title: Variation of phytoplankton community structure from the Pearl River estuary to South China Sea.
abstract: The Pearl River is located in the northern part of South China Sea. The environment of the Pearl River estuary (PRE) is significantly impacted by nutrients from anthropogenic activities. Along the anthropogenic pollution gradient from the PRE to South China Sea, the phylogenetic diversity and biomass of phytoplankton was examined in relation to physic-chemical variables. The richness of rbcL gene was higher in the open sea than the estuary, while the concentration of chlorophyll a (Chl a) was higher in the estuary than in the open sea. The cluster analysis of the sequences data resulted in seven phytoplankton community types and the dominant species of phytoplankton changed from Cryptophytes and Diatoms to Prymnesiophytes and Diatoms along the gradient. The community structure of phytoplankton was shaped by nutrients and salinity. The phytoplankton biomass was significantly positively affected by phosphorus, nitrite and ammonium (P < 0.01) but negatively by salinity (P < 0.05); the phytoplankton diversity was highly positively affected by salinity (P < 0.05) but negatively by silicate and nitrate (P < 0.01; P < 0.05, respectively). Anthropogenic activities played a critical role in the phytoplankton distribution and biomass of the study area. Further research is necessary to reveal the influence mechanism of environmental factors on the phytoplankton.
authors.affiliation: State Key Laboratory of Tropical Oceanography, South China Sea Institute of Oceanology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Guangzhou, 510301, China.
authors.forename: Zhao-Yu
authors.initials: ZY
authors.lastname: Jiang
authors.affiliation: State Key Laboratory of Tropical Oceanography, South China Sea Institute of Oceanology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Guangzhou, 510301, China. yswang@scsio.ac.cn.|Daya Bay Marine Biology Research Station, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shenzhen, 518121, China. yswang@scsio.ac.cn.
authors.forename: You-Shao
authors.initials: YS
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.affiliation: State Key Laboratory of Tropical Oceanography, South China Sea Institute of Oceanology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Guangzhou, 510301, China.
authors.forename: Hao
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Cheng
authors.affiliation: State Key Laboratory of Tropical Oceanography, South China Sea Institute of Oceanology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Guangzhou, 510301, China.|Daya Bay Marine Biology Research Station, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shenzhen, 518121, China.
authors.forename: Cui-Ci
authors.initials: CC
authors.lastname: Sun
authors.affiliation: State Key Laboratory of Tropical Oceanography, South China Sea Institute of Oceanology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Guangzhou, 510301, China.
authors.forename: Mei-Lin
authors.initials: ML
authors.lastname: Wu
mesh_terms: D020418:Algal Proteins / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism; D058448:Biota; D002681:China; D004777:Environment; D063366:Estuaries; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D010802:Phylogeny; D010839:Phytoplankton / Q000235:genetics / Q000502:physiology*; D012273:Ribulose-Bisphosphate Carboxylase / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism; D017422:Sequence Analysis, DNA; D062206:Spatial Analysis
chemical_list: D020418:Algal Proteins; D012273:Ribulose-Bisphosphate Carboxylase
keywords: Anthropogenic pollution gradient; Large subunit of ribulose-1,5-bisphosphate carboxylase (rbcL) gene; Phytoplankton community; South China Sea; The Pearl River estuary