title: Can body-size patterns of ciliated zooplankton be used for assessing marine water quality? A case study on bioassessment in Jiaozhou Bay, northern Yellow Sea.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  In order to reveal the potential relationships between body-size patterns of microzooplankton and environmental status, the spatial patterns in body-size spectra of ciliated zooplanktons were studied based on an annual dataset in a bay of the Yellow Sea, northern China.
  
  
  METHODS
  A total of 120 samples were collected at a depth of 1 m from each of five sampling sites with a spatial gradient of environmental stress from June 2007 to May 2008. A range of physico-chemical variables were measured synchronously for comparison with biotic parameters.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The spatial body-size patterns of ciliated zooplankton represented significant differences among the five sites, and were significantly correlated with the changes of physico-chemical parameters, especially salinity, dissolved oxygen and nutrients. Two paired indices, the average body-size distinctness (AvBSD) and the variation in body-size distinctness (VarBSD), were proposed based on the trait resemblances among ciliate species in body-size pattern. The paired measures showed a clear decreasing trend of departure from the expected body-size spectra in response to water quality status.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  These results suggest that the body-size pattern of ciliated zooplankton might be used as a potential indicator of marine water quality.
authors.affiliation: Laboratory of Protozoology, Institute of Evolution and Marine Biodiversity, Ocean University of China, Qingdao, China.
authors.forename: Yong
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Jiang
authors.forename: Henglong
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Xu
authors.forename: Wei
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Zhang
authors.forename: Mingzhuang
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Zhu
authors.forename: Khaled A S
authors.initials: KA
authors.lastname: Al-Rasheid
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D061006:Bays; D049628:Body Size / Q000502:physiology*; D002681:China; D004784:Environmental Monitoring / Q000379:methods*; D054712:Salinity; D060753:Water Quality; D015048:Zooplankton / Q000502:physiology*