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The spatial and temporal distribution of microalgae in the South China Sea: evidence from GIS-based analysis of 18S rDNA sequences

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Abstract

The purpose of this study was to estimate the spatial and temporal variation of microalgae in the South China Sea and to demonstrate the environmental factors controlling the diversity of microalgae by GIS (geographic information system)-based analysis of 18S rDNA sequences. Six 18S rDNA libraries were constructed from environmental samples collected at different sites in the study area, and more than 600 18S rDNA sequences were determined. The rDNA sequence data were then analyzed by DIVA-GIS software to display the spatial and temporal variation of phytoplankton’s composition. It was shown that the autotrophic eukaryotic plankton dominated over the heterotrophic cells in most of our clone libraries, and the dominating phytoplankton was Dinophyceae except for Bacillariophyta at the **amen harbor. The percentages of these two groups were controlled by water temperature and salinity. Our results also revealed that the species composition of Chlorophyta showed a close relationship with latitude, changing from Prasinophyceae at the high latitude to Trebouxiophyceae at the low latitude. Several newly classified picoplankton lineages were first uncovered in the South China Sea, including the pico-sized green alga Ostreococcus sp. and Picochlorum eukaryotum, and picobiliphytes, which was just discovered in 2007 with unknown affinities to other eukaryotes. Their spatial and temporal variation were also analyzed and discussed.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Key Laboratory of Gene Engineering of the Ministry of Education, State Key Laboratory for Biocontrol, Sun Yat-Sen University, Guangzhou, 510275, China

    LüYan Li, QiaoJuan Huang, ShuHui Wu & YueQin Chen

  2. South China Sea Environmental Monitoring Center, State Oceanic Administration, Guangzhou, 510300, China

    Duan Lin & JiaHui Chen

Authors
  1. LüYan Li
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  2. QiaoJuan Huang
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  3. ShuHui Wu
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  4. Duan Lin
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  5. JiaHui Chen
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  6. YueQin Chen
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Correspondence to YueQin Chen.

Additional information

Supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (Grant No. U0631001), Funds from the Ministry of Education of China (Grant No. NCET-04-0788) and the Reserve Key Projects of Sun Yat-Sen University (IRT0447)

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Li, L., Huang, Q., Wu, S. et al. The spatial and temporal distribution of microalgae in the South China Sea: evidence from GIS-based analysis of 18S rDNA sequences. SCI CHINA SER C 51, 1121–1128 (2008). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11427-008-0140-7

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11427-008-0140-7

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