Impacts of algal blooms on sinking carbon flux and hypoxia off the Changjiang River estuary

Based on 10 multidisciplinary investigations conducted from February 2015 to January 2016,the phytoplankton community and its association with ambient seawater physicochemical parameters in the Changjiang(Yangtze)River estuary(CE)and its adjacent waters were comprehensively examined.In total,265 taxa were identified,belonging to 5 phyla and 94 genera.Diatoms(63.78%)and dinoflagellates(33.21%)were the dominant groups.The variation of diatom abundance showed a positive relationship with the nutrient concentrations while the dinoflagellate abundance showed a negative relationship.Two algal bloom events occurred during the investigation period.The Changjiang Diluted Water(CDW)induced environmental gradients in the upper layer,favoring the diatom bloom in July.The invasion of the nearshore Kuroshio branch current could affect the formation of a bloom of Prorocentrum donghaiense.With the blooming and senescence of phytoplankton,low dissolved oxygen(DO)and hypoxia occurred in the bottom waters.The bottom DO concentration displayed a significantly negative correlation with phytoplankton carbon flux.The present study provides straightforward evidence for the source of organic matter for oxygen consumption in the CE and its adjacent waters.

Diversity and seasonal variation of marine phytoplankton in Jiaozhou Bay, China revealed by morphological observation and metabarcoding

Phytoplankton are central components of marine environments,and are major players in the production and respiration budgeting.However,their diversity and distribution patterns are still poorly understood due largely to their small sizes and inconspicuous morphology that have been determined via the application of traditional morphology methods over the past two decades.To better understand the composition and diversity of phytoplankton in Jiaozhou Bay,China,seasonal sampling was carried out in 2019 and samples were analyzed with morphological observations and high-throughput sequencing,from which obvious seasonal variations in phytoplankton composition and proportional abundances were uncovered.Metabarcoding revealed far more diversity and species richness of phytoplankton than morphological observations,especially with respect to dinofl agellates.Diatoms were the most dominant phytoplankton group throughout the year,of which Thalassionema and Skeletonema were co-dominant in the bay.Parasitic dinofl agellates(e.g.Amoebophrya),which is often overlooked in the morphological observations,were in dominance and high diversity in the metabarcoding dataset,thus more attention should be paid to exploring the potential role of parasitic dinofl agellates.Temperature,chlorophyll a,and nutrient levels were the main infl uential factors on the distribution of phytoplankton.This study provided a comprehensive morphological and molecular description of phytoplankton and clearly demonstrated the importance of molecular technology in exploring phytoplankton communities.More-widespread use of molecular technology will facilitate deeper understanding of the ecological importance of the diff erent species.

Spatial and diel variations of the prokaryotic community in the Phaeocystis globosa blooms area of Beibu Gulf,China

While prokaryotes play key roles in nutrient cycling and energy flow during Phaeocystis globosa blooms,the information on the spatial and diel temporal distribution of the prokaryotic community during Phaeocystis blooms remains scarce.In January 2019,we used high-throughput sequencing of the 16S rRNA gene to explore the spatial and diel variations of particle-attached(PA)and free-living(FL)prokaryotic communities during the blooming phase of P.globosa in Beibu Gulf,Guangxi,China.The results suggested a significant spatial variation pattern in the horizontal distribution of prokaryotic communities,while there was no significant difference in the vertical direction.Both spatial distance and environmental variables shaped the horizontal distribution of the prokaryotic community structure,while environmental variables,particularly the abundance of P.globosa colony and Chl a,showed more significant influence and were closely related to the structure and variation of the prokaryotic community.Strong vertical mixing of the water column disrupted the vertical structure heterogeneity of the prokaryotic community in winter.There were significant differences in the diel samples of PA prokaryotic communities,but not in the FL prokaryotic communities.Nitrate,ammonium and the abundance of P.globosa colony were the key environmental variables impacting the diel variations of prokaryotic communities over the sampling period.The present study provided valuable information to depict the spatial-temporal variations of the microbial community and its association with environmental parameters during P.globosa bloom in the tropical gulf.

Nitrogen fixation driven by mesoscale eddies and the Kuroshio Current in the northern South China Sea and the East China Sea

N2 fixation rates(NFR,in terms of N)in the northern South China Sea(nSCS)and the East China Sea(ECS)were measured using the acetylene reduction assay in summer and winter,2009.NFR of the surface water ranged from 1.14 nmol/(L·d)to 10.40 nmol/(L·d)(average at(4.89±3.46)nmol/(L·d),n=11)in summer and 0.74 nmol/(L·d)to 29.45 nmol/(L·d)(average at(7.81±8.50)nmol/(L·d),n=15)in winter.Significant spatio-temporal heterogeneity emerged in our study:the anticyclonic eddies(AE)(P<0.01)and the Kuroshio Current(KC)(P<0.05)performed significantly higher NFR than that in the cyclonic eddies or no-eddy area(CEONE),indicating NFR was profoundly influenced by the physical process of the Kuroshio and mesoscale eddies.The depth-integrated N2 fixation rates(INF,in terms of N)ranged from 52.4μmol/(m2·d)to 905.2μmol/(m2·d)(average at(428.9±305.5)μmol/(m2·d),n=15)in the winter.The contribution of surface NFR to primary production(PP)ranged from 1.7%to 18.5%in the summer,and the mean contribution of INF to new primary production(NPP)in the nSCS and ECS were estimated to be 11.0%and 36.7%in the winter.The contribution of INF to NPP(3.0%–93.9%)also decreased from oligotrophic sea toward the eutrophic waters affected by runoffs or the CEONE.Furthermore,we observed higher contributions compared to previous studies,revealing the vital roles of nitrogen fixation in sustaining the carbon pump of the nSCS and ECS.