The profound influence of Kuroshio intrusion on microphytoplankton community in the northeastern South China Sea

To further understand the effect of Kuroshio intrusion on phytoplankton community structure in the northeastern South China Sea(NSCS,14°–23°N,114°–124°E),one targeted cruise was carried out from July to August,2017.A total of 79 genera and 287 species were identified,mainly including Bacillariophyta(129 species),Pyrrophyta(150 species),Cyanophyta(4 species),Chrysophyta(3 species)and Haptophyta(1 species).The average abundance of phytoplankton was 2.14×10~3 cells/L,and Cyanobacterium was dominant species accounting for 86.84%of total phytoplankton abundance.The abundance and distribution of dominant Cyanobacterium were obviously various along the flow of the Kuroshio,indicating the Cyanobacterium was profoundly influenced by the physical process of the Kuroshio.Therefore,Cyanobacterium could be used to indicate the influence of Kuroshio intrusion.In addition,the key controlling factors of the phytoplankton community were nitrogen,silicate,phosphate and temperature,according to Canonical Correspondence Analysis.However,the variability of these chemical parameters in the study water was similarly induced by the physical process of circulations.Based on the cluster analysis,the similarity of phytoplankton community is surprisingly divided by the regional influence of the Kuroshio intrusion,which indicated Kuroshio intrusion regulates phytoplankton community in the NSCS.

Effects of typhoon Roke and Haitang on phytoplankton community structure in northeastern South China sea

The influence of typhoon and Kuroshio intrusion process on the natural phytoplankton assemblages in the northeastern South China Sea(neSCS)was examined during a cruise in summer 2017.One hundred ninety-six seawater samples were collected and analyzed in the neSCS.In total,299 species were identified belonging to 82 genera,mostly dominated by Bacillariophyta(159),followed by Dinophyta(132),Cyanophyta(4)and Chrysophyta(4).Among all,Thalassionema nitzschioides,Thalassionema frauenfeldii,Thalassiosira minima,in Bacillariophyta,Prorocentrum lenticulatum,Prorocentrum compressum in Dinophyta,and Trichodesmium thiebautii,in the Cyanophyta were the most dominated species,respectively.Correlation analysis shows compared with other groups Bacillariophyta was mostly influenced by silicate,whereas,Dinophyta and Cyanophyta showed significant correlation with temperature,salinity,phosphate,and nitrate.After the typhoon,the higher abundance of Dinophyta was observed,whereas it was lower in case of Bacillariophyta and Cyanophyta,shows typhoon“Roke“and”Haitang”had a significant influence on the phytoplankton assemblages,which could be manifested by the variations of total phytoplankton abundance in the surface water of neSCS.Overall,our present study provides the latest in-depth information about how the environmental factors influencing the phytoplankton density and diversity in the neSCS during summer.