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*Corresponding author: mmartinezgoss@gmail.com
Diversity of Coastal Phytoplankton
in Balayan Bay, Batangas, Philippines
Luisito T. Evangelista1, Jhaydee Ann F. Pascual1, and Milagrosa R. Martinez-Goss2*
1Botany and National Herbarium Division,
National Museum of the Philippines, P. Burgos Ave., Manila, Philippines
2Institute of Biological Sciences, College of Arts and Sciences; and
Museum of Natural History, University of the Philippines Los Baños,
College, Laguna 4031, Philippines
Phytoplankton composition, density, and their relation with 10 abiotic water parameters in six coastal
stations [four marine (Anilao, San Luis, Calatagan, and Balayan) and two freshwater (Palanas and
Pansipit)] in Balayan Bay, Batangas, Philippines were examined monthly for one year (February
2006–January 2007). A total of 97 taxa of phytoplankton in four phyla were observed. About 85%
of these taxa were diatoms (Bacillariophyta). The mean monthly density of phytoplankton ranged
from 2,367 (Pansipit Station) to 2,992 units · mL–1 (San Luis Station), with as much as 93% of
the total phytoplankton density being made up of diatoms. Cyclotella meneghiniana, a centric
diatom, had the highest mean monthly density (143 units · mL–1) in all the stations. Among the six
stations, the marine stations generally showed higher phytoplankton density (maximum monthly
value = 4,700 units · mL–1, Anilao, in January), species diversity index (maximum monthly value,
H’ = 1.402, Balayan, in March), and species richness (maximum monthly value, 29, Balayan, in
March) than the freshwater stations. Clear differences were also detected in the physico-chemical
characteristics between the freshwater and marine stations. Among the 10 abiotic parameters
monitored, mean monthly salinity ranged from 0.92–1.02 psu in freshwater stations and 29.1–32.6
psu in marine stations. Mean monthly water temperatures ranged from 23–33.5 °C and pH ranged
from 7.87–8.23. Conductivity in the two freshwater stations ranged from 2,006.17–2,051.92 µS · cm–1
and was 45x of that of the marine stations, which ranged from 44.57–50.48 µS · cm–1. Generally,
marine stations showed higher values of total solids, total dissolved solids, and total suspended
solids than the freshwater stations. However, marine stations recorded greater water clarity than
the freshwater stations (mean monthly depth of Secchi disc ranged from 1.68–3.65 m). Freshwater
stations recorded higher mean monthly orthophosphate-P values but generally lower nitrate-N
values than the marine stations. These values (1.65–4.31 ppm PO4-P or 0.29–1.41 ppm P; 2.58–5.35
ppm NO3-N or 0.428–1.509 ppm N) are within or near the Philippine standard value of 1.0 ppm
for P and N for clean marine water. Changes in some of these abiotic parameters were correlated
with changes in the population density of some of the dominant species, to total mean monthly
phytoplankton density, species diversity index, and species richness in some of the stations, but no
single parameter can explain the biological patterns observed for all stations. No algal bloom was
observed during the course of this study, although a potentially harmful dinoflagellate, Ceratium
furca, was observed. It was never a dominant alga in any of the stations.
Keywords: Balayan Bay, Cyclotella meneghiniana, diatoms, phytoplankton, species diversity index,
species dominance
Philippine Journal of Science
151 (S1): 263-293, Marine Botany
ISSN 0031 - 7683
Date Received: 04 Oct 2021
264
INTRODUCTION
The Philippines has a long tradition of aquaculture that
started long before the introduction of modern intensive
aquaculture production. For a long time, the fisher folks
along the country’s coastline relied on naturally occurring
fry from tidal waters as the seed stocks of their fish
farm, and natural food (algae) was used to feed their fish
(Yap 1999). Earlier data showed that the filamentous
algae or “lumot” – such as the green algae Cladophora,
Chaetomorpha, and Enteromorpha (= Ulva) – were
the popular supplementary food of fishes (Esguerra
1951). Even the red alga locally known as “gulaman”
or Gracilaria confervoides (Linnaeus) Greville (=
Gracilariopsis longissima (S.G. Gmelin) Steentoft, L.M.
Irvine & Farnham) was also used as fish food (Abangon et
al. 1951). Later on, the fish growers used more planktonic
algae as the natural fish food, which became popularly
known as “lab-lab,” which literally means “bloom.” The
main compositions of this “lab-lab” are diatoms (Fortes
and Pinosa 2007). This practice is evidenced by the
presence of these microscopic algae in the fish alimentary
canal (Esguerra 1951; Villadolid 1957; Vicencio 1977).
Data have been gathered to examine the algal composition
of the fishponds as this information is closely related to
fish productivity (Villadolid and Villaluz 1950; Esguerra
1951; Villadolid 1957). Henceforth, the Laguna Lake
Development Authority introduced fish pens in Laguna
de Bay in July 1970 to rear herbivorous fishes, such as
milkfish, using algae as their natural food to increase the
fish yield and, ultimately, to improve the economic status
of the fisherfolks in the area (Barica 1976). However,
the project encountered some problems over time, like
the periodic occurrence of fish kills in the lake due to
Microcystis bloom and indirectly due to proliferation
of the fish pens in the lake (Barica 1976). Algal bloom
that caused fish kills also occurred in marine waters, e.g.
bloom that occurred around the fish pens in Cape Bolinao,
Pangasinan, in Northern Luzon, Philippines, was due
to a dinoflagellate, Prorocentrum minimum (Pavillard)
J. Schiller (=Prorocentrum cordatum (Ostenfeld)
J.D. Dodge) (Yap et al. 2004). However, not all algal
blooms are detrimental to the growth of commercial
seafood. For example, a bloom of a marine, unicellular
eustigmatophyte, Nannochloropsis sp., is usually induced
in commercial shrimp ponds for favorable growth of the
shrimps and also to control the occurrence of the luminous
bacterium [Vibrio harveyi (Johnson & Shunk) Baumass
et al.] (Cremen et al. 2007).
The Philippines has more than 2,000 km2 (or 200,000 ha)
of traditional, coastal brackish-water fishponds, which
is about 0.09% of the total area of marine waters in the
country. Most of these are used for the production of
milkfish (Chanos chanos (Forsskål) and shrimps [Penaeus
monodon Fabricius and P. indicus (= Fenneropenaeus
indicus Milne-Edwards)] (Kuljis and Brown 1992). Among
the coastal regions of the country that have used mostly
traditional aquaculture or minimal intensive aquaculture
production are Panguil Bay in north-western Mindanao
(Lacuna et al. 2012), Panay Island in western Visayas
(Garibay et al. 2014), and Balayan Bay in Batangas,
southern Luzon. As traditional fishing grounds, these
places are dependent upon phytoplankton for their food,
either directly or indirectly (Vargas et al. 2006; Chassot et
al. 2010; Ward et al. 2012; Kyewalyanga 2016). Another
important function of phytoplankton in natural aquaculture
is the production of oxygen through their photosynthetic
activity (Balkanski et al. 1999). A community of diatoms
has also been considered a good indicator of water quality
in the aquatic ecosystem because these diatoms respond
quickly to external environmental changes (Chessman et
al. 2007; Stevenson 2014; Tan et al. 2017).
Despite all the important roles of phytoplankton in the
aquatic environment, the number of qualitative and
quantitative studies on phytoplankton in these coastal
fishing grounds in the Philippines remains limited (Araña
2010; Garibay et al. 2014; Yap-Dejeto et al. 2016; Gatdula
et al. 2017; Albeda et al. 2019). One of these coastal areas
with very few studies on its phytoplankton community is
Balayan Bay, despite its being one of the richest coastal
fishing grounds in the country. About 262 species of
fish belonging to 44 families have been recorded from
this bay (KKP-WWF 2004), which is more than what
was reported in many other rich fishing grounds in the
Philippines, including Lingayen Gulf, Pangasinan, Luzon
(159 fish species) and San Miguel Bay, Bicol peninsula,
Luzon (250 fish species) (Silvestre and Hilomen 2004a,
b). The bay has been reported as a major migration path
of tuna even in the early 1970s (RCI 1996). Furthermore,
it is the main habitat of a very expensive and popular fish,
Caranx sp. or known in Filipino (Tagalog) as “maliputo.”
The local fishermen differentiate two types of maliputo,
i.e. “maliputo sa alat” or saltwater maliputo, if found in
Balayan Bay, and “maliputo sa tabang” or freshwater
maliputo if found in Taal Lake. This lake is a significant
freshwater body that drains into Balayan Bay. It was
believed to be a part of the bay before the 16th century
but was closed as a result of the deposition of extensive
volcanic debris from the eruptions of Taal Volcano that
eventually formed a caldera in the lake. Thereafter, the
only connections left between Taal Lake and Balayan
Bay are the two tributaries in Batangas, i.e. the Pansipit
and Palanas rivers that are used as the spawning route of
maliputo fish.
Reports on phytoplankton or microalgae in Balayan
Bay are limited mainly to unpublished materials.
Other reported works dealt mainly with benthic algae
Philippine Journal of Science
Vol. 151 S1, Marine Botany Evangelista et al.: Diversity of Coastal Phytoplankton
in Balayan, Batangas, Philippines
265
from specific localities around Balayan Bay (dela
Cruz et al. 1992; Cua 1994). An unpublished result on
resource assessment of the Bay in 1996 conducted by
the consultancy firm, Resources Combines, Inc. (RCI),
reported a limited number of phytoplankton that was made
up mostly of diatoms (67% of the total phytoplankton),
followed in decreasing order by cyanobacteria (31%)
and dinoflagellates (0.44%). Another unpublished report
was on coral reefs around the bay (Hamoy-Obusan
2004). Hence, this present study aims at investigating
the diversity and abundance of phytoplankton along the
coast of Balayan Bay and its relation to various abiotic
parameters to provide an insight into potential driving
forces behind phytoplankton diversity and abundance,
which, in turn, may help explain why Balayan Bay is
considered as one of the richest coastal fishing grounds
in the country.
