Min Chen, Xuan Liu, Shuqin Tao, Aijun Wang, Yanting Lin, Zhaohe Luo, Ya Xu, Jiayu Li, Qing Huang. The response of surface sedimental diatoms to the environment and its potential significance in the Taiwan Strait, Western Pacific[J]. Acta Oceanologica Sinica. doi: 10.12284/hyxb2024000
Citation:
Min Chen, Xuan Liu, Shuqin Tao, Aijun Wang, Yanting Lin, Zhaohe Luo, Ya Xu, Jiayu Li, Qing Huang. The response of surface sedimental diatoms to the environment and its potential significance in the Taiwan Strait, Western Pacific[J]. Acta Oceanologica Sinica. doi: 10.12284/hyxb2024000
Min Chen, Xuan Liu, Shuqin Tao, Aijun Wang, Yanting Lin, Zhaohe Luo, Ya Xu, Jiayu Li, Qing Huang. The response of surface sedimental diatoms to the environment and its potential significance in the Taiwan Strait, Western Pacific[J]. Acta Oceanologica Sinica. doi: 10.12284/hyxb2024000
Citation:
Min Chen, Xuan Liu, Shuqin Tao, Aijun Wang, Yanting Lin, Zhaohe Luo, Ya Xu, Jiayu Li, Qing Huang. The response of surface sedimental diatoms to the environment and its potential significance in the Taiwan Strait, Western Pacific[J]. Acta Oceanologica Sinica. doi: 10.12284/hyxb2024000
College of Marine Sciences, Shanghai Ocean University, Shanghai 201306, P.R. China
2.
Third Institute of Oceanography, Ministry of Natural Resources, Xiamen 361005, P.R. China
3.
Fujian Provincial Key Laboratory of Marine Physical and Geological Processes, Xiamen 361005, P.R. China
4.
College of Ocean and Earth Sciences, Xiamen University, Xiamen 361000, P.R.China
5.
School of Advanced Manufacturing, Fuzhou University, Jinjiang 362200, P.R. China
Funds:
The Natural Science Foundation of Fujian Province of China under contract No. 2023J011378. The National Key Research and Development Program of China under contract No. 2019YFE0124700. Special Fund for Basic Scientific Research Foundation of the Third Institute of Oceanography, Ministry of Natural Resources, China under contract Nos. 2019018 and 2020017.
As the most important component of marine siliceous organisms, diatoms are vital primary producers of the ocean that are often used as indicators of paleoenvironmental change. To understand the response of sedimental diatoms to regional environmental changes and the factors affecting the distribution of sedimental diatoms in the Taiwan Strait, this study quantified and classified the diatoms found in surface sediments collected during four surveys from 2019 to 2020. Overall, 118 diatom taxa and 44 genera were identified with total diatom abundance of 8–27,353 valves/g. Four diatom assemblages representing different environments were identified. Among them, assemblage Ⅰ represented a coastal environment, assemblage Ⅱ comprised warm water species of a coastal environment, assemblage Ⅲ represented a coastal environment affected markedly by exorheism, assemblage Ⅳ represented a group with lowest diatom abundance. Seasonal variation in total diatom abundance was controlled by seven environmental factors: depth, sea surface salinity, mean grain size, silicate, nitrite, nitrate, and phosphate. Spatiotemporal variation in each of the diatom assemblages was substantial and strongly affected by various currents, upwelling, and low-salinity water. Specifically, it was found that the succession of diatom assemblages reflects change in the range of influence of local warm currents.
Figure 1. Study area and locations of sampling stations (red dots): (a) autumn 2019, (b) winter 2019, (c) spring 2020, and (d) summer 2020. Red arrows represent the Taiwan Warm Current (TWC), blue arrows represent the Zhejiang–Fujian Coastal Current (ZMCC) system, and yellow arrows represent the South China Sea Warm Current (SCSWC) (Xiao et al., 2002; Sun, 2016; Tao et al., 2022). The thickness of each arrow indicates the strength of the current. Areas with green hatching represent zones of low sea surface salinity (Tang et al., 2002, 2004; Fan et al., 2012); areas with vertical purple lines represent areas with upwelling (Chen et al., 2008).
Figure 2. Distribution of sea surface salinity (SSS) in the Taiwan Strait: (a) autumn 2019, (b) winter 2019, (c) spring 2020, and (d) summer 2020.
