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Response of size-fractionated phytoplankton to environmental factors near the Changjiang Estuary

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Abstract

Size-based partitioning of phytoplankton is a useful tool for monitoring key phytoplankton traits, and it provides a better understanding of phytoplankton dynamics. Our aim is to determine the variation in the different size classes of phytoplankton to the total phytoplankton biomass during the spring and autumn of 2010 and examine the relationship between phytoplankton size structure and environmental variables and zooplankton community structure near the Changjiang Estuary. In the spring, phytoplankton populations were predominantly consisted of nanophytoplankton throughout the study region. In the autumn, picophytoplankton and nanophytoplankton collectively dominated the phytoplankton community. A Pearson correlation analysis highlighted the role of temperature and trophic conditions on the contributions of nanophytoplankton and picophytoplankton. The grazing pressure exerted by mesozooplankton could have played an important role in determining the microphytoplankton community structure.

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Acknowledgements

We acknowledge the captain and crew of R/V Zhe Hai Huan Jian for their help in sampling and sample processing. We thank the Second Institute of Oceanography, Ministry of Natural Resources of China, the East China Sea Fisheries Research Institute and the Chinese Academy of Fisheries Sciences for providing temperature, salinity, nutrient and zooplankton data.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Research Center for Harmful Algae and Marine Biology, Jinan University, Guangzhou, 510632, China

    Li Li, Jingyi Cen, Lei Cui & Songhui Lu

  2. Key Laboratory of Eutrophication and Red Tide Prevention of Guangdong Higher Education Institutes, Jinan University, Guangzhou, 510632, China

    Li Li, Jingyi Cen, Lei Cui & Songhui Lu

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  1. Li Li
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  2. Jingyi Cen
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  4. Songhui Lu
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Correspondence to Songhui Lu.

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Foundation item: The National Basic Research Program (973 Program) of China under contract No. 2010CB428702; the Science and Technology Planning Project of Guangdong Province of China under contract No. 2016A030303012; the Strategic Priority Research Program of the Chinese Academy of Sciences under contract No. XDA11020304.

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Li, L., Cen, J., Cui, L. et al. Response of size-fractionated phytoplankton to environmental factors near the Changjiang Estuary. Acta Oceanol. Sin. 38, 151–159 (2019). https://doi.org/10.1007/s13131-018-1259-4

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