| Popis: |
Spatial patterns of planktonic protist communities were studied for assessing water quality in Jiaozhou Bay, northern China, from June 2007 to May 2008. Samples were collected biweekly at five sampling sites with a gradient of environmental stress. A range of physico-chemical parameters were also measured in order to determine water quality. Multivariate/univariate analyses demonstrated that: (1) the spatial patterns of planktonic protist communities represented significant differences among the five sites; (2) the spatial variations in protist community structures correlated with environmental variables, especially the nutrients nitrate nitrogen (NO3-N) and soluble reactive phosphates (SRP); and (3) species diversity indices significantly correlated with nutrients (e.g., NO3-N). The results suggest that planktonic protists may be used as bioindicators of marine water quality. |
