Diatom Taxonomic Composition as a Biological Indicator of the Ecological Health and Status of a River Basin under Agricultural Influence
The Lalin River Basin (LLRB) is a major drainage basin in northeastern China, that has been significantly influenced by agricultural activities. This study focused on exploring diatom taxonomic composition linked to environmental factors at the taxonomic levels of genus and species during ice-covere...
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MDPI AG
2020-07-01
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| Series: | Water |
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| Online Access: | https://www.mdpi.com/2073-4441/12/7/2067 |
| _version_ | 1797561833374089216 |
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| author | Xinxin Lu Yan Liu Yawen Fan |
| author_facet | Xinxin Lu Yan Liu Yawen Fan |
| author_sort | Xinxin Lu |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | The Lalin River Basin (LLRB) is a major drainage basin in northeastern China, that has been significantly influenced by agricultural activities. This study focused on exploring diatom taxonomic composition linked to environmental factors at the taxonomic levels of genus and species during ice-covered periods. Nine sampling stations were divided into three groups based on trophic state index (TSI). hierarchical cluster analysis (HCA) and redundancy analysis (RDA) were performed to identify diatom distribution patterns and their relationships to environmental factors. Diatom richness, composition and distribution were analyzed at the levels of genus and species. Our results showed the epipelagic diatom <i>Melosira varians</i> was very abundant at most stations. Benthic diatoms <i>Achnanthidium minutissimum</i>, <i>Encyonema minutum</i> and <i>Gomphonema parvulum</i> were dominant in group-3, which had the highest trophic states. HCA showed the similarity of diatom taxonomic composition spatial distribution patterns between genus and species levels. RDA revealed that the key factors related to genus level distributions are COD, TP and EC, while TP was the key factor in structuring diatom taxonomic composition at the level of species. These results suggest identification of diatoms at genus level can be used as a potential indicator to assess ecological health status of agricultural-influenced rivers during ice cover periods. Further research is necessary to explore the utility of genus level diatom composition as a biological indicator in rivers. |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-10T18:20:13Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-ce2c989ccd364ab382c2c05853391d79 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2073-4441 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-10T18:20:13Z |
| publishDate | 2020-07-01 |
| publisher | MDPI AG |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Water |
| spelling | doaj.art-ce2c989ccd364ab382c2c05853391d792023-11-20T07:26:06ZengMDPI AGWater2073-44412020-07-01127206710.3390/w12072067Diatom Taxonomic Composition as a Biological Indicator of the Ecological Health and Status of a River Basin under Agricultural InfluenceXinxin Lu0Yan Liu1Yawen Fan2College of Life Science and Technology, Harbin Normal University, Harbin 150025, ChinaCollege of Life Science and Technology, Harbin Normal University, Harbin 150025, ChinaCollege of Life Science and Technology, Harbin Normal University, Harbin 150025, ChinaThe Lalin River Basin (LLRB) is a major drainage basin in northeastern China, that has been significantly influenced by agricultural activities. This study focused on exploring diatom taxonomic composition linked to environmental factors at the taxonomic levels of genus and species during ice-covered periods. Nine sampling stations were divided into three groups based on trophic state index (TSI). hierarchical cluster analysis (HCA) and redundancy analysis (RDA) were performed to identify diatom distribution patterns and their relationships to environmental factors. Diatom richness, composition and distribution were analyzed at the levels of genus and species. Our results showed the epipelagic diatom <i>Melosira varians</i> was very abundant at most stations. Benthic diatoms <i>Achnanthidium minutissimum</i>, <i>Encyonema minutum</i> and <i>Gomphonema parvulum</i> were dominant in group-3, which had the highest trophic states. HCA showed the similarity of diatom taxonomic composition spatial distribution patterns between genus and species levels. RDA revealed that the key factors related to genus level distributions are COD, TP and EC, while TP was the key factor in structuring diatom taxonomic composition at the level of species. These results suggest identification of diatoms at genus level can be used as a potential indicator to assess ecological health status of agricultural-influenced rivers during ice cover periods. Further research is necessary to explore the utility of genus level diatom composition as a biological indicator in rivers.https://www.mdpi.com/2073-4441/12/7/2067diatomice-coveredLalin River Basingenus and species levelsRDA |
| spellingShingle | Xinxin Lu Yan Liu Yawen Fan Diatom Taxonomic Composition as a Biological Indicator of the Ecological Health and Status of a River Basin under Agricultural Influence Water diatom ice-covered Lalin River Basin genus and species levels RDA |
| title | Diatom Taxonomic Composition as a Biological Indicator of the Ecological Health and Status of a River Basin under Agricultural Influence |
| title_full | Diatom Taxonomic Composition as a Biological Indicator of the Ecological Health and Status of a River Basin under Agricultural Influence |
| title_fullStr | Diatom Taxonomic Composition as a Biological Indicator of the Ecological Health and Status of a River Basin under Agricultural Influence |
| title_full_unstemmed | Diatom Taxonomic Composition as a Biological Indicator of the Ecological Health and Status of a River Basin under Agricultural Influence |
| title_short | Diatom Taxonomic Composition as a Biological Indicator of the Ecological Health and Status of a River Basin under Agricultural Influence |
| title_sort | diatom taxonomic composition as a biological indicator of the ecological health and status of a river basin under agricultural influence |
| topic | diatom ice-covered Lalin River Basin genus and species levels RDA |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/2073-4441/12/7/2067 |
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