title: Variations of phytoplankton community structure related to water quality trends in a tropical karstic coastal zone.
abstract: Phytoplankton community structure in coastal areas is a result of various environmental factors such as nutrients, light, grazing, temperature, and salinity. The Yucatan Peninsula is a karstic tropical region that is strongly influenced by submerged groundwater discharge (SGD) into the coastal zone. Phytoplankton community structure and its relationship with regional and local water quality variables were studied in four ports of the northwestern Yucatan Peninsula. Water quality was strongly related to SGD, and variations in phytoplankton community structure were related to local nutrient loading and hydrographic conditions, turbulence, and human impacts. Our study provides an ecological baseline for the Yucatan Peninsula and serves as a basis for establishing monitoring programs to predict changes at sites with high hydrological variation and in developing an early alert system for harmful toxic algal blooms.
authors.affiliation: CINVESTAV-IPN, Depto. de Recurso del mar, Unidad Merida, Carretera Antigua a Progreso km 6, C.P. 97310 Mérida, Mexico.
authors.forename: Cynthia
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Alvarez-Góngora
authors.forename: Jorge A
authors.initials: JA
authors.lastname: Herrera-Silveira
mesh_terms: D000704:Analysis of Variance; D000818:Animals; D044822:Biodiversity; D002734:Chlorophyll / Q000032:analysis; D000077194:Chlorophyll A; D003710:Demography; D004784:Environmental Monitoring; D005068:Eutrophication / Q000502:physiology; D007287:Inorganic Chemicals / Q000032:analysis; D010100:Oxygen / Q000032:analysis; D010839:Phytoplankton / Q000145:classification / Q000502:physiology*; D011156:Population Density; D025341:Principal Component Analysis / Q000379:methods; D012623:Seawater / Q000737:chemistry*; D012965:Sodium Chloride / Q000032:analysis; D013696:Temperature; D014329:Tropical Climate
chemical_list: D007287:Inorganic Chemicals; D002734:Chlorophyll; D012965:Sodium Chloride; D010100:Oxygen; D000077194:Chlorophyll A