Linking Plankton Diversity with Ecosystem Functioning and Services

A special issue of Diversity (ISSN 1424-2818). This special issue belongs to the section "Marine Diversity".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (30 November 2021) | Viewed by 19653

Special Issue Editors

Department of Mathematics & Statistics, University of Strathclyde, Glasgow, Scotland, UK
Interests: plankton; diversity; primary productivity; warming
Institute for Advanced Marine Research, China University of Geosciences, Guangzhou, China
Interests: phytoplankton; microzooplankton; grazing; diversity
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Phytoplankton and zooplankton are the major players in aquatic ecosystems. They provide key ecosystem functioning and services. These include almost half of the global primary productivity, food sources for higher trophic levels, regulators of atmospheric CO2 levels, and water quality indicators. Plankton are also taxonomically and functionally diverse. However, it is far from clear whether this high diversity plays a role in affecting ecosystem functioning and services. As past research on biodiversity and ecosystem functioning mostly focused on terrestrial ecosystems, we urgently need studies on the linkage between plankton diversity and ecosystem functioning and services in aquatic ecosystems. The study approaches may include but are not limited to theoretical modelling, laboratory and field experiments, as well as large-scale surveys. Both freshwater and marine studies are welcome. We particularly welcome studies that address multiple ecosystem functions or multiple trophic levels and those providing value of plankton diversity for societal benefits.

Dr. Bingzhang Chen
Prof. Jun Sun
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Diversity is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2600 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • Phytoplankton
  • Zooplankton
  • Biodiversity
  • Species richness
  • Functional diversity
  • Primary productivity
  • Ecosystem functioning
  • Ecosystem services

Published Papers (8 papers)

Order results
Result details
Select all
Export citation of selected articles as:

Research

16 pages, 4117 KiB  
Article
Effects of Terrestrial Inputs on Mesozooplankton Community Structure in Bohai Bay, China
by Danyang Li, Yujian Wen, Guodong Zhang, Guicheng Zhang, Jun Sun and Wenzhe Xu
Diversity 2022, 14(5), 410; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/d14050410 - 22 May 2022
Cited by 9 | Viewed by 1877
Abstract
Zooplankton play a pivotal role in connecting primary producers and high trophic levels, and changes in their temporal and spatial distribution may affect the entire marine ecosystem. The spatial and seasonal taxonomic composition patterns of mesozooplankton in Bohai Bay were investigated in relation [...] Read more.
Zooplankton play a pivotal role in connecting primary producers and high trophic levels, and changes in their temporal and spatial distribution may affect the entire marine ecosystem. The spatial and seasonal taxonomic composition patterns of mesozooplankton in Bohai Bay were investigated in relation to a number of water parameters. Bohai Bay is a eutrophic semi-enclosed bay with dynamic physico-chemical conditions influenced by terrestrial inputs and seawater intrusion. The results showed that under the condition of terrigenous input, the diversity of mesozooplankton species near the eutrophic Haihe River Estuary and Jiyun River Estuary was lower than that in the central Bohai Bay, with gelatinous Oikopleura dioica as the dominant species. The mesozooplankton diversity was highest in the bay mouth affected by seawater intrusion, and the dominant oceanic species, mainly copepods Corycaeus affinis, Calanus sinicus, and Oithona similis, entered the inner bay from the bay mouth. Meanwhile, the abundance of mesozooplankton in summer was significantly higher than that in autumn. Compared with historical data, the dominant species in Bohai Bay has evolved from arrow worm Sagitta crassa to copepod Paracalanus parvus, probably due to global warming, indicating the effects of human activities on the succession of mesozooplankton community. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Linking Plankton Diversity with Ecosystem Functioning and Services)
Show Figures

