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Phytoplankton community characteristics and its driving factors in Xiaobaihe Lake

biodiversity
ecology
freshwater-biology
ecohydrology
environmental-contamination-and-remediation

Abstract

Background. Baotou city in Inner Mongolia has a semi-arid and semi-humid temperate continental climate. The Xiaobai Lake, formed under unique climatic conditions, is connected to the water body of the Yellow River, and the water quality has been unstable due to human factors such as fishing in recent years, which is very likely to affect the water body in the middle and lower reaches of the Yellow River with the flow.

Methods. To explore the distribution characteristics and influencing factors of the algal functional group in Xiaobaihe Lake in Baotou city, phytoplankton samples were collected in May, July, and September of 2021, avoiding the ice period of the lake, and a water environment investigation was carried out. The experiment mainly detected phytoplankton abundance, physical and chemical indices, anion and cation content, and nutrient distribution in the water environment.

Results. A total of 45 genera of phytoplankton from five phyla were detected in Xiaobaihe Lake, dominated by Cyanobacteria, Chlorophyta, and Bacillariophyta, accounting for 15.56%, 37.78%, and 37.78%, respectively, among which the dominant algal genus was Navicula sp.. The cell density of phytoplankton ranged from 0.27×106 to 0.53×106 cells/L. The total phytoplankton biomass ranged from 0.0581 mg/L to 0.1379 mg/L. The phytoplankton in Xiaobaihe Lake was classified into 19 functional groups, of which MP and D were the dominant functional groups Based on the habitat indication of the dominant functional group of phytoplankton s and the analysis of the ecological state index ( Q ), the comprehensive nutritional index ( TSIM(∑) ), and the Shannon diversity index ( H’ ), Xiaobaihe Lake was classified as a mesotrophic water body. The RDA showed that transparency (SD) was the main environmental factor affecting the variation in the phytoplankton functional groups in Xiaobaihe Lake, and J and Tc were significantly correlated with SD (P = 0.01, P =0.007).

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