Publications (7) View all
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Article: Can nonloricate ciliate assemblages be a surrogate to analyze taxonomic relatedness pattern of ciliated protozoan communities for marine bioassessment? A case study in Jiaozhou Bay, Northern China.
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ABSTRACT: Congruency using nonloricate ciliates as a surrogate to analyze taxonomic distinctness pattern of ciliated protozoan communities for assessing water quality was studied. The results showed that (1) with significant consistency with the total ciliate communities, the spatial pattern of nonloricate ciliates was significantly correlated with the changes of environmental status; (2) four taxonomic relatedness measures were significantly correlated with those of the total ciliate communities; (3) spatial variations in four taxonomic diversity indices of nonloricate ciliates were significantly related with the changes of environmental variables, especially nutrients; and (4) the paired taxonomic biodiversity indices of nonloricate ciliates showed a clear decreasing trend of departure from the expected taxonomic breadth in response to water quality. These results suggest that nonloricate ciliate assemblages can be used as a potential surrogate of ciliate communities to assess marine water quality using taxonomic distinctness measures, especially the paired indices based on presence or absence data.Water Environment Research 11/2012; 84(11):2045-53. · 0.88 Impact Factor -
Article: Influence of enumeration time periods on analyzing colonization features and taxonomic relatedness of periphytic ciliate communities using an artificial substratum for marine bioassessment.
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ABSTRACT: Colonization features and taxonomic relatedness measures of ciliate communities have been used as useful indicators for marine bioassessment. The influence of enumeration time periods on analyzing colonization features measures of periphytic ciliate communities was studied in coastal waters of the Yellow Sea, northern China, during the period of May-June 2010. Ciliated protozoan samples were collected at depths of 1 m using an artificial substratum and were analyzed with different enumeration schemes. The ciliate species were identified using living observation and silver impregnation. Data analyses were conducted using a range of multivariate statistical routines. Enumeration time periods represented a strong influence on analyzing both colonization and taxonomic relatedness features of periphytic ciliate communities, although no significant changes occurred in colonization patterns between two enumeration schemes (within 24 and 24-48 h after sampling). The delayed enumeration (within 24-48 h) may result in the species richness, individual abundance, colonization rate decreasing to standard errors of >10 % in samples with almost all colonization ages, and in the similarities of the communities being reduced to 11-38 %. However, the species biodiversity (e.g., species diversity and evenness, except species richness) and taxonomic relatedness (taxonomic diversity, taxonomic distinctness and average taxonomic distinctness, except variation in taxonomic distinctness) measures of periphytic ciliate communities were weakly sensitive to disturbance from the delayed enumeration, achieving standard errors of <10 and <5 % during the colonization periods, respectively. These results suggest that the enumeration should be completed as soon as possible within 24 h after sampling to analyze colonization and taxonomic relatedness features of periphytic ciliate communities, and that the species diversity and taxonomic distinctness measures can be used on a robust bioindicator with weak dependence on enumeration time limits for monitoring programs and ecological investigations in marine ecosystems.Environmental Science and Pollution Research 05/2012; 19(8):3619-27. · 2.65 Impact Factor -
Article: Can body-size patterns of ciliated zooplankton be used for assessing marine water quality? A case study on bioassessment in Jiaozhou Bay, northern Yellow Sea.
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ABSTRACT: In order to reveal the potential relationships between body-size patterns of microzooplankton and environmental status, the spatial patterns in body-size spectra of ciliated zooplanktons were studied based on an annual dataset in a bay of the Yellow Sea, northern China. A total of 120 samples were collected at a depth of 1 m from each of five sampling sites with a spatial gradient of environmental stress from June 2007 to May 2008. A range of physico-chemical variables were measured synchronously for comparison with biotic parameters. The spatial body-size patterns of ciliated zooplankton represented significant differences among the five sites, and were significantly correlated with the changes of physico-chemical parameters, especially salinity, dissolved oxygen and nutrients. Two paired indices, the average body-size distinctness (AvBSD) and the variation in body-size distinctness (VarBSD), were proposed based on the trait resemblances among ciliate species in body-size pattern. The paired measures showed a clear decreasing trend of departure from the expected body-size spectra in response to water quality status. These results suggest that the body-size pattern of ciliated zooplankton might be used as a potential indicator of marine water quality.Environmental Science and Pollution Research 12/2011; 19(5):1747-54. · 2.65 Impact Factor -
Article: Influence of sampling sufficiency on biodiversity analysis of microperiphyton communities for marine bioassessment.
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ABSTRACT: With quick responses to environmental changes, easy sampling, relative immobility, increasing availability of easily used taxonomic references, and allowing standardization for temporal and spatial comparisons, the biodiversity measures of microperiphyton communities have widely been accepted as useful indicators to evaluate environmental stress and anthropogenic impact. The influence of sampling sufficiency for biodiversity analysis of microperiphyton communities was studied using a range of statistical methods in coastal waters of the Yellow Sea, northern China, from May to June 2010. Samples were collected from two depths using an artificial substrate. Sampling sizes represented a significant influence on biodiversity analysis of microperiphyton communities, e.g., 20 slide replicates (350 cm(2)) were sufficient for the microperiphyton communities at both depths, while 10 slide replicates (175 cm(2)) could meet the sampling strategy only for the samples with colonization times of 10 days or more at a depth of 1 m for recovering 90% species during the study period. Otherwise, more slide replicates were required with the increase of water depths and shortening colonization times for recovering microperiphyton species, e.g., for recovering 90% species of a "mature" microperiphyton community (>10 days), ∼10 slide replicates (∼175 cm(2)) were sufficient at a depth of 1 m, while for the "young" samples (>10 days) much more (15-30) slide replicates were required at both depths in this study. Furthermore, to achieve <10% standard errors, six (105 cm(2)) and nine (∼160 cm(2)) slide replicates were required for biodiversity analysis of the microperiphyton communities with various colonization times at depths of 1 and 3 m during the summer season, respectively. These results suggest that sampling sizes represented a significant influence on biodiversity analysis of microperiphyton communities for monitoring programs and ecological conservation researches in marine ecosystems.Environmental Science and Pollution Research 08/2011; 19(2):540-9. · 2.65 Impact Factor -
Article: An approach to determining potential surrogates for analyzing ecological patterns of planktonic ciliate communities in marine ecosystems.
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ABSTRACT: In order to identify a potential surrogate of planktonic ciliate communities for marine bioassessments and evaluating biological conservations, the different taxonomic/numerical resolutions and taxa as surrogates were studied in Jiaozhou Bay, northern China during a 1-year cycle (June 2007-May 2008). Samples were collected biweekly from a depth of 1 m at each of five sites. A range of physicochemical parameters were also measured in order to determine water quality. The genus- and family-level resolutions maintained sufficient information to evaluate the ecological patterns of the ciliate communities in response to environmental status. The non-loricate oligotrichous ciliate assemblages in both abundance and occurrence may be used as a surrogate of planktonic ciliate communities. Heavy data transformations were an optimal strategy for the species level of planktonic ciliates, while mild data transformations were for the higher. The ordination patterns based on species biomass, occurrence, and biomass/abundance ratio matrices were significantly consistent with that of species abundance data. The results suggest that the use of simplifications at both taxonomic and numerical resolutions are time-efficient and would allow improving sampling strategies of large spatial/temporal scale monitoring programs and biological conservation researches in the marine ecosystem with a relative paucity of scientists.Environmental Science and Pollution Research 04/2011; 18(8):1433-41. · 2.65 Impact Factor