Figure 1

10 pages, 2649 KiB  
Article
Physiological and Biochemical Characterization of Isolated Bacteria from a Coccolithophore Chrysotila dentata (Prymnesiophyceae) Culture
by Xueru Wang, Yang Liu and Jun Sun
Diversity 2022, 14(1), 2; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/d14010002 - 22 Dec 2021
Cited by 6 | Viewed by 2312
Abstract
Coccolithophores are involved in oceanic carbon and nitrogen cycles, and they also have an impact on global climate change. Chrysotila dentata have a complex and close relationship with phycosphere bacteria. In this study, culturable phycosphere bacteria (free-living bacteria and attached bacteria) are [...] Read more.
Coccolithophores are involved in oceanic carbon and nitrogen cycles, and they also have an impact on global climate change. Chrysotila dentata have a complex and close relationship with phycosphere bacteria. In this study, culturable phycosphere bacteria (free-living bacteria and attached bacteria) are isolated from C. dentata by a gradient dilution method and identified based on the 16S rRNA gene sequencing analysis. The phylogenetic tree (neighbor-joining tree, N-J tree) was constructed using the bacterial sequences and closest related sequences from GenBank. Colony characteristics, Gram nature, and physiological and biochemical characteristics were obtained based on a series of tests, such as the sugar utilization (glucose, arabinose, xylose, maltose, and mannitol) test, Voges–Proskauer reaction, urease tests, gelatin liquefaction, Gram test, starch hydrolysis, among others. In this study, seven strains (CF1, CF2, CF3, CF5, CF6, and CF7) of free-living bacteria (CF) and five strains (CA1, CA2, CA3, CA4, and CA5) of attached bacteria (CA) are isolated and identified. We found that the culturable phycosphere bacteria of C. dentata were mainly α-proteobacteria and γ-proteobacteria, with a small part of the CFB (Cytophaga-Flexibacter-Bacteroides) group bacteria and firmicutes. In this study, most α-proteobacteria can utilize malonate and positive in the urease test, meanwhile they can grow in a 7% NaCl medium. Differently to α-proteobacteria, γ-proteobacteria are more reactive, and can utilize maltose, glucose, arabinose, malonate, aesculin, and starch hydrolysis. Meanwhile, γ-proteobacteria can growth in a 7% NaCl and pH 5.7 medium, and some bacteria of this strain were positive in nitrate reduction. Firmicutes are similar to γ-proteobacteria: they are similar in reactivity, as they can utilize maltose, glucose, arabinose, malonate, aesculin, and starch hydrolysis, and can growth in a 7% NaCl and pH 5.7 medium. The difference is that some of firmicutes were positive in gelatin liquefaction and can utilize mannitol. The CFB group of bacteria were only positive in malonate, aesculin, and starch hydrolysis. The above results provide basic experimental data for further studies on the relationship between the coccolithophores and culturable phycosphere bacteria. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Linking Plankton Diversity with Ecosystem Functioning and Services)
Show Figures

Figure 1

12 pages, 2424 KiB  
Article
Appendicularia (Tunicata) in an Antarctic Glacial Fjord–Chaotic Fjordic Structure Community or Good Indicators of Oceanic Water Masses?
by Anna Panasiuk and Marcin Kalarus
Diversity 2021, 13(12), 675; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/d13120675 - 16 Dec 2021
Viewed by 2075
Abstract
Appendicularians are important but remain poorly studied groups of zooplankton in polar regions. The present research is based on samples collected in Admiralty Bay (King George Island) during a year-long period. Six larvacean species were noted, among which Fritillaria borealis and Oikopleura gaussica [...] Read more.
Appendicularians are important but remain poorly studied groups of zooplankton in polar regions. The present research is based on samples collected in Admiralty Bay (King George Island) during a year-long period. Six larvacean species were noted, among which Fritillaria borealis and Oikopleura gaussica were found to be the most numerous, while the other species were relatively rare. Fritillaria borealis was a dominant part of the late summer (warm water) community, while O. gaussica had the highest presence in the winter (cold water) community. The abundance of appendicularians recorded in the bay was less numerous than that described by other authors. The most important factors influencing annual changes in the larvaceans in the bay was season, but only in the case of the two species. These facts were probably linked to the very dynamic changes in the abiotic conditions in the fjord, and the influx of specific masses of water. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Linking Plankton Diversity with Ecosystem Functioning and Services)
Show Figures

Figure 1

14 pages, 4145 KiB  
Article
Effects of Ocean Currents in the Western Pacific Ocean on Net-Phytoplankton Community Compositions
by Zhuo Chen, Jun Sun, Dawei Chen, Shihao Wang, Hao Yu, Hongtao Chen and Min Wang
Diversity 2021, 13(9), 428; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/d13090428 - 05 Sep 2021
Cited by 5 | Viewed by 3109
Abstract
Phytoplankton are known as important harbingers of climate change in aquatic ecosystems. This study investigated phytoplankton community structure in the western Pacific Ocean (WPO) in 2017 and revealed the spatial variability of phytoplankton in community composition and abundance, as well as their relationship [...] Read more.
Phytoplankton are known as important harbingers of climate change in aquatic ecosystems. This study investigated phytoplankton community structure in the western Pacific Ocean (WPO) in 2017 and revealed the spatial variability of phytoplankton in community composition and abundance, as well as their relationship to physical processes and environmental factors. The phytoplankton community was mainly composed of Dinophyta (221), followed by Bacillariophyta (105), Cyanophyta (4), and Chrysophyta (2). The cyanobacteria Trichodesmium were the dominants throughout the study period. Correlation analysis showed that dinoflagellates were mainly affected by temperature, while diatoms were significantly correlated with nutrients (silicate, phosphate, nitrite, nitrate). Phytoplankton was divided into five groups by cluster analysis, and the distribution of different groups was related to circulation and hydrological characteristics. In contrast, the highest abundance of diatoms and dinoflagellates was found in the New Guinea Coastal Current (NGCC) region, while the highest abundance of cyanobacteria was found in the Northern Equatorial Counter Current (NECC) region. Overall, we found that not only temperature and salinity, but also ocean currents and nutrients, influence the distribution of phytoplankton communities in the WPO. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Linking Plankton Diversity with Ecosystem Functioning and Services)
Show Figures