MATERIALS AND METHODS
Study Area and Collecting Stations
Balayan Bay (13°49’-13°50’N, 120°37’-120°38’E) is
located in Batangas Province, in the southern part of
Luzon about 80 km southwest of Metro Manila (Figure 1).
The bay has a maximum width of 28 km and is separated
from the South China Sea by the Calatagan Peninsula,
with Cape Santiago at its southern point. It has a large
sea area fringed by intertidal flats and mangrove forest
with muddy to sandy substrata. About 50% of the original
mangrove forest has already been cleared for firewood
or for the construction of shrimp and fishponds. The
surrounding local communities are dependent on the bay
for their livelihood since 30 % of the coastal population
is made up of fishermen or shrimp gatherers (RCI 1996).
The study area was divided into six collecting stations
based on their strategic location, type of substrata, type of
commerce, or means of livelihood in their vicinity. Four
of these stations are marine: Station 1 (Anilao), Station 2
(San Luis), Station 5 (Balayan), and Station 6 (Calatagan);
two, on the other hand, are freshwater-brackish stations:
Station 3 (Pansipit) and Station 4 (Palanas). Table 1 gives
a brief description of the characteristics of each station
and their location, whereas Figures 2A–F show pictures
of the characteristic shoreline of these six stations.
Abiotic Parameters
Abiotic parameters of each of the six stations in the study
area were monitored through in situ (on-site) or ex situ
(off-site) methods. These abiotic parameters were those
considered to have a significant effect on the growth of
phytoplankton.
Figure 1. Map of Balayan Bay, Batangas, indicating the location of the six collecting stations. Box (inset) shows the
approximate geographic location of Balayan Bay in the Philippines.
Philippine Journal of Science
Vol. 151 S1, Marine Botany Evangelista et al.: Diversity of Coastal Phytoplankton
in Balayan, Batangas, Philippines
266
In situ measurements. In situ measurements of the
physico-chemical parameters of the waters were done for
water temperature (°C), conductivity (µS · cm–1), salinity
(psu), turbidity (m), and pH. Salinity and conductivity
were recorded with a YSI 30 conductivity/ salinity meter,
whereas water turbidity was measured using a Secchi disc.
The pH was taken with a Hach pocket pH meter. All these
measurements were done in three replicates at the time
when phytoplankton samples were collected.
Ex situ measurements. Water samples were also collected
for ex situ measurements of nitrate, phosphate, total solids
(TS), total dissolved solids (TDS), and total suspended
solids (TSS). Analysis for nitrate concentrations (in
ppm NO3-N) was done using the cadmium reduction
method (Nugraha and Ridwan 2019). Nitrate nitrogen
was analyzed because this is a stable form of nitrogen
in the aerobic aquatic environment (Singh et al. 2002).
Orthophosphate concentration (in ppm PO4-P) was
measured using the ascorbic acid method (APHA 1976).
TS, TDS, and TSS were measured following the methods
of Chattopadhyay (1998), and all are reported in ppm. All
ex situ water analyses were done by LabServ Diagnostic
Center (Manila East Rd., ML Quezon Ave., San Isidro,
Angono, Rizal 1930).
Taxonomic and Ecological Studies
Collection, preservation, examination, and identification
of phytoplankton. Phytoplankton specimens were
collected monthly for a year from February 2006–January
2007 from surface waters of the six stations using a 500-
mL plastic bottle with an open mouth tied at one end
by a bamboo pole. Collected samples were preserved
in 3% buffered formalin (Macusi and Martinez-Goss
Table 1. Brief description of the coordinates and local characteristics of the six collecting stations in Balayan Bay, Batangas, Philippines.
Station no. Specic locality Coordinates Brief description
1 Anilao 13° 41' 49.7'' N, 120°
52'43.93'' E About 140 km south of Manila, a popular place for diving and snorkeling
(Figure 2A). The water was clear with a lot of marine life, plenty of corals,
and dierent sh species. The area was lined up with plenty of good
resorts that cater primarily to divers who would like to visit islands like the
Sombrero and Maricaban islands
2 San Luis 13° 50' 24.75' N, 120° 55'
10.56'' E A seaside resort area but not as popular as the rst station, some beach
resorts were found, as well as a community of shermen who depend
heavily on the bay for their income (Figure 2B).
3 Pansipit 13° 51' 37.08' N, 120° 54'
56.49' E A freshwater tributary used for irrigation, navigation, and aquaculture that
traverses other municipalities coming from Taal Lake. This was one of the
collecting places for diatoms in the Philippines by Hustedt (1942). The area
was said to be overshed and the river, which serves as the migration route
of the catadromous sh species (e.g. Caranx sp. or known in Filipino as
“maliputo” sh), is nearly blocked due to heavy siltation, pollution from
sh feeds, and waste from aquaculture and domestic solid waste from
residential areas. Siltation was high due to recent station development of
housing projects and subdivisions near the river (RCI 1996; Figure 2C).
4 Palanas 13° 45' 52.61'' N, 120° 54'
41.23'' E A freshwater tributary used for irrigation, navigation, and aquaculture that
traverses other municipalities coming from Taal Lake. The substrate of this
area is made up of shell fragments, as well as sub-angular to sub-rounded
pebble-sized magnetite sand, basalt, and silica grains (5%). This river
became the alternate route of Caranx sp. (“maliputo”) (Figure 2D).
5 Balayan 13° 34' 59.07'' N, 120° 47'
31.55'' E The substrate is clayey to sandy composed of sub-rounded, sand-sized
magnetic materials. The very dark color of the substratum may be attributed
to the large number of magnetic materials found. The coastline was
characterized by abrupt drop to 1 m deep. The villagers used the bay as
their shing ground, whereas the school children used the shoreline as their
playground (Figure 2E).
6 Calatagan 13° 47' 20.23'' N, 120° 43'
47.88'' E Also known as Calatagan Peninsula, it opens the northwest part of the bay
and has been famous for its beach resorts. With small patches of mangrove
trees. The water level could rise up to 1.5 m and tends to go down to about
0.5 m. Man-made structures such as beach houses were noted fronting
coral reefs, sea grass beds, or mangrove forests. The selected station has
a creamy-white sandy substrate with a lot of coralline fragments (80%)
with some minor shell particles. The coastline was observed to contain
biological remains such as dried leaves, seaweeds, and even animal remains
(Figure 2F).
Philippine Journal of Science
Vol. 151 S1, Marine Botany Evangelista et al.: Diversity of Coastal Phytoplankton
in Balayan, Batangas, Philippines
267
Figure 2. Photos showing the general physical features of the collecting stations in Balayan Bay, Batangas,
Philippines: [A] Station 1, Anilao; [B] Station 2, San Luis; [C] Station 3, Pansipit; [D] Station 4, Palanas;
[E] Station 5, Balayan; [F] Station 6, Calatagan.
2020). Buffered formalin was prepared by first adding 8
mL of 37% commercial formalin in 100-mL seawater to
make a 3% formalin solution. Baking soda or borax was
then added into the solution until saturation, i.e. until no
additional quantity of borax could further dissolve into
the solution. Enumeration of algal taxa present was done
on the formalin-preserved samples.
Preparation and cleaning of specimens. Formalin
preserved specimens were left to settle at the bottom of
a 1-L collecting bottle for at least one month. Thereafter,
a small plastic tube was inserted at the top layer of the
solution to siphon off the water slowly until around 100
mL of water was left. This was done carefully to prevent
disturbing and siphoning off the settled specimens.
Specimens collected and preserved in formalin were
cleaned following the standard procedure (Patrick and
Reimer 1966; Round et al. 1990; Martinez-Goss et al.
2020). Cleaned specimens were kept in a 10-mL vial and
stored in a cool place with 95% ethanol wrapped with
parafilm to minimize evaporation of the preservative.
Some specimens were placed in a 2-mL plastic specimen
bottle for future photography using the scanning electron
Philippine Journal of Science
Vol. 151 S1, Marine Botany Evangelista et al.: Diversity of Coastal Phytoplankton
in Balayan, Batangas, Philippines
268
microscope (SEM) (see more below). Permanent slides
for some of the specimens were prepared and served as
voucher specimens and stored at the University of the
Philippines Los Baños (UPLB) Herbarium or CAHUP
and the Philippine National Herbarium in Manila.
Light microscopic examination and photography were
done using a light microscope (Swift, M1000-D)
attached to a digital camera (Canon E990). Duplicate
diatom specimens were brought to the Taiwan Forest
Research Institute in Taipei, Taiwan for SEM. A Hitachi
SEM S-2400 was used and SEM photos were captured
from the monitor using a Nikon D200 and Nikon D40X
digital cameras. Line drawings were prepared for some
of the specimens to highlight and emphasize the specific
taxonomic characters of the species. Identification of the
specimens was done with the aid of available taxonomic
references such as books [including Patrick and Reimer
(1966, 1975), Round et al. (1990), Lee (2008), Graham
et al. (2009), and John et al. (2011)] and literature from
current scientific journals (including Phycologia, Diatom,
and Diatom Research). Currently accepted names of the
species identified were verified based on Algaebase (Guiry
and Guiry 2021).
Density of the phytoplankton. The density of the
phytoplankton samples was counted under a compound
microscope using the hemocytometer and calculated
following the method of Martinez et al. (1975). The
density is expressed in units · mL–1, which means that
each individual phytoplankton cell is counted as one
unit; likewise, a filament or a colony of an organism is
also counted as one unit. Hence, this “direct count” is
also a “clump count” and bears a close relationship to the
probable viable count since each clump or filament could
theoretically give rise to only one colony (Postgate 1969).
Data and Statistical Analyses
Monthly species richness, Shannon’s species diversity
index (Hʹ), and species dominance (Odum 1980) for each
station were calculated over time. Pearson’s correlation
analysis was carried out to detect any relationship between
the abiotic parameters and the dominant species, the
phytoplankton density, species richness, and species
diversity.
