The study on seasonal trait of Nitzschia population in Zhelin Bay of eastern Guangdong

The seasonal trait of Nitzschia population was studied between May 2004 and February 2005 in Zhelin Bay. Twenty-five Nitzschia taxa were identified from samples. Among them, Nitzschia delicatissima, Nitzschia hybrida, Nitzschia longissima, Nitzschia panduriformis, Nitzschia paradoxa and Nitzschia pungens appeared all year round. The average population density of Nitzschia was 20.29 × 103 cells/dm3, contributing 16.59% to total phytoplankton. Comparing with other regions, Nitzschia population of Zhelin Bay have high species richness and intermediate population density. Nitzschia species richness of May and August was apparently lower than that of November and February, and this may be caused by water temperature and interspecific competition; Nitzschia population density was high in warm seasons (May and August) and low in cold seasons (November and February), and this may be caused by water temperature and zooplankton community structure; and underwater light intensity was important factor influencing spatial distribution of Nitzschia density.