Figure 1

20 pages, 6651 KiB  
Article
Seasonal Shift of a Phytoplankton (>5 µm) Community in Bohai Sea and the Adjacent Yellow Sea
by Xiaoting Fu, Jun Sun, Yuqiu Wei, Zishi Liu, Yehong Xin, Yu Guo and Ting Gu
Diversity 2021, 13(2), 65; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/d13020065 - 05 Feb 2021
Cited by 11 | Viewed by 1930
Abstract
In order to better understand the seasonal variations in the phytoplankton community structure in the Bohai Sea (BS) and the North Yellow Sea (NYS), we carried out three cruises during 12 to 24 April 2019, 8 to 18 June 2019, and 12 to [...] Read more.
In order to better understand the seasonal variations in the phytoplankton community structure in the Bohai Sea (BS) and the North Yellow Sea (NYS), we carried out three cruises during 12 to 24 April 2019, 8 to 18 June 2019, and 12 to 22 October 2019. A total of 212 taxa (75 genera and three phyla) were identified, among which 83 taxa in 40 genera, 96 taxa in 43 genera, and 151 taxa in 62 genera were found in spring, summer, and autumn, respectively. Diatoms including Paralia sulcata and Coscinodiscus granii were the most dominant phytoplankton group during the three seasons, while several species of dinoflagellates, e.g., Scrippsiella troichoidea, Tripos massiliensis f. armatus, Gyrodinium spirale, and Prorocentrum minimum were found in warmer, saltier, and nutrient-poor waters. The diversity index of phytoplankton community was highest in autumn and lowest in summer. Based on cluster and multidimensional scaling analyses, the phytoplankton community of the BS and the NYS was divided into three ecological provinces: the BS, the coastal area, and the NYS. These three ecological provinces differed in physicochemical properties induced by the complicated water masses and circulations. Due to the influence of nutrient concentration, the phytoplankton diversity had the highest value in autumn, followed by spring, and the smallest in summer. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Linking Plankton Diversity with Ecosystem Functioning and Services)
Show Figures

Figure 1

15 pages, 2227 KiB  
Article
Western Pacific Zooplankton Community along Latitudinal and Equatorial Transects in Autumn 2017 (Northern Hemisphere)
by Yi Long, Md Abu Noman, Dawei Chen, Shihao Wang, Hao Yu, Hongtao Chen, Min Wang and Jun Sun
Diversity 2021, 13(2), 58; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/d13020058 - 03 Feb 2021
Cited by 6 | Viewed by 2462
Abstract
During the autumn of 2017, a study was conducted to assess the zooplankton community composition in three sections (two latitudinal, going from Japan to the equator, and one longitudinal on the equator) of the Western Pacific Ocean. A total of 384 species of [...] Read more.
During the autumn of 2017, a study was conducted to assess the zooplankton community composition in three sections (two latitudinal, going from Japan to the equator, and one longitudinal on the equator) of the Western Pacific Ocean. A total of 384 species of zooplankton adults and 21 groups of zooplankton larvae were identified, with copepods being the predominant taxon. The common dominant species across the three sections were Acrocalanus gibber, Canthocalanus pauper, Oithona similis, Paracalanus aculeatus, and Oncaea venusta. Zooplankton abundance was the highest in the equator section, with a mean abundance of 258.94 ± 52.57 ind./m3. Comparatively, a low abundance was recovered from the Subtropical Countercurrent (STCC) region, while the highest abundance holding stations were located in the eastern equatorial and North Equatorial Countercurrent (NECC) regions. Pearson’s correlation, canonical correspondence analysis, and other methods were used to analyze the relationship between environmental factors and zooplankton. We found that the Shannon–Wiener diversity index and Pielou’s uniformity index were significantly correlated (p < 0.05) with concentrations of nitrite and chlorophyll a. The distribution of zooplankton was also limited by nutrients, chlorophyll a, and dissolved oxygen. In addition, we reveal differences in the abundance of species in the equatorial and latitudinal seas. We found that not only temperature and nutrient salinity, but also ocean currents and the movement of water masses, influence the distribution of zooplankton communities in the Western Pacific. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Linking Plankton Diversity with Ecosystem Functioning and Services)
Show Figures

