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Temporal variation in body-size spectrum of biofilm-dwelling protozoa during the colonization process in coastal waters of the Yellow Sea, northern China
Published online by Cambridge University Press: 11 March 2016
Abstract
As an inherent function of a community, body-size spectrum has been increasingly used as a useful indicator in global ecological research. The colonization dynamics of biofilm-dwelling protozoa with regard to body-size spectrum were studied based on a 1-month baseline survey in coastal waters of the Yellow Sea, northern China. Samples were collected at time intervals of 1, 3, 7, 10, 14, 21 and 28 days from depths of 1 and 3 m. A total of seven body-size ranks were identified based on a trait hierarchy. The individual abundance of the protozoa at each body-size rank was well fitted to the logistic model equation. The body-size spectra showed a clear shift in probability density during the colonization period at both depths. The multivariate approach demonstrated that the temporal dynamics in body-size spectra of the protozoa may be divided into initial (1 day), transitional (3–7 days) and stable (10–28 days) stages during the colonization period. These results provide useful information for ecological research and monitoring programmes using biofilm-dwelling protozoa in marine ecosystems.
Keywords
- Type
- Research Article
- Information
- Journal of the Marine Biological Association of the United Kingdom , Volume 96 , Issue 5 , August 2016 , pp. 1113 - 1118
- Copyright
- Copyright © Marine Biological Association of the United Kingdom 2016
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