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Responses of phytoplankton functional groups to environmental factors in the Pearl River, South China

  • Cyanobacterial blooms and water ecological restoration
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Abstract

The variations of phytoplankton functional groups and their correlation with environmental factors, as well as the applicability of phytoplankton functional groups to serve as biological water quality indicator in the Pearl River, South China, were studied in the present study. A total of 96 samples were collected and divided into 21 functional groups from September 2016 to July 2017. The phytoplankton functional groups P and G were dominant during the investigation, and their biomass contributing was ranged 0.06 to 89.07%, the average 30.73%, and ranged 1.47 to 62.40%, the average 9.33% of the total biomass, respectively. The results showed environmental estrogens—BPA (bisphenol A), E2 (17β-estradiol), E1 (estrone), 4-t-OP (4-tert-octylphenol), 4-NP (nonylphenol), TCS (triclosan), and TCC (triclocarban)—in the Pearl River were significantly different, and with average values of 269.30 ng L−1, 2.76 ng L−1, 4.24 ng L−1, 53.68 ng L−1, 952.72 ng L−1, 16.79 ng L−1, and 8.61 ng L−1, respectively. This was likely responsible for the differences in the phytoplankton functional groups. We observed positive correlations between P and A, and G and J. Functional groups P biomass decreased significantly with functional groups LM increased, and functional groups M and J with X2. We found positive correlations between functional group G and concentrations of E1 and TCC; functional group A and total nitrogen (TN), 4-NP, 4-t-OP, and E2; functional groups LM and L1 and total suspended particles, BPA, and TCS; and functional group G and negative total phosphorus (TP), pH, and TCS. The study showed that TN, TP, and the environmental estrogens in the aquatic ecosystems were correlation with phytoplankton functional groups type, and affected the ecological balance in aquatic environments.

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Funding

This work was supported by the Program for First-class Discipline Construction in Guizhou Province (201785), and the National Top Discipline Construction Project of Guizhou Province: Geography in Guizhou Normal University (85 2017 Qianjiao Keyan Fa). Additional support came from the Special Funding of Guiyang Science and Technology Bureau and Guiyang University (GYU-KYZ-2019). Financial support was provided by the Discipline and Master’s Site Construction Project of Guiyang University by Guiyang City Financial Support Guiyang University (SH-2020). The Project of Innovation Program for Postgraduate Education of Guizhou Province: Xiong Kangning’s studio of postgraduate supervisors for the karst environment of Guizhou Province (04 2016 Qianjiao Yanhe GZS ZI), and the National Science Foundation of China-Guangdong United Foundation (U1501235).

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  1. Guizhou Provincial Key Laboratory for Rare Animal and Economic Insects of the Mountainous Region, College of Biology and Environmental Engineering, Guiyang University, Guiyang, 550005, Guizhou, People’s Republic of China

    Shengxing Long, Ting Zhang & Can Li

  2. School of Karst Science, State Engineering Technology Institute for Karst Desertification Control, Guizhou Normal University, Guiyang, 5510000, Guizhou, People’s Republic of China

    Shengxing Long & Kangning Xiong

  3. Institute of Hydrobiology, College of life Science and Technology, Jinan University, Guangzhou, 510632, Guangdong, People’s Republic of China

    Jingjing Fan

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  1. Shengxing Long
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Long, S., Zhang, T., Fan, J. et al. Responses of phytoplankton functional groups to environmental factors in the Pearl River, South China. Environ Sci Pollut Res 27, 42242–42253 (2020). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11356-020-08344-9

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