Figure 1

19 pages, 6468 KiB  
Article
Characteristics of Eukaryotic Plankton Communities in the Cold Water Masses and Nearshore Waters of the South Yellow Sea
by Yanfeng Sun, Yang Liu, Chao Wu, Xiaoting Fu, Congcong Guo, Liuyang Li and Jun Sun
Diversity 2021, 13(1), 21; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/d13010021 - 08 Jan 2021
Cited by 3 | Viewed by 2307
Abstract
Eukaryotic plankton are important parts of the marine biome and play an important role in maintaining the stability of marine ecosystems. In order to characterize the eukaryotic plankton communities in the South Yellow Sea Cold Water Mass (CWM) and the South Yellow Sea [...] Read more.
Eukaryotic plankton are important parts of the marine biome and play an important role in maintaining the stability of marine ecosystems. In order to characterize the eukaryotic plankton communities in the South Yellow Sea Cold Water Mass (CWM) and the South Yellow Sea nearshore waters (NW) in October 2019, Illumina high–throughput sequencing was performed using the 18S rDNA V9 region as the target gene. Environmental factors (depth, pH, salinity, temperature, Chl a, nitrate, nitrite, ammonium, silicate, phosphate) in two sea areas were measured, and their correlations with abundance and diversity of eukaryotic plankton were analyzed. A total of 807 species of plankton were identified, of which 663 species in 24 categories were from the CWM area, and 614 species in 26 categories were from NW. The total phytoplankton abundance in CWM waters was higher than that in NW. Dinophyta and Bacillariophyta were the most abundant phyla of phytoplankton in the two areas. Arthropoda and Cnidaria were the major zooplankton taxa. The dominant fungal population was mainly Basidiomycota. Both the CWM and NW have effects on dissolved inorganic nutrient concentrations and plankton abundance. Environmental factor correlation analysis showed that the concentration of dissolved inorganic nutrients within the CWM increased with water depth and the abundance of plankton gradually increased. Ammonium salts, nitrates, phosphates, silicates and water depth were important factors affecting phytoplankton growth. Phytoplankton abundance increased with increasing concentrations of inorganic nutrients. Bacillariophyta showed a strong positive correlation with silicates and depth. Depth and microscopic phytoplankton abundance were important factors influencing the structure of the zooplankton community. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Linking Plankton Diversity with Ecosystem Functioning and Services)
Show Figures

Graphical abstract

15 pages, 1496 KiB  
Article
Spatial Distribution of Phytoplankton Community Composition and Their Correlations with Environmental Drivers in Taiwan Strait of Southeast China
by Yong Zhang, Jin-Zhu Su, Yu-Ping Su, Hong Lin, Yang-Chun Xu, Balaji P. Barathan, Wan-Ning Zheng and Kai G. Schulz
Diversity 2020, 12(11), 433; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/d12110433 - 18 Nov 2020
Cited by 8 | Viewed by 2332
Abstract
Large-scale dinoflagellate blooms have appeared in recent decades in the Taiwan Strait, Southeast China. To study spatial variability of phytoplankton community composition, physical and chemical environmental drivers in surface seawater of the Taiwan Strait, we conducted cruises in May and July 2019. Cell [...] Read more.
Large-scale dinoflagellate blooms have appeared in recent decades in the Taiwan Strait, Southeast China. To study spatial variability of phytoplankton community composition, physical and chemical environmental drivers in surface seawater of the Taiwan Strait, we conducted cruises in May and July 2019. Cell numbers of dinoflagellates were significantly higher than that of diatoms in most sampling stations during the cruise in May, whereas diatoms were the major contributor to autotrophic biomass in July. Phytoplankton community shifted from a dinoflagellate- and diatom-dominated system in May to diatom dominance in July. The dominant phytoplankton species (genera) were the harmful algal bloom dinoflagellates Prorocentrum donghaiense and Scrippsiella trochoidea and the diatoms Coscinodiscus in May, and Rhizosolenia, Pseudo-nitzschia, and Guinardia in July. Cell densities of dinoflagellates and P. donghaiense reduced exponentially with increasing seawater temperature and salinity and decreasing dissolved inorganic nitrogen (DIN) concentrations. Based on the results of our work and previous studies, it becomes obvious that harmful dinoflagellate blooms are likely to be a major component of the planktonic food web in the Taiwan Strait at a temperature of 17.0–23.0 °C, a salinity of 29.0–33.0 psu, and a DIN concentration higher than 2.0 μmol L–1. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Linking Plankton Diversity with Ecosystem Functioning and Services)
Show Figures

Figure 1

Back to TopTop