RESULTS
The Study Stations: Abiotic Characteristics
Among the 10 abiotic water parameters examined,
seven clearly separated the marine from the freshwater
stations. These included salinity, conductivity, TS, TSS,
TDS, Secchi disc reading (or clarity of water), and
orthophosphate-P (Figure 3). The mean monthly salinity
readings of the freshwater stations ranged from 0.92 psu
(in Pansipit) to 1.02 psu (in Palanas), whereas the mean
monthly values in the marine stations ranged from 29.09
psu (San Luis) to 32.58 psu (Anilao) (Figure 3A; Appendix
IA). Among the marine stations, San Luis showed the
greatest fluctuation in salinity values over time.
Conductivity reading measures the amount of ionic
compounds dissolved in water. Conductivity in the two
freshwater stations, with mean monthly values that ranged
from 2,006.17–2,051.92 µS · cm–1, was as much as 45x
higher than those in the marine stations, with values that
ranged from 44.57–50.48 µS · cm–1 (Figure 3B, Appendix
IB). Over time, the conductivity readings in the freshwater
stations showed a declining trend from June 2006–January
2007, whereas the values in the marine stations remained
steady (Figure 3B).
The marine stations showed higher values than the
freshwater stations in TS, TDS, and TSS (Figures 3C–E;
Appendix IC–E). Fluctuation in TS in the marine stations
was usually much greater than that in the freshwater
stations and ranged from 11,884–26,270 ppm. Among
the marine stations, Anilao recorded the highest monthly
TS value of 39,843 ppm in January 2007, followed in
decreasing order by Calatagan at 37,731 ppm in March
2006, San Luis at 36,645 ppm in November 2006, and
Balayan at 36,528 ppm in September 2006 (Figure 3C;
Appendix IC). For freshwater stations, Pansipit and
Palanas had the highest monthly values of 2,718.50
and 1,681 ppm for January 2007 and February 2006,
respectively (Appendix IC). Over time, TS in the
marine stations varied within narrow ranges starting
in the month of July 2006 and increased toward the
months of November 2006–January 2007 (Figure 3C).
TDS is defined as the total amount of particles ≤ 22 µm
in size in the water column. Fluctuation in TDS in the
different stations over time followed the same pattern as
that in TS, with an increasing trend toward November
2006–January 2007 (Figure 3D). The mean monthly
values for the marine stations in decreasing order were
32,444.9, 30,189.3, 29,795.1, and 26,667.4 ppm for
Anilao, Calatagan, Balayan, and San Luis, respectively,
whereas the mean monthly values for the freshwater
stations were 1,266.7 ppm for Pansipit and 925.7 ppm
for Palanas (Appendix ID).
Although TSS also showed higher values in the marine
stations than in the freshwater stations, the separation
between these two types of stations was not as clear as
in TS (Figure 3E). The mean monthly values of TSS in
the marine stations ranged from 640.79 to 768.46 ppm
in Calatagan and Balayan, respectively (Appendix IE),
whereas the mean monthly values in the freshwater
stations ranged from 279.79 to 335.38 ppm in Pansipit
Philippine Journal of Science
Vol. 151 S1, Marine Botany Evangelista et al.: Diversity of Coastal Phytoplankton
in Balayan, Batangas, Philippines
269
Figure 3. Changes in monthly abiotic parameters in each of the six collecting stations in Balayan Bay, Batangas, Philippines from February
2006–January 2007.
Philippine Journal of Science
Vol. 151 S1, Marine Botany Evangelista et al.: Diversity of Coastal Phytoplankton
in Balayan, Batangas, Philippines
270
and Palanas, respectively. The highest monthly TSS value
(1,085 ppm) was recorded in San Luis in May 2006, and
the lowest was in Palanas (116 ppm in September 2006).
Secchi disc readings represent water visibility or clarity.
Marine stations generally had higher readings, i.e. clearer
water than the freshwater stations except for Balayan
station which recorded the lowest mean monthly reading
at 1.68 m (Figure 3F). Anilao had the clearest water with
the highest mean monthly value at 3.65 m, followed in
decreasing order by 2.82, 2.61, 1.83, and 1.71 m, recorded
in Calatagan, San Luis, Palanas, and Pansipit, respectively
(Appendix IF).
Among the major nutrients, the freshwater stations
recorded higher mean monthly orthophosphate-P values
than the marine stations (Figure 3G). More specifically,
the two freshwater stations Pansipit and Palanas recorded
the mean monthly value of 4.31 ppm and 4.14 ppm,
respectively, whereas the four marine stations had the
following mean monthly orthophosphate values in
decreasing order 2.18, 1.99, 1.79, and 1.65 ppm for
San Luis, Calatagan, Balayan, and Anilao, respectively
(Appendix IG). Freshwater stations also showed greater
monthly fluctuation in the orthophosphate-P values with
higher values recorded in March 2006 (5.09–5.57 ppm),
compared to lower values in May, July, September, and
November 2006 (3.09–4.44 ppm) (Figure 3G).
Nitrogen in the form of nitrates was analyzed because
this is the usual form in which nitrogen is found in natural
aerobic waters. Although nitrate-N values did not clearly
differ between freshwater and marine stations, values in
the marine stations were generally higher than those in the
freshwater stations, except for Anilao (Figure 3H). The
mean monthly values in the marine stations ranged from
2.58–5.35 ppm, whereas in the freshwater stations, the
values ranged from 3.82–3.93 ppm (Appendix IH). The
highest mean monthly value for nitrates was observed
in Balayan (5.35 ppm), followed in decreasing order by
Calatagan, San Luis, Pansipit, Palanas, and Anilao at 4.84,
4.37, 3.93, 3.82, and 2.58 ppm, respectively (Appendix IH).
The mean monthly water temperature readings did not
show differences among the stations and ranged from
23–33.5 °C. All stations showed similar fluctuation over
time, with maximum values in May–August 2006 (33.5
°C, August, Pansipit) and lower values in February–March
2006 (23°C, February, San Luis, Balayan, March, Anilao)
(Appendix II).
Another abiotic factor that did not show any major
difference among the stations was pH. The mean monthly
values ranged from 7.87 ppm (Balayan) to 8.23 ppm
(Calatagan). Among the stations, Calatagan showed the
greatest fluctuation in its pH readings over time (7.5 in
July and 8.8 in June 2006), whereas San Luis had the
narrowest fluctuations (7.7 in July and 8.2 in December,
February, and March 2006) (Appendix IJ).
The Phytoplankton Community
Composition. A total of 97 taxa of phytoplankton in 50
genera belonging to four phyla were observed in the six
stations in Balayan Bay from February 2006–January
2007 (Table 2). Most taxa (83 or 85.6% of the total taxa)
belonged to phylum Bacillariophyta (diatoms), followed
in decreasing order by Chlorophyta (green algae, 7 taxa or
7.2%), Cyanobacteria (5 taxa or 5.2%), and Pyrrhophyta
(dinoflagellates, 2 taxa or 2.1%).
Table 2. Taxa identified in four algal phyla in the six collecting stations in Balayan Bay, Batangas, Philippines from February 2006–January 2007.
Cyanobacteria (total = 5)
Lyngbya taylorii Drouet
& Strickland Oscillatoria brevis Kützing Oscillatoria sp. 1Oscillatoria sp. 2 Spirulina sp.
Pyrrhophyta (total = 2)
Ceratium furca
(Ehrenberg) Dujardin C. trichoceros (Ehrenberg) Kofoid
Bacillariophyta (total = 83)
Centric forms (Total = 33):
Amphitetras sp. 1 Bacteriastrum delicatulum Cleve Bacteriastrum furcatum
Shadbolt Biddulphia sp. 1Biddulphia sp. 2
Biddulphia sp. 3 Biddulphia sp. 4 Chaetoceros cf.medusa
Mann Coscinodiscus
asteromphalus Ehrenberg Coscinodiscus apiculatus
var. ambigua Grunow
Coscinodiscus ciliatus
Mann Coscinodiscus radiatus Ehrenberg Coscinodiscus sp.1 Cyclotella meneghiniana
Kützing Cyclotella sp. 1
Melosira sp. 1 Odontella aurita (Lyngbye) C.A.
Agardh Odontella sp. 1 Paralia sulcata (Ehrenberg)
Cleve Plagiogramma antillarum
Greville
Podosira cf. montagnei
Kützing Pseudotriceratium sp. 1 Pseudotriceratium sp. 2 Stephanodiscus sp. 1 Thalassiosira cf. oestrupii
(Ostenf.) Hasle
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Density of total phytoplankton and selected species.
Diatoms were the most dominant phylum in all the
collecting stations in terms of their mean monthly total
phytoplankton density (Figure 4). The mean total monthly
values for diatoms ranged from 1,842 (in Pansipit) to
2,775 units · mL–1 (in San Luis). Figure 5 shows that
diatoms were also the most abundant group of organisms
in all months in all stations. Among these diatoms, eight
taxa were most dominant based on their mean monthly
density and frequency of occurrence in all stations over
time (Table 3; Figure 6). These include the three centric
diatoms (Cyclotella meneghiniana, Coscinodiscus
radiatus, and C. ciliatus) and five pennate diatoms
[Navicula sp.1, Navicula sp. 2, Mastogloia sp. 1, Nitzschia
sp. 1, and Pinnularia ambigua (= Biremis ambigua)].
The centric diatom, C. meneghiniana, had the highest
mean monthly density at 143 units · mL–1, followed in
decreasing order by Navicula sp. 1 (131), Mastogloia sp.
1 (117), B. ambigua (100), Navicula sp. 2 (97), Nitzschia
sp. 1 (83), C. radiatus (82), and C. ciliatus (70) (Table
3A; Figures 6A–H). Figure 6 also shows changes in
the monthly mean population density of the dominant
species in the six collecting stations. When the monthly
density was examined per station, C. meneghiniana was
still recorded with the highest density of about 500 units
· mL–1 in seven of the 12 months examined (Figure 6A).
Other than C. meneghiniana, three other taxa also showed
peaks in their population density in December 2006 and
January 2007, i.e. Navicula sp. 1 (Figure 6B), Nitzschia sp.
