Greater niche overlap and species association of phytoplankton in dry season than in wet season in Wujiang River, Yungui Plateau, China

Yang YANG; Yiqin CHEN; Qinglan CHEN; Luigi NASELLI-FLORES

doi:10.1007/s00343-025-4200-7

Your Location：

Home >

Browse articles >

Greater niche overlap and species association of phytoplankton in dry season than in wet season in Wujiang River, Yungui Plateau, China

Ecology | Updated：2025-10-16

- Greater niche overlap and species association of phytoplankton in dry season than in wet season in Wujiang River, Yungui Plateau, China
- Greater niche overlap and species association of phytoplankton in dry season than in wet season in Wujiang River, Yungui Plateau, China
- 海洋湖沼学报(英文) 2025年43卷第5期页码：1488-1500
- Affiliations：
  
  1.School of Life Sciences, Guizhou Normal University, Guiyang 550025, China
  2.Department of Biological, Chemical and Pharmaceutical Science and Technology, University of Palermo, Palermo 90123, Italy
- Author bio：
  
  yang.yang@gznu.edu.cn
- Funds：
  
  the National Natural Science Foundation of China(32060270);the Project for Innovation and Entrepreneurship of High-level Overseas Talents in Guizhou (No. (2020)09)
- DOI：10.1007/s00343-025-4200-7
  中图分类号：
- 收稿：2024-07-31，
  
  录用：2024-10-23，
  
  网络首发：2024-11-05，
  
  纸质出版：2025-09-01
- Accepted：
Scan QR Code
Greater niche overlap and species association of phytoplankton in dry season than in wet season in Wujiang River, Yungui Plateau, China[J]. 海洋湖沼学报(英文), 2025,43(5):1488-1500.

YANG Yang,CHEN Yiqin,CHEN Qinglan,et al.Greater niche overlap and species association of phytoplankton in dry season than in wet season in Wujiang River, Yungui Plateau, China[J].Journal of Oceanology and Limnology,2025,43(05):1488-1500.
Greater niche overlap and species association of phytoplankton in dry season than in wet season in Wujiang River, Yungui Plateau, China[J]. 海洋湖沼学报(英文), 2025,43(5):1488-1500. DOI： 10.1007/s00343-025-4200-7.

YANG Yang,CHEN Yiqin,CHEN Qinglan,et al.Greater niche overlap and species association of phytoplankton in dry season than in wet season in Wujiang River, Yungui Plateau, China[J].Journal of Oceanology and Limnology,2025,43(05):1488-1500. DOI： 10.1007/s00343-025-4200-7.

摘要

Abstract

Phytoplankton plays a crucial role in the energy flow and nutrient cycling of aquatic ecosystems. To understand the spatial and temporal distribution of phytoplankton in the Wujiang River

Yungui Plateau

SW China

samples were collected in 12 locations in wet and dry seasons and analyzed. We hypothesized that phytoplankton assemblages would exhibit significant temporal variability

with niche breadths of dominant species fluctuating seasonally

leading to distinct patterns of species association and community stability. Results show differences in community structure between the two seasons

but such changes did not cause non-significant differences in α-diversity. Diatoms were dominant in the assemblages in terms of biomass

while the numerical abundance of Cyanobacteria was highest in the wet season due to their relatively small cells. Rainfall-driven changes in runoff significantly altered nutrient availability

which in turn strongly affected phytoplankton structure. The more intense water flow contributed to a greater β-diversity in the wet season

driven primarily by species replacement

with stochastic processes played a more important role during the dry season. In the dry season

dominant species exhibited a broader niche breadth and greater niche overlap

along with more positive species associations

suggesting a more stable and resilient community structure. Conversely

in the wet season

species had narrower niche breadth and less niche overlap

leading to a less stable community. Both negative and positive species associations were observed

indicating a complex balance between environmental filtering and competition within the assemblages. These findings provide important insights into how seasonal environmental changes

particularly water flow and nutrient dynamics

shape phytoplankton communities in aquatic ecosystems. Understanding the mechanisms driving changes in community and stability is critical for predicting the impacts of climate change and managing aquatic biodiversity

as fluctuations in water flow and nutrient input may alter ecosystem functioning and productivity.