Figure 3. Distribution of mean grain size (Mz) in the Taiwan Strait: (a) autumn 2019, (b) winter 2019, (c) spring 2020, and (d) summer 2020.
Figure 4. Distribution of silicate in the Taiwan Strait: (a) autumn 2019, (b) winter 2019, (c) spring 2020, and (d) summer 2020.
Figure 5. Distribution of phosphate in the Taiwan Strait: (a) autumn 2019, (b) winter 2019, (c) spring 2020, and (d) summer 2020.
Figure 6. Distribution of ammonia nitrogen in the Taiwan Strait: (a) autumn 2019, (b) winter 2019, (c) spring 2020, and (d) summer 2020.
Figure 7. Distribution of nitrite in the Taiwan Strait: (a) autumn 2019, (b) winter 2019, (c) spring 2020, and (d) summer 2020.
Figure 8. Distribution of nitrate in the Taiwan Strait: (a) autumn 2019, (b) winter 2019, (c) spring 2020, and (d) summer 2020.
Figure 9. Distribution of diatom abundance in the Taiwan Strait: (a) autumn 2019, (b) winter 2019, (c) spring 20202, and (d) summer 2020.
Figure 10. Distribution of marine diatom species in the Taiwan Strait: (a) autumn 2019, (b) winter 2019, (c) spring 20202, and (d) summer 2020.
Figure 11. Distribution of brackish water diatom species in the Taiwan Strait: (a) autumn 2019, (b) winter 2019, (c) spring 20202, and (d) summer 2020.
Figure 12. Distribution of warm water diatom species in the Taiwan Strait: (a) autumn 2019, (b) winter 2019, (c) spring 2020, and (d) summer 2020.
Figure 13. Distribution of Paralia sulcata in the Taiwan Strait: (a) autumn 2019, (b) winter 2019, (c) spring 2020, and (d) summer 2020.
Figure 14. Distribution of Coscinodiscus radiatus in the Taiwan Strait: (a) autumn 2019, (b) winter 2019, (c) spring 2020, and (d) summer 2020.
Figure 15. Distribution of Coscinodiscus rothii in the Taiwan Strait: (a) autumn 2019, (b) winter 2019, (c) spring 2020, and (d) summer 2020.
Figure 16. Distribution of Actinoptychus undulatus in the Taiwan Strait: (a) autumn 2019, (b) winter 2019, (c) spring 2020, and (d) summer 2020.
Figure 17. RDA biplot of environmental variables and samples. The eigenvalue for RDA axis 1 and 2 is 0.059 and 0.033, respectively. Abbreviations: SSS – sea surface salinity; SST – sea surface temperature; Mz – mean grain size; DO – dissolved oxygen; Si – silicate; NO2 – nitrite; NO3 – nitrate; PO4 – phosphate; NH – ammonia nitrogen. Assemblages I-IV and TS05 were analyzed by cluster analysis, and samples were labeled with different colors.
Figure 18. RDA biplot of diatom taxa and environmental factors. Abbreviations: SSS - sea surface salinity; SST - sea surface temperature; Mz - mean grain size; DO - dissolved oxygen; Si - silicate; NO2 - nitrite; NO3 - nitrate; PO4 - phosphate; NH - ammonia nitrogen. P. sulcata - Paralia sulcata; P. weyprechtii - Pyxidicula weyprechtii; P. stelligera - Podosira stelligera; A. nodulifera - Azpeitia nodulifera; C. radiatus - Coscinodiscus radiatus; C. oculatus - Coscinodiscus oculatus; C. striata - Cyclotella striata; A. undulatus - Actinoptychus undulatus; C. decrescens - Coscinodiscus decrescens; T. eccentrica - Thalassiosira eccentrica; C. divisus - Coscinodiscus divisus; C. rothii - Coscinodiscus rothii;
Figure 19. Distribution of diatom assemblages in the Taiwan Strait: (a) autumn 2019, (b) winter 2019, (c) spring 2020, and (d) summer 2020. Red arrows represent the Taiwan Warm Current (TWC), blue arrows represent the Zhejiang–Fujian Coastal Current (ZMCC) system, and yellow arrows represent the South China Sea Warm Current (SCSWC).
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