1 (Figure 6F), and C. ciliatus (Figure 6H). Coscinodiscus
ciliatus, with the lowest mean monthly density among the
dominant diatoms, recorded the highest monthly density
of 300 units · mL–1 only once in January 2007 in Palanas
station (Figure 6H).
Thalassiosira
punctigera (Castracane)
Hasle
Triceratium antedevianum
Ehrenberg = Biddulphia
antediluviana (Ehrenberg) Van
Heurck*
Triceratium sp.1 Trigonium frauenfeldii Gr
unow Trigonium gossianum
Evangelista
Trigonium cf.
margariteferum Cleve Trigonium pileatum Grunow Trigonium sp. 1
Pennate forms (total = 50):
Achnanthidium anis
A.G.C. Achnanthidium sp. 1 Amphora richardiana
Cholnoky Amphora rostrata W. Smith Amphora cf. turgida
Greville
Amphora sp. 1 Amphora sp. 2 Amphora sp. 3 Asterionella sp. Bacillaria paradoxa Gm
elin
Berkeleya sp. 1 Berkeleya sp. 2 Campyloneis grevellei
(W. Smith) Grunow Climacosphenia moniligera
Ehrenberg Climacosphenia sp. 1
Cocconeis molesta var.
crucifera Grunow Cocconeis pellucida Grunow Cocconeis sp. 1 Cocconeis sp. 2 Cocconeis sp. 3
Cocconeis sp. 4 Diatomella sp. 1 Diploneis sp. 1 Fallacia sp. 1 Fragilaria sp. 1
Gyrosigma tenuissima
var. hyperborean
Grunow Lyrella sp. 1 Lyrella sp. 2 Mastogloia sp. 1 Mastogloia sp. 2
Navicula sp. 1 Navicula sp. 2 Navicula sp. 3 Navicula sp. 4 Nitzschia panduriformis
Greville
Nitzschia paradoxa
(Gmelin) Grunow Nitzschia paxillifera (O.F. Müller)
Heiberg Nitzschia sp. 1 Nitzschia sp. 2 Nitzschia sp. 3
Nitzschia sp. 4 Nitzschia sp. 5
Pinnularia ambigua
Cleve = Biremis
ambigua (Cleve)
D.G.Mann
Pleurosigma naviculaceum
Brebisson Rhopalodia gibberula
(Ehrenberg) O. Müller
Rhopalodia gibberula
var. vanheurkii O.
Müller Toxarium undulatum Bailey Toxarium sp. 1 Trachsypenia australis Petit Tryblionella sp. 1
Chlorophyta (total = 7)
Ankistrodesmus
convolutus Corda Closterium parvulum Naeq. Protococcus viridis C.A.
Agardh Scenedesmus dimorphus
(Turpin) Kützing Schroederia setigera
(Schroed.) Lemmerman
Spirogyra sp.Stigeoclonium tenue (C.A.
Agardh) Kützing
*Currently accepted name is based on AlgaeBase (Guiry and Guiry 2021)
Table 2 Cont..
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Figure 4. Mean (± SD) monthly total phytoplankton density (units·mL-1) by phyla in the six collecting stations in
Balayan Bay, Batangas, Philippines from February 2006–January 2007.
Figure 5. Fluctuation in mean total monthly phytoplankton density by phyla in the six collecting stations in Balayan Bay, Batangas,
Philippines from February 2006–January 2007. Note different scales in X axis.
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The sparsely populated and less frequently occurring
diatoms, i.e. those that occurred only once or at most
two times over a period of 12 months in all the stations,
recorded a mean monthly density that was below 10 units
· mL–1. Most of these taxa are centric diatoms, such as
Bacteriastrum furcatum, recorded only in August and
September 2006 with a mean monthly density of only 3
units · mL–1, B. delicatulum (November and December
2006, 3 units · mL–1), Trigonium sp. 1 (March 2006, 6 units
· mL–1), and Diatomella sp. 1 (August and October 2006, 3
units · mL–1). The exception to this was one pennate diatom
Trachysphenia australis recorded only in May 2006 with a
mean monthly density of only 1 unit · mL–1.
Table 3B shows the fluctuation in mean monthly density
of the three other algal phyla: Cyanobacteria, Pyrrhophyta,
Table 3. Mean phytoplankton density (units · mL–1) per month in all six collecting stations in Balayan Bay, Batangas, Philippines from February
2006–January 2007. Blank cell indicates no data, i.e. species not recorded for that month.
A. Dominant diatom taxa with high density (units · mL–1) and frequency of occurrence
Month
Taxa Feb
2006 Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec Jan
2007
Monthly mean
± SD for each
taxon
Bacillariophyta
Biremis ambigua 183 33 17 50 83 250 50 67 83 100 216 67 100 ± 75.06
Cyclotella meneghiniana 150 150 100 217 83 200 67 167 117 83 150 233 143 ± 54.81
Coscinodiscus ciliatus 33 67 33 100 117 50 67 50 50 17 117 133 70 ± 38.20
Coscinodiscus radiatus 33 67 17 100 117 100 83 67 133 100 50 117 82 ± 35.83
Navicula sp. 1 67 117 117 117 83 217 167 100 33 200 100 250 131 ± 64.76
Navicula sp. 2 117 33 67 117 67 150 200 67 100 83 33 133 97 ± 49.18
Nitzschia sp. 1 100 83 117 117 50 150 50 17 33 133 150 83 ± 47.35
Mastogloia sp. 1 167 200 100 33 133 167 183 83 33 133 167 117 ± 58.03
B. Taxa from other phyla
Month
Taxa
Feb
2006 Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec Jan
2007
Monthly Mean
± SD for each
taxon
Cyanobacteria
Lyngbya taylorii 50 50 33 50 17 67 33 67 67 183 51 ± 45.85
Oscillatoria subbrevis 67 67 33 50 67 67 33 50 150 67 54 ± 32.82
Oscillatoria sp. 1 150 133 24 ±11.79
Oscillatoria sp. 2 33 50 7 ± 11.79
Spirulina sp. 1 17 50 50 17 17 13 ±18.26
Pyrrhophyta
Ceratium furca 33 67 117 18 ± 41.94
Ceratium trichoceros 67 6
Chlorophyta
Ankistrodesmus
convolutus 33 33 33 33 11
Closterium parvulum 17 33 50 33 17 50 33 33 33 50 33 17 33 ± 12.31
Protococcus viridis 33 33 33 33 33 14
Scenedesmus
dimorphus 50 33 33 33 50 50 17 33 25 ± 11.79
Schroederia setigeria 17 33 33 33 33 83 33 22 ± 20.89
Spirogyra sp. 1 17 33 50 8 ± 16.67
Stigeoclonium tenue 17 17 50 33 10 ± 15.96
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Figure 6. Changes in monthly mean population density of the dominant species in each of the six collecting stations in Balayan Bay,
Batangas, Philippines from February 2006–January 2007. SD not shown.
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and Chlorophyta. These phytoplankton had mean monthly
densities that ranged from 6 units · mL–1 (Ceratium
trichoceros) to 54 units · mL–1 (Oscillatoria subbrevis).
These numbers are lower than those observed among the
dominant diatoms with densities that ranged from 70–143
units · mL–1 (Table 3A). Members of cyanobacteria
had relatively higher mean monthly densities than the
dinoflagellates and the green algae, but their numbers
were still low compared to those of the diatoms. For
example, the cyanobacterium O. subbrevis had a mean
monthly density of 54 units · mL–1 (Table 3B). This
number is only about 1/3 (38%) of the highest mean
monthly density noted among the diatoms (143 units ·
mL–1 in C. meneghiniana) (Table 3A). However, when
the density of O. subbrevis is compared with diatoms
with the lowest density, like with Trachyspenia australis
var. rostellata, then the former taxon had a higher density
value than the latter. A number of these other taxa were
also considered rare, i.e. recorded only once or up to three
months only in a year (Table 3B). Most of these had a
density that was ≤ 10 units · mL–1. The exception to this
was Ceratium furca, a dinoflagellate with a mean monthly
density of 18 units · mL–1. Although it was recorded in
only three months from July–September 2006, a density
of 117 units · mL–1 was recorded in August 2006 (Table
3B). Another exception was Oscillatoria sp. 1, which was
recorded only in December 2006 and January 2007, but
the monthly density was as high as 150 units · mL–1 in
December 2006, and the mean monthly density was 24
units · mL–1 (Table 3B).
Phytoplankton density in the different stations. Among
the six stations, San Luis registered the highest mean
monthly density of phytoplankton at 2,992 units · mL–1,
followed in decreasing order by Balayan (2,700 units ·
mL–1), Palanas (2,608), Anilao (2,417), Calatagan (2,383),
and Pansipit (2,367) (Appendix II). High phytoplankton
density in San Luis was recorded particularly in the
months of February (3,900 units · mL–1), October (3,600
units · mL–1), March 2006 (3,300 units · mL–1), and
January 2007 (4,500 units · mL–1) (Figure 7A). The other
marine stations (Anilao, Balayan, and Calatagan) peaked
at their phytoplankton densities in January 2007 (at 4,700,
4,300, and 4,400 units · mL–1, respectively) (Figure 7A;
Appendix II).
Species richness, species diversity index, and species
dominance in the six collecting stations over time.
The marine stations had higher species richness (or
number of taxa) than the freshwater stations. (Figure 7B;
Appendix III). For example, the mean species richness
of phytoplankton was 18.50, 16.25, 14.50, and 13.75 for
San Luis, Balayan, Anilao, and Calatagan, respectively,
whereas the mean species richness of phytoplankton in
PaIanas and Pansipit was 13.25 and 11.67, respectively
(Appendix III). The mean monthly Shannon’s species
diversity index (Hʹ) per station ranged from 1.0 (Pansipit)
to 1.20 (San Luis) (Figure 7C; Appendix III). The species
diversity index was noted to be high in stations with high
algal species richness and, therefore, in marine stations
(Figures 7B and C; Appendix III).
