Seasonal variations in phytoplankton community structure in the Sanggou, Ailian, and Lidao Bays

The seasonal variations in phytoplankton community structure were investigated for the Sanggou Bay (SGB) and the adjacent Ailian Bay (ALB) and Lidao Bay (LDB) in Shandong Peninsula, eastern China. The species composition and cell abundance of phytoplankton in the bay waters in spring (April 2011), summer (August 2011), autumn (October 2011), and winter (January 2012) were examined using the Utermohl method. A total of 80 taxa of phytoplankton that belong to 39 genera of 3 phyla were identified. These included 64 species of 30 genera in the Phylum Bacillariophyta, 13 species of 8 genera in the Phylum Dinophyta, and 3 species of 1 genus in the Phylum Chrysophyta. During the four seasons, the number of phytoplankton species (43) was the highest in spring, followed by summer and autumn (40), and the lowest number of phytoplankton species (35) was found in winter. Diatoms, especially Paralia sulcata (Ehrenberg) Cleve and Coscinodiscus oculus-iridis Ehrenberg, were predominant in the phytoplankton community throughout the study period, whereas the dominance of dinoflagellate appeared in summer only. The maximum cell abundance of phytoplankton was detected in summer (average 8.08 x 10(3) cells L-1) whereas their minimum abundance was found in autumn (average 2.60 x 10(3) cells L-1). The phytoplankton abundance was generally higher in the outer bay than in the inner bay in spring and autumn. In summer, the phytoplankton cells were mainly concentrated in the south of inner SGB, with peak abundance observed along the western coast. In winter, the distribution of phytoplankton cells showed 3 patches, with peak abundance along the western coast as well. On seasonal average, the Shannon-Wiener diversity indices of phytoplankton community ranged from 1.17 to 1.78 (autumn > summer > spring > winter), and the Pielou's evenness indices of phytoplankton ranged from 0.45 to 0.65 (autumn > spring > summer > winter). According to the results of canonical correspondence analysis, phosphate level was the major factor that limited the occurrence of P. sulcata and C. oculus-iridis, whereas optimal temperature and low salinity were responsible for Prorocentrum blooms in summer. The detailed description of seasonal variations in phytoplankton community structure in the three bays provide reference data for future studies on marine ecosystems and mariculture in adjacent areas.