关键词

Keywords

references

APHA . 2012 . Standard Methods for the Examination of Water and Wastewater . American Public Health Association . 874 p.

Chen W D , Ren K X , Isabwe A et al . 2019 . Stochastic processes shape microeukaryotic community assembly in a subtropical river across wet and dry seasons . Microbiome , 7 ( 1 ): 138 , https://doi.org/10.1186/s40168-019-0749-8 https://doi.org/10.1186/s40168-019-0749-8 .

Descy J P , Darchambeau F , Lambert T et al . 2017 . Phytoplankton dynamics in the Congo River . Freshwater Biology , 62 ( 1 ): 87 - 101 , https://doi.org/10.1111/fwb.12851 https://doi.org/10.1111/fwb.12851 .

Gu L , Gong Z W , Li W Z . 2017 . Niches and interspecific associations of dominant populations in three changed stages of Natural secondary forests on Loess Plateau, P. R. China . Scientific Reports , 7 ( 1 ): 6604 , https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-017-06689-9 https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-017-06689-9 .

Hillebrand H , Dürselen C D , Kirschtel D et al . 1999 . Biovolume calculation for pelagic and benthic microalgae . Journal of Phycology , 35 ( 2 ): 403 - 424 , https://doi.org/10.1046/j.1529-8817.1999.3520403.x https://doi.org/10.1046/j.1529-8817.1999.3520403.x .

Hu X Y , Hu M , Zhu Y et al . 2022 . Phytoplankton community variation and ecological health assessment for impounded lakes along the eastern route of China's South-to-North Water Diversion Project. Journal of Environmental Management , 318 : 115561 , https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jenvman.2022.115561 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jenvman.2022.115561 .

Hubbell D P . 2005 . Neutral theory in community ecology and the hypothesis of functional equivalence . Functional Ecology , 19 ( 1 ): 166 - 172 , https://doi.org/10.1111/j.0269-8463.2005.00965.x https://doi.org/10.1111/j.0269-8463.2005.00965.x .

Hubbell S P . 2001 . The Unified Neutral Theory of Biodiversity and Biogeography . Princeton University Press, Princeton . 392 p.

Kang W , Ni F , Deng Y et al . 2023 . Response of blue and green water to climate and land use changes: a study in the Wujiang River Basin, China . Transactions of the Chinese Society of Agricultural Engineering , 39 ( 19 ): 131 - 140 , https://doi.org/10.11975/j.issn.1002-6819.202304138. https://doi.org/10.11975/j.issn.1002-6819.202304138. (in Chinese with English abstract)

Kundzewicz Z W . 2015 . Climate change track in river floods in Europe . Proceedings of the International Association of Hydrobiological Sciences , 369 : 189 - 194 , https://doi.org/10.5194/piahs-369-189-2015 https://doi.org/10.5194/piahs-369-189-2015 .

Leibold M A , Holyoak M , Mouquet N et al . 2004 . The metacommunity concept: a framework for multi-scale community ecology . Ecology Letters , 7 ( 7 ): 601 - 613 , https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1461-0248.2004.00608.x https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1461-0248.2004.00608.x .

Li F P , Zhang H P , Zhu Y P et al . 2013 . Effect of flow velocity on phytoplankton biomass and composition in a freshwater lake . Science of the Total Environment , 447 : 64 - 71 , https://doi.org/10.1016/j.scitotenv.2012.12.066 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.scitotenv.2012.12.066 .