The mean monthly species dominance in the different
stations ranged from 0.12 (San Luis) to 0.23 (Pansipit)
(Appendix IV). Figure 7D shows the monthly changes
in species dominance per station. The high species
dominance of 0.62 for Pansipit station was recorded in
November 2006, whereas the low species dominance for
San Luis was noted to be 0.08 in March 2006.
Correlation between Phytoplankton and Some
Abiotic Parameters
Correlation between dominant phytoplankton monthly
density and some abiotic parameters in each collecting
station. Of the monthly density of eight dominant
diatom species (Table 3A), only six showed significant
correlations with some of the abiotic parameters (Table
4). In Anilao station, three pennate diatoms showed
significant relationships with three abiotic factors. Biremis
ambigua showed a strong negative relationship to water
temperature (r = –0.796, p < 0.05), whereas Navicula sp.
1 showed a strong positive correlation with salinity (r =
0.758) and conductivity (r = 0.750), and Navicula sp. 2
also had a positive relationship with conductivity (r =
0.898) (Table 4A). Although the centric diatom C. ciliatus
appears to show a positive relationship to conductivity (r =
0.556) and a negative relationship to nitrates (r = –0.555),
these are, however, not statistically significant (p > 0.05).
In San Luis station, C. meneghiniana showed strong
positive relationship to salinity (r = 0.743), conductivity
(r = 0.755), and Secchi disc depth (r = 0.698), whereas
Mastogloia sp. 1 had a strong relationship also to Secchi
disc reading (r = 0.681) and pH (r = 0.781). Another
pennate diatom, Navicula sp. 1, had a strong relationship
to TS (r = 0.633) and TDS (r = 0.651) (Table 4B). Balayan,
another marine station, had Navicula sp. 1 that showed
a strong negative relationship to pH (r = –0.642) (Table
4C). In the freshwater station Pansipit, Biremis ambigua
showed a strong negative relationship to Secchi disc
depth (r = –0.688) and to nitrates (r = –0.742) (Table
4D). In the marine station Calatagan and the freshwater
station Palanas, none of the dominant species showed
any significant correlation with the abiotic parameters.
No other correlation analysis was carried out among the
less dominant taxa in the different phyla.
Correlation between phytoplankton density, community
structures, and abiotic parameters. A total of 180
correlation analyses were carried out to assess the
relationship between 10 abiotic parameters in six collecting
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Figure 7. Changes in monthly [A] phytoplankton density; [B] species richness (i.e. number of species); [C] species diversity index (H'); and
[D] species dominance in the different collecting stations in Balayan Bay, Batangas, Philippines from February 2006–January 2007.
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Table 4. Matrix of correlation coefficient (r) of monthly population density (units · mL–1) of dominant species of phytoplankton vs. abiotic
parameters in the different collecting stations in Balayan Bay, Batangas, Philipines from February 2006–January 2007. Significant r
(p < 0.05) in bold. Sample size (N) given for each abiotic parameter.
A. Anilao
Abiotic parameters (N)
Top dominant species
Coscinodiscus
ciliatus Biremis ambigua Navicula 1 Navicula 2
Salinity (12) 0.369 0.046 0.758 0.466
Conductivity (12) 0.556 0.073 0.750 0.898
TS (12) 0.262 0.348 0.461 0.350
TDS (12) 0.259 0.338 0.460 0.353
TSS (12) 0.002 0.227 –0.173 –0.256
Secchi disc depth (12) 0.315 –0.246 0.213 0.029
Nitrates (6) –0.555 –0.323 –0.288 –0.328
Orthophosphate-P (6) –0.040 –0.074 –0.206 –0.122
Temperature, water (12) –0.337 –0.796 –0.446 –0.280
pH (12) –0.063 –0.157 0.030
B. San Luis
Abiotic parameters (N)
Top dominant species
Cyclotella
meneghiniana Mastogloia 1 Navicula 1
Salinity (12) 0.743 0.230 0.290
Conductivity (12) 0.755 0.155 0.379
TS (12) –0.399 0.057 0.633
TDS (12) –0.421 0.041 0.651
TSS (12) 0.552 –0.075 –0.455
Secchi disc depth (12) 0.698 0.681 0.219
Nitrates (6) 0.455 0.177 0.461
Orthophosphate-P (6) 0.361 –0.153 –0.126
Temperature, water (12) –0.298 –0.399 –0.232
pH (12) 0.225 0.781 0.166
C. Balayan D. Pansipit
Abiotic parameters (N) Top dominant species Abiotic parameters (N) Top dominant species
Navicula 1Biremis ambigua
Salinity (12) 0.365 Salinity (12) –0.040
Conductivity (12) 0.185 Conductivity (12) 0.175
TS (12) –0.410 TS (12) –0.307
TDS (12) –0.401 TDS (12) –0.294
TSS (12) –0.446 TSS (12) –0.139
Secchi disc depth (12) 0.189 Secchi disc depth (12) –0.688
Nitrates (6) –0.019 Nitrates (6) –0.742
Orthophosphate-P (6) –0.114 Orthophosphate-P (6) –0.273
Temperature, water (12) 0.483 Temperature, water (12) 0.188
pH (12) –0.642 pH (12) 0.548
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stations against the phytoplankton density and two
measures of phytoplankton community structures, species
richness, and species diversity. No correlation was carried
out using species dominance, as this measure is generally
inversely related to species diversity. Of these 10 abiotic
parameters (i.e. salinity, conductivity, TS, TSS, TDS,
Secchi disc depth, orthophosphate-P, nitrate, temperature,
and pH), only eight showed significant relationships to
the biotic parameters. A strong positive correlation (r =
0.704, p < 0.05) between Secchi disc reading and total
monthly phytoplankton density in San Luis (Figure 8A;
Appendix VA) and a strong negative relationship between
TSS and phytoplankton density (r = –0.702) in Balayan
station (Figure 8B) were detected. In the same manner,
Figure 8. Significant correlation (r, p < 0.05) between total monthly phytoplankton density (units · mL–1) and [A] Secchi disc depth (m) in
San Luis station; [B] TSS (ppm) in Balayan station in Balayan Bay, Batangas, Philippines from February 2006–January 2007.
three abiotic parameters were found to have significant
correlations with the mean phytoplankton richness
(Appendix VB). Conductivity values showed a strong
positive relationship with phytoplankton species richness
(r = 0.604) in Anilao (Figure 9A); Secchi disc depth had
a strong positive relationship with species richness (r =
0.655) in San Luis station (Figure 9B), whereas nitrates
in Palanas station showed a strong positive correlation to
phytoplankton species richness (r = 0.905) (Figure 9C).
Five significant correlations were found for the species
diversity index (H’) (Appendix VC). This includes the
pH level in Calatagan station, which had a moderately
positive correlation with H’ (r = 0.581) (Figure 10A).
In Balayan station, H’ had a strong negative correlation
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Figure 9. Significant positive correlation (r, p < 0.05) detected between species richness (no.); [A] conductivity (units · mL–1) in Anilao
station; [B] Secchi disc depth (m) in San Luis station; and [C] nitrate (ppm) in Palanas station in Balayan Bay, Batangas, Philippines
from February 2006–January 2007.
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Figure 10. Significant correlation (r, p < 0.05) between species diversity index (H'); [A] pH in Calatagan station; [B] TS (ppm) and TDS
(ppm) in Balayan station; [C] water temperature (°C) in Balayan station; and [D] TDS in Palanas station in Balayan Bay, Batangas,
Philippines from February 2006– January 2007.
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with TS (r = –0.681), TDS (r = –0.680) (Figure 10B), and
water temperature (r = –0.684) (Figure 10C), whereas H’
in Palanas station showed negative relationship to TDS
(r = –0.677) (Figure 10D).
DISCUSSION
In the present study, diatoms were always the most
dominant group of phytoplankton and constituted about
78–93% of the total phytoplankton density per station
over a year of survey, irrespective of whether the station
is marine or freshwater. The prevalence of diatoms,
especially in marine waters, may be due to their many
adaptive mechanisms to stay buoyant (Anderson and
Sweeney 1978; Round et al. 1990). One of these is their
morphological adaptations by having different shapes,
sizes, and appendages, especially the centric forms. Some
examples of centric diatoms observed in the present study
that have different shapes and appendages were Cyclotella
meneghiniana, Coscinodiscus ciliatus, Coscinodiscus
radiatus, Triceratium, Trigonium frauenfeldii, Podosira
cf. montagnei, and Paralia sulcata. The first three species
mentioned were also the dominant species throughout the
year. The dominance and prevalence of the diatoms imply
that they are the primary food sources of fish (Esguerra
1951; Villadolid 1957; Vicencio 1977; Fortes and Pinosa
2007), especially those that depend on the rich lipid
content of the diatoms (de la Peña 2007).
Two out of the four marine stations (San Luis and Balayan)
had higher phytoplankton density than the freshwater
stations (Palanas and Pansipit). In terms of species
diversity index and species richness, all four marine
stations had higher values than the freshwater stations.
This clearly indicates that the marine environment in
Balayan Bay can by far support a larger number of
phytoplankton species and, at times, at higher density
than in the brackish environment at the mouth of rivers.
Abiotic parameters are important factors that affect
phytoplankton productivity and diversity. Results of the
correlation analyses, however, failed to reveal a specific
abiotic factor that is most important in affecting plankton
diversity and density for all stations. Some factors appear
to be more important in one station but not in the others,
suggesting that conditions in the different stations are not
uniform and local variability could play an important role
in affecting plankton diversity and abundance.
Among the parameters examined, irradiance or light
penetration, water temperature, and nutrients are likely the
most important direct factors (Round 1981). Irradiance, in
turn, could be affected by water turbidity. It is interesting
to note that marine stations like Anilao, San Luis, and
Calatagan – which recorded higher amounts of TS, TSS,
and TDS – have also recorded higher Secchi disc depth,
i.e. have greater water clarity. These stations should,
therefore, expect to have deeper penetration of light when
compared with the shallower stations in the inner bay,
including Balayan and the freshwater stations Pansipit
and Palanas. Irradiance, although not directly measured
in this study, could have, therefore, played an important
role in affecting phytoplankton compositions and diversity
in the different stations.
