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Seasonality regulates the distinct assembly patterns of microeukaryotic plankton communities in the Three Gorges Reservoir, China

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Abstract

The hydrographic and environmental factors along the Three Gorges Reservoir (TGR) have been significantly altered since the Three Gorges Dam (TGD) began working in 2006. Here, we collected 54 water samples, and then measured the environmental factors, followed by sequencing of the 18S rRNA gene and subsequent analysis of community assembly mechanisms. The findings indicated that the majority of environmental variables (such as AN, TP, Chl-a, CODMn, and Cu) exhibited both temporal and spatial variations due to the influences of the TGD. The distribution of different environmental factors and microeukaryotic plankton communities is influenced by the changing seasons. The community structure in TGR showed variations across three seasons, possibly due to variations in their environmental preferences, inherent dissimilarities, and seasonal succession. Furthermore, different communities exhibited a comparable distance-decay trend, suggesting that distinct taxa are likely to exhibit a similar spatial distribution. In addition, the community formation in TGR was influenced by both deterministic and stochastic factors, with the balance between them being mainly controlled by the season. Specifically, deterministic processes could explain 33.9–51.1% of community variations, while stochastic processes could contribute 23.5–32.2%. The findings of this research demonstrated that the varying ecological processes’ significance relied on environmental gradients, geographical scale, and ecological conditions. This could offer a fresh outlook on comprehending the composition, assembly mechanisms, and distribution patterns of microeukaryotic plankton in reservoir ecosystems.

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Data Availability

The raw data of this study has been uploaded to NCBI (PRJNA839793) and can be downloaded if necessary. If the researchers need other data, you can contact us by email, and we will provide real and effective data.

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Acknowledgements

We thank staff of Three Gorges Reservoir Administration in Jiangjin, Yubei, Changshou, Fuling, Wushan, and Wanzhou for their help in water sampling.

Funding

The work was supported by key project of technology innovation and application development for Chongqing (cstc2019jscx-gksb0106).

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Author notes

  1. Yu Zheng and Suping Li contributed equally.

Authors and Affiliations

  1. College of Resources and Environment, Southwest University, Chongqing, 400715, China

    Yu Zheng, Suping Li, Xiao Feng, Xinhua He & Yong Li

  2. School of Biological Sciences, University of Western, Australia, Perth, WA, 6009, Australia

    Xinhua He

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  1. Yu Zheng
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  2. Suping Li
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  3. Xiao Feng
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  4. Xinhua He
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Contributions

Yong Li, Yu Zheng, and Suping Li designed the experiments. Suping Li and Xiao Feng collected the samples, extracted the sample DNA and measured the sample physicochemical properties. Yu Zheng, Suping Li, and Xiao Feng analyzed the sequencing data. Yu Zheng, Yong Li, and Xinhua He completed the manuscript and further modified it. All authors read and approved the final manuscript.

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Correspondence to Yong Li.

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Zheng, Y., Li, S., Feng, X. et al. Seasonality regulates the distinct assembly patterns of microeukaryotic plankton communities in the Three Gorges Reservoir, China. Environ Sci Pollut Res 31, 37705–37716 (2024). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11356-024-33613-2

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