Journal
MARINE POLLUTION BULLETIN
Volume 171, Issue -, Pages -Publisher
PERGAMON-ELSEVIER SCIENCE LTD
DOI: 10.1016/j.marpolbul.2021.112780
Keywords
Microalgae; Benthic diatoms; Algal blooms; Sediment stabilization; Sediment erodibility; Intertidal flat
Funding
- Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries of Korea (MOF), South Korea [20140257, 20170325, 20210427]
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The study revealed the spatiotemporal differences in sediment stabilization related to ecological variations of microphytobenthos in the typical tidal flats of the Yellow Sea, where Navicula was identified as a key diatom genus with high biofilm formation ability.
The physical functions of extracellular polymeric substances (EPS), viz., by-product of microphytobenthos (MPB), in tidal flat system are well documented, but some ecological aspects remain unknown. We investigated MPB biomass (Chl-a), EPS, diatom assemblage, and erodibility in two contrasting tidal flat environments (megatidal vs. macrotidal flat) in the Yellow Sea. Thick biofilms were observed when MPB bloomed, with high Chl-a and increased EPS concentrations. Among diatom genera, Navicula was the most dominant taxa found over the year (mean 41%) in both areas. Compared with non-bloom periods, the erodibility decreased by 54-73% as biofilm thickened during the blooms. It was attributed to the elevated abundance of large-sized (>40 mu m) Navicula, which was expected to secrete large amounts of EPS. Overall, we successfully demonstrated spatiotemporal differences of sediment stabilization that significantly related to ecological variations of MPB, and identified the key diatom genus as a sediment stabilizer in the typical tidal flats of the Yellow Sea.
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