Over the 12 months of this present study, the water
temperature in the study sites ranged from 23–33.5 °C.
These values are wider than that of a typical tropical area
like the Philippines with, for example, comparable but
narrower ranges (28–31 °C) being noted in Panguil Bay
in northwestern Mindanao, southern Philippines (Lacuna
et al. 2012). Since all the studied stations are located
within the same bay, changes in the temperature pattern
over a year did not differ much among them. Therefore,
high irradiance and high-temperature conditions should
favor the high photosynthetic activity of the phytoplankton
within the bay (Lewandowska et al. 2012). However, what
could have affected the variability most in phytoplankton
growth among the stations is the amount of available
nutrients. Run-off, household wastes, and agricultural
wastes from nearby fishponds may have contributed to
high TS, TSS, and TDS, especially in Calatagan station.
Among the nutrients, NH4-N was not measured but
nitrogen in the form of nitrates may be taken as a proxy.
The absence of nearby villages near Anilao could explain
the low N values (mean monthly = 2.58 ppm NO3-N
or 0.59 ppm N) recorded in this station. In contrast,
the highest mean monthly value was noted in Balayan
station (5.35 ppm) near villages, schools, and factories.
Relatively, our values were higher than those noted in
Bolinao, Pangasinan in northern Philippines (0.35–1.36
ppm NO3-N) (Yap et al. 2004) and in Panguil Bay (0.40-
0.71 ppm NO3-N) (Lacuna et al. 2012) but were generally
lower than those in highly urbanized coastal areas, e.g.
near a sewage plant in Osaka Bay with value as high as
about 6 ppm NO3-N (Saito et al. 2018).
Phosphorus in the form of orthophosphate is the usual
form readily available to the microalgae but this is also
the form that is limited in the natural environment (Boney
1975). Its main natural sources are from weathering of
rocks. The two freshwater stations have much higher mean
monthly orthophosphates (4.31 ppm in Pansipit and 4.14
ppm in Palanas) compared to the other marine stations.
These stations, being at the river mouth, are subjected to
greater influence from anthropogenic sources, including
treated and untreated sewage, agricultural run-off, and
domestic wastes from villages along the river. Likewise,
the lowest mean monthly value in Anilao (1.65 ppm) could
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be due to it being away from any major village. The mean
monthly orthophosphate-P values in the study areas ranged
from 1.65–4.31 ppm. These values are higher than those
noted in Bolinao, Pangasinan (0.34–1.36 ppm PO4-P) (Yap
et al. 2004) and in Panguil Bay (0.02–0.33 ppm PO4-P)
(Lacuna et al. 2012) but lower than the phosphate values
in the eutrophied coastal waters of Ilaje, southwestern
Nigeria (5.97–14.76 ppm PO4-P) (Oyatola et al. 2021).
High salinity in the marine stations (mean monthly values
ranged from 29.09–32.58 psu) appeared to favor a higher
diversity of diatoms than in the freshwater stations. This
pattern is quite common as diatoms have been found to
dominate other marine waters in the Philippines, e.g.
Manila Bay (Azanza et al. 2018) and Panguil Bay (Lacuna
et al. 2012), as well as marine waters of Perak, Malaysia
(Nursuhayati et al. 2013) and Gorontalo Bay, Indonesia
(Kadim et al. 2018), to name a few.
The conductivity values in the freshwater stations (mean
monthly 2,051.92 in Pansipit; 2,006.17 µS · cm–1 in
Palanas) were about 40x higher than the values in the
marine stations, which may not only be attributed to the salt
intrusion from the open sea but also from anthropogenic
sources such as domestic wastes, as reflected also by
the high orthophosphate levels in these stations (mean
monthly = 4.14 ppm in Palanas; 4.31 ppm in Pansipit).
These high conductivity values are near the values noted
in and around Taal lake (as much as 1,706 µS · cm–1)
(Perez et al. 2008), implying a mesotrophic condition.
However, these high values did not seem to have affected
the trophic status of the whole bay likely because this
was a more localized phenomenon around these small
river mouth stations, whereas the rest of the bay was also
greatly influenced by the four marine stations that had
low conductivity readings (ranges for mean monthly from
44.57 µS · cm–1 in San Luis to 50.48 µS · cm–1 in Anilao
stations). The mean monthly pH values in the six stations
varied from 7.89 (Pansipit) to 8.11 (Anilao). Basically,
the pH values in all the stations and over time were on
the alkaline side, i.e. did not go below pH 7.40. These pH
values are within the optimum pH for the growth of marine
phytoplankton (Hinga 2002). The narrow fluctuation of
the pH values, spatially, and temporarily [(7.40, Balayan
(July); 7.80, Anilao and San Luis (October)] indicates low
eutrophication (Hinga 2002).
The mean monthly species diversity index (H’) ranged
from 1.0–1.2 in Pansipit, (freshwater) and San Luis
(marine), respectively. These values are moderately high,
indicating also moderately clean water (Mason 1996). The
highest mean monthly H’ of 1.2 (San Luis) was noted to
be higher than what was observed in the marine waters
of Panguil Bay in northwestern Mindanao (H’ = 0.905–
0.924) (Lacuna et al. 2012) and in Sulawesi, Indonesia
(Hˈ= 0.64) (Azanza and Sidabatur 2001). But our Hˈ
values were lower than what has been reported from the
surface waters of the South China Sea [Hˈ= 2.20–2.57,
Boonyapiwat (2000); Hˈ= 2.0–4.50, Bajarias (2000)] and
in the marine waters in the straits of Malacca, Malaysia
(Hˈ= 3.5, Nursuhayati et al. 2013). The lowest species
diversity index observed at any one time in a study site was
Hˈ= 0.558 in Pansipit in November. No value, however,
has gone as low as Hˈ= 0.24, a value that was observed in
Bolinao, Pangasinan at the time of an algal bloom when
93% of the total phytoplankton population or 37,000 cells ·
L–1 were due to a single diatom, Cylindrotheca closterium
(Ehrenberg) Reimann & J.C.Lewin and with fish kills that
followed (Yap et al. 2004). Although some diatoms were
dominant at some time in some of the stations monitored
in the present study, none had reached a bloom density
or an absolute dominance of > 90%. No algal bloom was
recorded in any of the stations during the course of this
present study.
One reason for the absence of algal bloom over the one-
year period of this study was the absence of eutrophication
in the study area. Both N (ranges: 2.58–5.35 ppm NO3-N;
≈ 0.428–1.509 ppm N) and P (ranges: 1.65–4.31 ppm
PO4-P; ≈ 0.54–1.41 ppm P) levels were relatively low.
They were around the Philippine standard values of 1.0
ppm for N and P for marine waters prescribed by the
Department of Environment and Natural Resources of the
Philippine National Government. These values may be
sufficient for phytoplankton growth but were apparently
not high enough to cause any phytoplankton bloom.
Besides, high levels of N and P alone are not sufficient
conditions to cause a plankton bloom. A proper N:P ratio,
as well as other environmental factors like temperature
and irradiance, should also be favorable to provide the
bloom conditions. For example, a bloom of Choclodinium
occurred in Iligan Bay, southern Philippines when the N:P
ratio was 14:1 (Vicente 2002), whereas the bloom of this
same dinoflagellate occurred in Lampung Bay, Indonesia
when the N:P ratio was 35.5:1 (Puspasari et al. 2018). In
our study, the highest mean monthly N:P ratio was 3.79:1.
A potentially harmful dinoflagellate, Ceratium furca,
was actually present in some of the stations in the present
study. However, no harmful algal bloom was recorded
probably because, at a mean monthly density of only 18
units·mL-1, it constituted only about 0.70% of the total
phytoplankton density for this period. This is a very low
percentage when compared to the 55% composition
of this same dinoflagellate in the total phytoplankton
population in Bolinao, Pangasinan, which reached an
almost bloom proportion (Yap et al. 2004). Despite the
high phytoplankton density in Balayan Bay (e.g. as much
as 2,992 units · mL–1, or 2.9 M units · L–1, mean monthly
value in San Luis), there was also high species richness
(as much as 18.5, mean monthly value in San Luis), so
Philippine Journal of Science
Vol. 151 S1, Marine Botany Evangelista et al.: Diversity of Coastal Phytoplankton
in Balayan, Batangas, Philippines
283
that about 98% of the total population was made up of
a mixed, mainly diatom species, with no single species
that exhibited an absolute dominance. No alternation of
dominance by a single diatom and dinoflagellate species
was also observed – unlike, for example, in Bolinao,
Pangasinan under a eutrophic condition (Yap et al. 2004).
CONCLUSION
Balayan Bay in Batangas is considered one of the richest
coastal fishing grounds in the Philippines that still uses
traditional aquacultural practices or minimal advanced
aquaculture techniques. This present study provided
baseline information on the physical and biological
characteristics of six stations around the bay. Some of the
characteristics of the bay that seemed to have contributed
to it being a rich fishing ground were the high species
diversity of phytoplankton with mean species diversity
index that ranged from 1.0–1.20, as well as the low mean
species dominance that ranged from 0.12–0.23. This means
that there was a great variety of phytoplankton (97 taxa,
in four algal phyla and 50 genera) in the bay community
that could serve as the food source of the fish and other
zooplankton at the base of the food chain. The mean
monthly density of phytoplankton reached a maximum
of 2,992 units · mL–1 (or about 2·9 M units · L–1).
Among the six stations, the marine stations (Anilao, San
Luis, Balayan, and Calatagan) had higher phytoplankton
density and higher species diversity than the freshwater
stations (Palanas and Pansipit). As much as 93% of the
total population density in these stations was composed
of diatoms. The centric forms were prominently observed.
Cyclotella meneghiniana was one of the most abundant
and frequently observed centric diatoms in all the stations
throughout the year. No algal bloom was noted despite
the presence of a bloom-forming dinoflagellate, Ceratium
furca. This may be attributed to the generally low nutrient
condition of the bay and with this dinoflagellate, at a mean
monthly density of 18 units·mL–1, constituting only 0.7%
of the total phytoplankton density.
