community structure and diversity were investigated.A total of 179 taxa belonging to 46 genera of diatom were identified.The result showed that the ecotypes of diatom were mostly eurytopic species,followed by warm water species and temperate species.The most dominant species were Cyclotella stylorum and Coscinodiscus jonesianus.The seasonal variation of diatom abundance was remarkable.The cell abundance of diatoms was higher in spring(2.974×10^3 cells/g)than that in autumn(0.071×10^3 cells/g).The number of species varies with change of season,demonstrating the adaptability of diatoms to the temperature of water.The species diversity of benthic diatom was lower in autumn than that in spring.

Environmental heterogeneity and productivity drive the assemblage of benthic diatom:a case study of the Three Gorges Reservoir

Dam construction has a critical effect on river ecosystems in the world,resulting in a rapid decline in biodiversity and ecosystem health.However,the effect of dam construction on the assemblage pattern of benthic diatoms remains unclear.The benthic diatoms assemblages in the tributary backwater area of the Three Gorges Reservoir(TGR)were investigated under low water level(LWL)and high water level(HWL)conditions.Results show that Discostella stelligera,Nitzschia palea,and Craticula subminuscula were dominant species in LWL,while Achnanthidium minutissimum and Nitzschia dissipata were dominant in HWL.Furthermore,environmental variables,productivity parameters,diversity indices,and community similarity were found significantly different between LWL and HWL periods.The Mantel test indicated that both environmental and spatial factors had significant effects on diatom communities in backwater area,while productivity was also a key driving force in LWL.The variation partitioning analysis(VPA)further demonstrated that environment factors could explain the largest variance of diatom assemblages in HWL(9%)and LWL(11%),followed by spatial factors.The relative importance of productivity to diatom community was significantly enhanced in LWL,but only a slight effect was found in HWL.These results indicate that the diatom assemblages were shaped by both environmental filtering and spatial factors.The relative importance of spatial factors depended on the degree of productivity.Therefore,the homogenization of diatom communities due to environmental disturbance,e.g.eutrophication and dam building,is the underlying mechanism in assembling the benthic diatoms.

Diatom diet selectivity by early post-larval abalone Haliotis diversicolor supertexta under hatchery conditions

Benthic diatoms constitute the primary diet of abalone during their early stages of development. To evaluate the dietary preferences of early post-larval abalone, Haliotis diversicolor supertexta, we analyzed the gut contents of post-larvae that settled on diatom films. We compared the abundance and species diversity of diatom assemblages in the gut to those of the epiphytic diatom assemblages on the attachment films, and identified 40 benthic diatom species in the gut contents of post-larvae 12 to 24 d after settlement. The most abtmdant taxa in the gut contents were Navicula spp., Amphora copulate, and Amphora coffeaeformis. Navicula spp. accounted for 64.0% of the cell density. In the attachment films, we identified 110 diatom species belonging to 38 genera. Pennate diatoms were the dominant members including the species Amphiprora alata, Cocconeis placentula var. euglypta, Cylindrotheca closterium, Navicula sp. 2, and A. coffeaeformis. Nano-diatoms （〈20 pm in length） accounted for a considerable proportion of the total species number and cell density of the diatom assemblages in the gut contents and on the films. This suggests that nano-diatoms are important to the efficient production of abalone seed. The difference of the composition and abundance of diatoms between in the guts and on the biofilms suggests that early post-larval grazing was selective. An early post-larval abalone preferred nano-diatoms and the genera Navicula and Amphora during the month after settlement.

Environmental change and its effects on inter-decadal variations of diatom production, species composition and frustule dissolution in a coastal marginal sea

The implications of climate change during the second half of the 20th century have been reported throughout the world. Although marginal seas are sensitive to climate change and anthropogenic impacts, relatively little attention has been given to the South East Asian marginal seas. Thus, to bridge this gap in knowledge, a sediment core was collected from the coastal areas of the Leizhou Peninsula in the South China Sea （SCS） to study the inter-decadal climate change and its consequences using diatom species composition as a proxy record. Diatom absolute abundance varied from 2 300 to 68 000 and averaged 16 000 valves per gram of dry weight （v/gdw）. The fractional dissolution index （F~） was usually below 0.5, which indicates low to moderate preservation of diatom valves at coastal area of the SCS. At the inter-decadal time scale, total diatom abundance was high for the period after 1972, which coincided with 1） increased percentage of planktonic diatom abundance and F~; 2） emergence and dominance of high productivity indicative cosmopolitan species such as Thalassionema nitzschioides and Paralia sulcata （their relative abundance increased from 〈1.5% to 〉7% for the period before and after 1972, respectively）; 3） decreased relative abundance of the small-sized eutrophication indicative species, Cyclotella striata, from 70% to 40%. This study reveals that variations in the abundance of diatoms preserved in the sediment was a function of both production and dissolution/preservation of diatom valves, which in turn was intimately connected to the prevailing environmental/climatic conditions. In conclusion, these data reveal the existence of substantial changes in the coastal SCS in response to the 1970s climate shift that was recorded in different parts of the world.