Congruency analysis of biofilm-dwelling ciliates as a surrogate of eukaryotic microperiphyton for marine bioassessment.
Biofilm-dwelling ciliates are primary components of the eukaryotic microperiphyton in both species composition and community structure. To evaluate the congruency of biofilm-dwelling ciliates as potential surrogates of the eukaryotic microperiphyton, a dataset was collected every month at four stations from the coastal waters of the Yellow Sea, northern China, and assessed. Sufficient species abundance data were obtained for ciliated protozoans at high taxonomic levels up to the family level, indicating a significant variation along the gradient of contamination. Correlation analyses revealed that the taxa richness of these matrices can explain > 85% of the variance in that of the full species dataset. The cost/benefit analysis showed that the protozoan subset at low resolutions up to the family level may be used as a potential surrogate of the original dataset. Thus, we suggest that the protozoan assemblages at genus- and/or family-level resolutions may be useful, cost-efficient surrogates of the original dataset for bioassessment in marine ecosystems.
Laboratory of Microbial Ecology, Ocean University of China, Qingdao 266003, China.
Guangjian
G
Xu
Laboratory of Microbial Ecology, Ocean University of China, Qingdao 266003, China.
Zheng
Z
Wang
Laboratory of Microbial Ecology, Ocean University of China, Qingdao 266003, China; College of Ocean and Earth Sciences, Xiamen University, Xiamen 361005, China.
Zhongwen
Z
Yang
Laboratory of Microbial Ecology, Ocean University of China, Qingdao 266003, China. Electronic address: henglongxu@126.com.
Henglong
H
Xu
D044822:Biodiversity; D018441:Biofilms; D002681:China; D016798:Ciliophora / Q000145:classification* / Q000502:physiology; D017753:Ecosystem; D004784:Environmental Monitoring; D052836:Heterotrophic Processes; D008386:Marine Biology / Q000379:methods*; D009792:Oceans and Seas; D060753:Water Quality
Artificial substratum; Biofilm-dwelling ciliates; Congruency analysis; Maine bioassessment; Marine ecosystem