Although changes in 10 abiotic parameters were also
monitored, no single abiotic parameter was found to
be most important in affecting plankton diversity and
density for all stations. Some factors may be more
important in one station but not in the others, suggesting
that local variability in the different stations appears to
be more important in affecting local plankton diversity
and abundance.
This study was carried out from 2006–2007. Over the
years, many changes have occurred around Balayan Bay,
including an increase in human population density that
could likely impose greater pressure on the biological
and physical environment of the bay. It is, therefore,
important that a follow-up study should be carried out
to assess the present conditions of the bay. Data from
this present study will be essential in providing a good
baseline for understanding the phytoplankton dynamics
in this bay over time.
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
The authors would like to thank the suggestions and
comments of the reviewers for the improvement of this
paper, the encoding done by Ms. Roselyn P. Padernal,
some of the statistical analyses done by Jemuel Dave B.
Dorado, and the financial support of the Conservation
International to the senior author.
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Appendix I. Monthly abiotic parameters and mean values in the six collecting stations in Balayan Bay, Batangas, Philippines collected
from February 2006–January 2007.
A. Salinity (psu)
Station
Month Anilao San Luis Pansipit Palanas Balayan Calatagan
Feb 2006 32.6 29.2 0.8 1.0 30.6 34.0
Mar 32.0 32.2 1.1 0.8 28.0 34.0
Apr 33.2 32.2 1.0 1.0 27.0 30.0
May 33.2 31.0 0.8 1.0 29.8 33.2
Jun 32.2 32.0 1.1 1.8 30.0 32.9
Jul 32.0 23.4 1.0 0.5 33.0 32.3
Aug 33.0 27.0 1.00 0.20 30.8 29.0
Sep 31.1 27.0 0.9 0.9 29.0 26.0
Oct 32.0 31.1 0.4 0.4 30.1 32.0
Nov 32.4 29.4 0.40 0.70 35.70 31.40
Dec 31.3 22.6 1.0 0.9 23.0 32.4
Jan 2007 36.0 32.0 1.5 3.0 30.5 33.6
Mean ±SD 32.58 ± 1.27 29.09 ± 3.40 0.92 ± 0.30 1.02 ± 0.74 29.83 ± 3.13 31.73 ± 2.37
B. Conductivity (µS · cm–1)
Station
Month Anilao San Luis Pansipit Palanas Balayan Calatagan
Feb 2006 50.0 49.8 2283 2231 48.9 52.0
Mar 48.3 48.0 2041 2072 52.2 50.0
Apr 50.4 49.5 2255 2255 42.8 53.1
May 50.7 47.9 2456 2191 55.5 55.5
Jun 53.5 33.0 2117 2558 49.5 53.8
Jul 49.9 37.3 1940 1936 49.3 49.9
Aug 55.5 46.0 1942 2001 49.9 51.0
Sep 47.1 41.3 1752 1734 46.0 39.0
Oct 49.4 48.4 1824 1751 46.1 49.4
Nov 49.4 46.4 1874 1767 53.8 47.1
Dec 48.5 35.5 2275 1790 48.3 51.2
Jan 2007 53.0 51.8 1864 1788 48.2 52.0
Mean ± SD 50.48 ± 2.41 44.57 ± 6.23 2051.92 ± 222.69 2006.17 ± 261.32 49.21 ± 3.48 50.33 ± 4.19
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C. Total solids (ppm)
Station
Month Anilao San Luis Pansipit Palanas Balayan Calatagan
Feb 2006 27069.0 15531.0 1923.5 1681.0 23605.5 34292.5
Mar 26900.5 24436.0 1793.5 1147.0 17906.0 37731.5
Apr 28106.0 10375.0 863.5 1038.0 19085.5 31930.5
May 26688.0 20919.5 1276.0 1574.0 32966.5 25946.0
Jun 28128.5 24453.5 1380.0 1262.0 29982.0 36838.5
Jul 38049.5 33371.5 1534.0 1101.0 32511.0 36139.0
Aug 37239.0 35176.5 1745.0 1147.5 36139.0 27338.5
Sep 34893.0 31681.5 1163.0 1003.5 36528.0 25847.0
Oct 37666.5 23353.5 1750.0 1102.5 35356.0 25850.0
Nov 37248.0 36645.0 1210.5 1307.0 34997.0 30695.5
Dec 36716.5 35268.5 1202.5 1188.5 35498.5 27889.5
Jan 2007 39843.0 36086.0 2718.5 1581.5 32187.5 29465.5
Mean ± SD 33,212.29 ± 5,056.96 27,274.79 ± 8,384.85 1,546.67 ± 465.78 1,261.13 ± 219.30 30,563.54 ± 6,367.58 30,830.33 ± 4,294.57
D. Total dissolved solids (ppm)
Station
Month Anilao San Luis Pansipit Palanas Balayan Calatagan
Feb 2006 26177.5 14635.0 1495.5 1183.0 22734.5 33540.0
Mar 25914.0 23854.0 1589.5 911.0 17331.5 36965.0
Apr 27258.0 9632.5 536.0 463.0 18231.0 31227.5
May 25883.0 19834.5 685.5 659.0 31902.0 25270.0
Jun 27472.0 23499.5 1261.5 1010.0 29451.5 36229.5
Jul 37273.0 32982.5 1369.5 930.5 31957.5 35587.0
Aug 36559.0 34554.0 1601.0 1016.5 35339.5 26940.5
Sep 34153.0 31032.5 991.5 887.5 35581.0 25166.5
Oct 36962.5 23025.5 1456.0 907.5 34426.0 25588.5
Nov 36802.5 36802.5 1072.5 1108.5 34362.5 29816.5
Dec 35863.0 34589.0 991.5 848.5 34670.5 27035.5
Jan 2007 39021.0 35567.5 2150.5 1183.0 31553.5 28905.5
Mean ± SD 32444.9 ± 5116.2 26667.4 ± 8557.1 1266.7 ± 423.9 925.7 ± 198.8 29795.1 ± 6334.7 30189.3 ± 4249.7
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E. Total suspended solids (ppm)
Station
Month Anilao San Luis Pansipit Palanas Balayan Calatagan
Feb 2006 891.50 896.00 426.00 498.00 871.00 752.00
Mar 986.50 582.00 204.00 236.00 574.50 766.50
Apr 848.00 742.50 327.50 575.00 854.50 703.00
May 805.00 1085.00 590.50 915.00 1064.50 676.00
Jun 656.00 954.00 118.50 252.00 530.50 609.00
Jul 776.50 389.00 164.50 170.00 553.50 552.00
Aug 680.00 622.50 144.00 131.00 799.50 396.00
Sep 740.00 649.00 171.50 116.00 947.00 680.50
Oct 704.05 328.00 294.00 195.00 930.00 261.50
Nov 445.50 439.00 138.00 198.00 634.50 879.00
Dec 853.50 679.00 211.00 340.00 828.00 854.00
Jan 2007 822.00 518.50 568.00 398.50 634.00 560.00
Mean ± SD 767.38 ± 132.36 657.04 ± 221.73 279.79 ± 159.04 335.38 ± 222.95 768.46 ± 169.44 640.79 ± 172.30
F. Secchi disc depth (m)
Station
Month Anilao San Luis Pansipit Palanas Balayan Calatagan
Feb 2006 3.70 3.20 2.30 2.20 2.10 3.10
Mar 4.20 3.30 2.30 2.40 2.10 3.20
Apr 3.50 2.50 1.60 2.10 1.60 2.60
May 4.30 2.50 1.50 2.10 2.20 3.20
Jun 3.80 2.10 1.50 1.50 1.40 2.80
Jul 3.80 2.00 1.30 1.80 1.30 2.60
Aug 3.20 2.50 1.50 1.50 1.50 2.60
Sep 3.40 2.70 1.50 1.50 1.30 2.80
Oct 3.40 2.50 1.50 1.50 1.50 2.60
Nov 3.20 2.50 1.50 1.70 1.60 2.80
Dec 3.10 2.30 1.80 1.50 1.40 2.60
Jan 2007 4.20 3.20 2.20 2.20 2.20 2.90
Mean ± SD 3.65 ± 0.40 2.61 ± 0.41 1.71 ± 0.34 1.83 ± 0.33 1.68 ± 0.34 2.82 ± 0.23
G. Orthophosphate-P (ppm)
Station
Month Anilao San Luis Pansipit Palanas Balayan Calatagan
Mar 2006 2.37 2.54 5.09 5.57 2.42 1.86
May 2.91 3.25 3.91 4.43 0.00 2.19
Jul 1.60 1.40 4.44 4.21 1.40 1.10
Sep 0.88 2.03 3.38 3.09 1.71 1.58
Nov 1.04 2.15 4.16 3.41 2.10 2.10
Jan 2007 1.10 1.71 4.88 4.12 3.11 3.10
Mean ± SD 1.65 ± 0.75 2.18 ± 0.60 4.31 ±0.58 4.14 ± 0.79 1.79 ± 0.97 1.99 ± 0.61
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H. Nitrate-N (ppm)
Station
Month Anilao San Luis Pansipit Palanas Balayan Calatagan
Mar 2006 2.4 5.6 4.0 3.8 5.2 4.8
May 2.9 4.9 3.5 3.2 6.1 4.0
Jul 1.9 2.2 3.2 4.1 5.5 6.7
Sep 2.4 3.9 3.6 3.3 5.5 5.5
Nov 4.0 5.1 4.4 4.1 4.9 3.9
Jan 2007 1.9 4.5 4.9 4.4 5.0 4.2
Mean ± SD 2.58 ± 0.7 4.37 ± 1.1 3.93 ± 0.58 3.82 ± 0.44 5.35 ± 0.4 4.84 ± 1.0
I. Temperature (°C)
Station
Month Anilao San Luis Pansipit Palanas Balayan Calatagan
Feb 2006 24.00 23.00 25.00 25.00 23.00 26.00
Mar 23.00 24.00 24.00 24.00 24.00 24.00
Apr 24.00 24.00 23.50 23.50 24.00 25.00
May 31.00 34.00 34.00 28.00 32.00 28.00
Jun 29.00 29.00 29.00 29.00 27.50 28.00
Jul 29.00 33.00 32.00 30.50 28.00 31.00
Aug 29.50 31.00 33.50 32.00 32.00 31.00
Sep 29.00 30.50 31.00 30.00 30.50 29.50
Oct 29.00 32.50 32.00 29.50 31.50 29.00
Nov 27.00 29.50 27.50 28.50 29.00 33.00
Dec 26.50 28.00 27.00 27.50 28.00 27.00
Jan 2007 27.00 30.00 31.00 29.00 30.50 29.00
Mean ± SD 27.36 ± 2.44 29.04 ± 3.51 29.12 ± 3.52 28.04 ± 2.52 28.33 ± 3.08 28.37 ± 2.51
J. pH
Station
Month Anilao San Luis Pansipit Palanas Balayan Calatagan
Feb 2006 8.20 8.20 7.90 8.00 7.80 8.70
Mar 8.20 8.20 7.90 8.10 7.80 8.30
Apr 8.20 8.10 8.40 8.40 7.90 8.30
May 7.90 7.80 7.60 7.60 7.90 8.30
Jun 8.30 8.20 8.00 8.60 7.70 8.80
Jul 8.00 7.70 8.10 8.10 7.40 7.50
Aug 7.90 8.10 7.70 7.60 7.90 7.80
Sep 8.20 8.10 7.80 7.80 7.90 8.30
Oct 7.80 7.80 7.80 7.60 7.90 8.30
Nov 8.10 7.90 7.80 8.30 8.00 8.10
Dec 8.30 8.20 8.00 7.80 8.30 8.30
Jan 2007 8.20 7.90 7.70 7.70 7.90 8.00
Mean ± SD 8.11 ± 0.16 8.02 ± 0.18 7.89 ± 0.21 7.97 ± 0.32 7.87 ± 0.20 8.23 ± 0.34
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Appendix III. Monthly species richness, Shannon’s species diversity index (H’), and their mean values in each of the six collecting stations
in Balayan Bay, Batangas, Philippines from February 2006–January 2007.