Li Z Y , Zhang H J . 1993 . Trophic state index and its correlation with lake parameters . Acta Scientiae Circumstantiae , 13 ( 4 ): 391 - 397 , https://doi.org/10.13671/j.hjkxxb.1993.04.002. https://doi.org/10.13671/j.hjkxxb.1993.04.002. (in Chinese with English abstract)

Lin S J , He L J , Huang P S et al . 2005 . Comparison and improvement on the extraction method for chlorophyll a in phytoplankton . Ecological Science , 24 ( 1 ): 9 - 11 , https://doi.org/10.3969/j.issn.1008-8873.2005.01.003. https://doi.org/10.3969/j.issn.1008-8873.2005.01.003. (in Chinese with English abstract)

Ma Y M , Li Q H , Pan S P et al . 2022 . Niche and interspecific associations of Pseudoanabaena limnetica —exploring the influencing factors of its succession stage. Ecological Indicators , 138 : 108806 , https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ecolind.2022.108806 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ecolind.2022.108806 .

Marrone F , Fontaneto D , Naselli-Flores L . 2023 . Cryptic diversity, niche displacement and our poor understanding of taxonomy and ecology of aquatic microorganisms . Hydrobiologia , 850 : 1221 - 1236 , https://doi.org/10.1007/s10750-022-04904-x https://doi.org/10.1007/s10750-022-04904-x .

Martiny J B H , Bohannan B J M , Brown J H et al . 2006 . Microbial biogeography: putting microorganisms on the map . Nature Reviews Microbiology , 4 ( 2 ): 102 - 112 , https://doi.org/10.1038/nrmicro1341 https://doi.org/10.1038/nrmicro1341 .

Mouillot D , Mason N W H , Wilson J B . 2007 . Is the abundance of species determined by their functional traits? A new method with a test using plant communities . Oecologia , 152 ( 4 ): 729 - 737 , https://doi.org/10.1007/s00442-007-0688-0 https://doi.org/10.1007/s00442-007-0688-0 .

Mouillot D , Stubbs W , Faure M et al . 2005 . Niche overlap estimates based on quantitative functional traits: a new family of non-parametric indices . Oecologia , 145 ( 3 ): 345 - 353 , https://doi.org/10.1007/s00442-005-0151-z https://doi.org/10.1007/s00442-005-0151-z .

Naselli-Flores L , Padisak J . 2024 . Analysis of morphological traits as a tool to identify the realized niche of phytoplankton populations: what do the shape of planktic microalgae, Anna Karenina and Vincent van Gogh have in common? Hydrobiologia , 851 : 733 - 749 , https://doi.org/10.1007/s10750-023-05195-6 https://doi.org/10.1007/s10750-023-05195-6 .

Naselli-Flores L , Zohary T , Padisak J . 2021 . Life in suspension and its impact on phytoplankton morphology: an homage to ColinS. Reynolds . Hydrobiologia , 848 : 7 - 30 , https://doi.org/10.1007/s10750-020-04217-x https://doi.org/10.1007/s10750-020-04217-x .

Ning D L , Deng Y , Tiedje J M et al . 2019 . A general framework for quantitatively assessing ecological stochasticity . Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America , 116 ( 34 ): 16892 - 16898 , https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.1904623116 https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.1904623116 .

Oksanen J , Simpson G L , Blanchet F G et al . 2024 . Vegan: Community Ecology Package. R package version 2.6-6 . 8 , https://CRAN.R-project.org/package=vegan https://CRAN.R-project.org/package=vegan .

Pastore A I , Barabás G , Bimler M D et al . 2021 . The evolution of niche overlap and competitive differences . Nature Ecology Evolution , 5 ( 3 ): 330 - 337 , https://doi.org/10.1038/s41559-020-01383-y https://doi.org/10.1038/s41559-020-01383-y .

Perelman S B , León R J C , Oesterheld M . 2001 . Cross-scale vegetation patterns of flooding pampa grasslands . Journal of Ecology , 89 ( 4 ): 562 - 577 , https://doi.org/10.1046/j.0022-0477.2001.00579.x https://doi.org/10.1046/j.0022-0477.2001.00579.x .

