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Influence of the northern Yellow Sea Cold Water Mass on picoplankton distribution around the Zhangzi Island, northern Yellow Sea

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Abstract

Picoplankton distribution around the Zhangzi Island (northern Yellow Sea) was investigated by monthly observation from July 2009 to June 2010. Three picoplankton populations were discriminated by flow cytometry, namely Synechococcus, picoeukaryotes and heterotrophic prokaryotes. In summer (from July to September), the edge of the northern Yellow Sea Cold Water Mass (NYSCWM) resulting from water column stratification was observed. In the NYSCWM, picoplankton (including Synechococcus, picoeukaryotes and heterotrophic prokaryotes) distributed synchronically with extremely high abundance in the thermocline (20 m) in July and August (especially in August), whereas in the bottom zone of the NYSCWM (below 30 m), picoplankton abundance was quite low. Synechococcus, picoeukaryotes and heterotrophic prokaryotes showed similar response to the NYSCWM, indicating they had similar regulating mechanism under the influence of NYSCWM. Whereas in the non-NYSCWM, Synechococcus, picoeukaryotes and heterotrophic prokaryotes exhibited different distribution patterns, suggesting they had different controlling mechanisms. Statistical analysis indicated that temperature, nutrients (NO3– and PO43–) and ciliate were important factors in regulating picoplankton distribution. The results in this study suggested that the physical event NYSCWM, had strong influence on picoplankton distribution around the Zhangzi Island in the northern Yellow Sea.

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Acknowledgements

The authors are grateful to the crew on the research vessel of Dalian Zhangzidao Fishery Group Co., Ltd for their supports on field sampling.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. CAS Key Laboratory of Marine Ecology and Environmental Sciences, Institute of Oceanology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Qingdao, 266071, China

    Li Zhao, Yanchu Zhao, Yi Dong, Yuan Zhao, Wuchang Zhang, Jianhong Xu & Tian **ao

  2. Laboratory for Marine Ecology and Environmental Science, Qingdao National Laboratory for Marine Science and Technology, Qingdao, 266237, China

    Li Zhao, Yanchu Zhao, Yi Dong, Yuan Zhao, Wuchang Zhang & Tian **ao

  3. University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Bei**g, 100864, China

    Yanchu Zhao

  4. Tian** Bohai Sea Fisheries Research Institute, Tian**, 300457, China

    Ying Yu

  5. Jiaozhou Bay Marine Ecosystem Research Station, Institute of Oceanology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Qingdao, 266071, China

    Guangtao Zhang

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  1. Li Zhao
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  2. Yanchu Zhao
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  3. Yi Dong
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  4. Yuan Zhao
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  7. Ying Yu
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  8. Guangtao Zhang
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  9. Tian **ao
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Yuan Zhao.

Additional information

Foundation item: The National Natural Science Foundation of China under contract Nos 41306160; the NSFC-Shandong Joint Fund for Marine Science Research Centers under contract No. U1606404; the Strategic Priority Research Program of the Chinese Academy of Sciences under contract No. XDA11020103.1.

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Zhao, L., Zhao, Y., Dong, Y. et al. Influence of the northern Yellow Sea Cold Water Mass on picoplankton distribution around the Zhangzi Island, northern Yellow Sea. Acta Oceanol. Sin. 37, 96–106 (2018). https://doi.org/10.1007/s13131-018-1149-9

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s13131-018-1149-9

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