Station
Month
Anilao San Luis Pansipit Palanas Balayan Calatagan
Species
richness H' Species
richness H' Species
richness H' Species
richness H' Species
richness H' Species
richness H'
Feb, 2006 11 0.988 28 1.382 18 1.216 12 1.053 17 1.206 14 1.091
Mar 12 1.060 23 1.329 13 1.090 14 1.129 29 1.402 10 0.927
Apr 12 1.053 12 1.055 11 0.863 10 0.937 14 1.120 16 1.181
May 16 1.129 17 1.181 11 0.989 10 0.937 15 1.139 10 0.974
Jun 14 1.100 17 1.160 15 1.124 10 0.983 13 1.065 6 0.689
Jul 11 0.991 17 1.205 19 1.206 15 1.069 16 1.154 16 1.169
Aug 25 1.354 19 1.253 11 0.960 14 1.127 9 0.927 15 1.134
Sep 17 1.181 18 1.221 13 1.085 10 0.690 14 1.106 13 1.059
Oct 10 0.975 22 1.299 7 0.809 11 1.014 15 1.151 13 1.070
Nov 8 0.887 11 0.945 6 0.558 17 1.167 16 1.151 13 1.064
Dec 16 1.163 16 1.138 4 1.099 21 1.263 17 1.207 19 1.241
Jan, 2007 22 1.283 22 1.288 12 1.055 15 1.151 20 1.243 20 1.24
Mean ± SD 14.50
± 5.02 1.10
± 0.13 18.50
± 4.56 1.20
± 0.12 11.67
± 3.83 1.00
± 0.19 13.25
± 3.44 1.04
± 0.15 16.25
± 4.81 1.16
± 0.11 13.75
± 3.91 1.07
± 0.15
Appendix II. Monthly total phytoplankton density (units · mL–1) and its mean values in the six collecting stations of Balayan Bay, Batangas,
Philippines from February 2006–January 2007.
Station
Month Anilao San Luis Pansipit Palanas Balayan Calatagan
February 2006 1800 3900 2800 1700 2200 2500
March 1400 3300 2000 2400 4300 1800
April 1700 1800 2400 2200 1900 2000
May 2500 2800 2000 2200 2100 1400
June 2100 2500 2500 1700 2500 1300
July 2400 2300 3800 4400 3500 2700
August 4200 2700 2500 2900 1600 2600
September 3000 3000 2400 1500 2300 2400
October 1800 3600 1200 2100 2200 2400
November 900 2400 1300 4000 2900 2100
December 2500 3100 2800 3400 2600 3000
January 2007 4700 4500 2700 2800 4300 4400
Mean ± SD 2417 ± 1058.96 2992 ± 718.17 2367 ± 667.50 2608 ± 885.49 2700 ± 852.45 2383 ± 780.85
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Vol. 151 S1, Marine Botany Evangelista et al.: Diversity of Coastal Phytoplankton
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Appendix IV. Monthly species dominance and its mean values in each of the collecting stations in Balayan Bay, Batangas, Philippines from
February 2006–January 2007.
Station
Month Anilao San Luis Pansipit Palanas Balayan Calatagan
Feb, 2006 0.22 0.13 0.11 0.12 0.09 0.16
Mar 0.14 0.08 0.10 0.08 0.09 0.28
Apr 0.12 0.11 0.42 0.23 0.11 0.10
May 0.20 0.14 0.20 0.23 0.14 0.14
Jun 0.14 0.16 0.16 0.12 0.20 0.38
Jul 0.17 0.09 0.18 0.23 0.14 0.11
Aug 0.10 0.07 0.28 0.10 0.19 0.12
Sep 0.13 0.10 0.13 0.20 0.13 0.21
Oct 0.17 0.11 0.25 0.14 0.09 0.17
Nov 0.22 0.21 0.62 0.15 0.14 0.19
Dec 0.12 0.16 0.18 0.15 0.08 0.10
Jan, 2007 0.11 0.11 0.11 0.11 0.14 0.11
Mean ± SD 0.15 ± 0.04 0.12 ± 0.04 0.23 ± 0.15 0.15 ± 0.05 0.13 ± 0.04 0.17 ± 0.09
Appendix V. Matrix of correlation coefficient (r) of mean monthly values of biotic vs. abiotic parameters in each station. Significant r (p <
0.05) in bold. Sample size (N) given for each abiotic parameter.
A. Monthly mean total phytoplankton density vs. abiotic parameters
Abiotic Parameters (N) Stations
Anilao San Luis Pansipit Palanas Balayan Calatagan
Salinity (12) 0.554 0.177 0.543 -0.207 0.127 0.020
Conductivity (12) 0.564 0.408 0.103 -0.515 0.231 -0.142
TS (12) 0.460 0.160 0.222 -0.189 -0.237 -0.234
TSS (12) 0.100 -0.119 0.002 -0.390 -0.702 -0.182
TDS (12) 0.452 0.155 0.243 0.228 -0.219 -0.229
Secchi Disc Depth (12) 0.122 0.704 0.086 -0.148 0.340 -0.260
Nitrate (6) -0.684 0.307 -0.422 0.793 -0.636 0.088
Orthophosphate-P (6) -0.257 -0.108 0.107 -0.086 0.782 0.495
Temperature, water (12) 0.390 -0.065 0.116 0.221 -0.195 0.218
pH (12) -0.089 0.049 0.190 0.057 -0.260 -0.456
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Vol. 151 S1, Marine Botany Evangelista et al.: Diversity of Coastal Phytoplankton
in Balayan, Batangas, Philippines
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B. Monthly phytoplankton species richness vs. abiotic parameters
Abiotic Parameters (N) Stations
Anilao San Luis Pansipit Palanas Balayan Calatagan
Salinity (12) 0.446 0.154 0.231 -0.034 -0.165 -0.088
Conductivity (12) 0.604 0.328 0.037 -0.511 0.239 -0.066
TS (12) 0.278 -0.178 0.251 0.011 -0.550 -0.309
TSS (12) 0.108 0.052 0.062 -0.278 -0.362 -0.001
TDS (12) 0.272 -0.185 0.252 0.324 -0.543 -0.312
Secchi Disc Depth (12) 0.052 0.655 0.144 -0.123 0.545 -0.427
Nitrate (6) -0.581 0.124 -0.589 0.905 -0.428 0.178
Orthophosphate-P (6) -0.088 -0.011 0.156 0.072 0.567 0.380
Temperature, water (12) 0.338 -0.240 0.003 0.094 -0.465 0.121
pH (12) -0.038 -0.051 0.175 -0.109 -0.028 -0.523
C. Monthly phytoplankton species diversity vs. abiotic parameters
Abiotic Parameters (N) Stations
Anilao San Luis Pansipit Palanas Balayan Calatagan
Salinity (12) -0.175 0.024 -0.568 -0.204 -0.024 0.117
Conductivity (12) -0.325 -0.230 -0.098 -0.006 0.220 -0.092
TS (12) -0.256 0.097 -0.475 -0.210 -0.681 0.479
TSS (12) -0.256 0.205 -0.261 0.396 -0.169 0.086
TDS (12) -0.247 0.103 -0.423 -0.677 -0.680 0.480
Secchi Disc Depth (12) 0.114 -0.260 -0.444 -0.058 0.541 0.329
Nitrate (6) 0.798 0.347 0.224 -0.491 -0.188 -0.125
Orthophosphate-P (6) 0.283 0.226 -0.207 -0.446 0.291 -0.213
Temperature, water (12) 0.014 -0.001 -0.138 0.014 -0.684 -0.156
pH (12) -0.249 0.283 0.179 0.054 -0.204 0.581
Philippine Journal of Science
Vol. 151 S1, Marine Botany Evangelista et al.: Diversity of Coastal Phytoplankton
in Balayan, Batangas, Philippines
