Patterns and drivers of microeukaryotic distribution along the North Equatorial Current from the Central Pacific Ocean to the South China Sea

Feng Zhao; Yu Wang; Shan Zheng; Rongjie Zhao; Mao Lin; Kuidong Xu

doi:10.1016/j.marpolbul.2021.112091

Patterns and drivers of microeukaryotic distribution along the North Equatorial Current from the Central Pacific Ocean to the South China Sea

Mar Pollut Bull. 2021 Apr:165:112091. doi: 10.1016/j.marpolbul.2021.112091. Epub 2021 Feb 5.

Authors

Feng Zhao¹, Yu Wang², Shan Zheng³, Rongjie Zhao⁴, Mao Lin⁵, Kuidong Xu⁶

Affiliations

¹ Laboratory of Marine Organism Taxonomy and Phylogeny, Institute of Oceanology, Center for Ocean Mega-Science, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Qingdao 266071, China; Laboratory for Marine Biology and Biotechnology, Pilot National Laboratory for Marine Science and Technology (Qingdao), Qingdao 266237, China; University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049, China.
² Third Institute of Oceanography, Ministry of National Resources, Xiamen 361005, China.
³ Jiaozhou Bay Marine Ecosystem Research Station, Institute of Oceanology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Qingdao 266071, China.
⁴ Laboratory of Marine Organism Taxonomy and Phylogeny, Institute of Oceanology, Center for Ocean Mega-Science, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Qingdao 266071, China; University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049, China.
⁵ Third Institute of Oceanography, Ministry of National Resources, Xiamen 361005, China. Electronic address: linmao@tio.org.cn.
⁶ Laboratory of Marine Organism Taxonomy and Phylogeny, Institute of Oceanology, Center for Ocean Mega-Science, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Qingdao 266071, China; Laboratory for Marine Biology and Biotechnology, Pilot National Laboratory for Marine Science and Technology (Qingdao), Qingdao 266237, China; University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049, China. Electronic address: kxu@qdio.ac.cn.

PMID: 33549999
DOI: 10.1016/j.marpolbul.2021.112091

Abstract

Microeukaryotes have been recognized as highly abundant and diverse both in form and function, however, data on their diversity and distribution along marine currents remain scarce. Herein, the distribution of microeukaryotes in surface seawaters was analyzed along a 9000 km stretch of the North Equatorial Current (NEC) and its bifurcation using high throughput DNA sequencing. Significant distance-decay patterns were detected, and the microeukaryote communities were further divided into Central Pacific Ocean (CPO), Western Pacific Ocean (WPO), and South China Sea (SCS) groups. Statistical analyses suggested that the microeukaryotic assembly in the WPO is maintained by the CPO community transported via the NEC. Environmental selection contributed more to community variations than spatial processes did. Temperature and salinity were the two most important environmental factors to shape the examined communities. Altogether, characterizing the microeukaryotic diversity and distribution along the NEC provided an insight into the drivers of their distribution in open oceans.

Keywords: Biogeography; Co-occurrence analysis; Plankton; Protist; Source-sink dynamic; The Pacific Ocean.

MeSH terms

China
Oceans and Seas
Pacific Ocean
Salinity*
Seawater*