Pianka E R . 1974 . Niche overlap and diffuse competition . Proceedings of the National Academy of Science of the United States of America , 71 ( 5 ): 2141 - 2145 . https://do 10.1073/pnas.71.5.2141 http://dx.doi.org/10.1073/pnas.71.5.2141

Pinkas L , Oliphant M S , Iverson I L K . 1971 . Food habits of albacore, bluefin tuna, and bonito in California waters . Fishery Bulletin , 152 : 1 - 105 .

Reinl K L , Harris T D , North R L et al . 2023 . Blooms also like it cold . Limnology and Oceanography Letters , 8 ( 4 ): 546 - 564 , https://doi.org/10.1002/lol2.10316 https://doi.org/10.1002/lol2.10316 .

Reynolds C S . 2006 . The Ecology of Phytoplankton . Cambridge University Press . p. 38 - 92 . https://do 10.1017/cbo9780511542145 http://dx.doi.org/10.1017/cbo9780511542145

Rodríguez-Flores R , Carmona-Jiménez J . 2018 . Ecology and distribution of macroscopic algae communities in streams from the Basin of Mexico . Botanical Sciences , 96 ( 1 ): 63 - 75 , https://doi.org/10.17129/botsci.1237 https://doi.org/10.17129/botsci.1237 .

Schluter D . 1984 . A variance test for detecting species associations, with some example applications . Ecology , 65 ( 3 ): 998 - 1005 , https://doi.org/10.2307/1938071 https://doi.org/10.2307/1938071 .

Sloan W T , Lunn M , Woodcock S et al . 2006 . Quantifying the roles of immigration and chance in shaping prokaryote community structure . Environmental Microbiology , 8 ( 4 ): 732 - 740 , https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1462-2920.2005.00956.x https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1462-2920.2005.00956.x .

Stoyneva M P . 1994 . Shallows of the lower Danube as additional sources of potamoplankton . Hydrobiologia , 289 ( 1-3 ): 171 - 178 , https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00007418 https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00007418 .

Utermohl H . 1958 . Zur Vervollkommnung der quantitativen phytoplankton-methodik . Mitteilung Internationale Vereinigung Fuer Theoretische unde Amgewandte Limnologie . 39 p. https://do 10.1080/05384680.1958.11904091 http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/05384680.1958.11904091

Wathne J A , Haug T , Lydersen C . 2000 . Prey preference and niche overlap of ringed seals Phoca hispida and harp seals P . groenlandica in the Barents Sea . Marine Ecology Progress Series , 194 : 233 - 239 , https://doi.org/10.3354/meps194233 https://doi.org/10.3354/meps194233 .

Yang Y , Pettersson K , Padisák J . 2016 . Repetitive baselines of phytoplankton succession in an unstably stratified temperate lake (Lake Erken, Sweden): a long-term analysis . Hydrobiologia , 764 ( 1 ): 211 - 227 , https://doi.org/10.1007/s10750-015-2314-1 https://doi.org/10.1007/s10750-015-2314-1 .

Zhang M , Duan H T , Shi X L et al . 2012 . Contributions of meteorology to the phenology of cyanobacterial blooms: implications for future climate change . Water Research , 46 ( 2 ): 442 - 452 , https://doi.org/10.1016/j.watres.2011.11.013 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.watres.2011.11.013 .

浏览量

Downloads

CSCD

文章被引用时，请邮件提醒。

Submit

工具集

关联资源

Spatiotemporal distribution and diversity of microplastics in the sediment of beaches in Xiamen City, China

Epiphytic zooplankton community profiles in a typical urban wetland as revealed by DNA metabarcoding

A pilot survey on antimicrobial activity and diversity of soil-derived actinobacteria from different depths in Gudzhirganskoe saline lake in Eastern Siberia

Functional groups and seasonal diversity of crustacean zooplankton in adjacent waters of Haizhou Bay, South Yellow Sea

大涵道比风扇/增压级进气畸变数值模拟研究