Vertical dynamics in community functioning of biofilm-dwelling ciliates during the colonisation process in coastal waters of the Yellow Sea
Xiaoyun Bai A , Congcong Guo A , Mamun Abdullah Al
A , Alan Warren B and Henglong Xu A C
+ Author Affiliations
- Author Affiliations
A Laboratory of Microbial Ecology, Ocean University of China, Qingdao 266003, PR China.
B Department of Life Sciences, Natural History Museum, London, SW7 5BD, UK.
C Corresponding author. Present address: Laboratory of Microbial Ecology, College of Marine Life Science, Ocean University of China, Qingdao, 266003, PR China. Email: henglongxu@126.com
Marine and Freshwater Research 70(11) 1611-1618 https://doi.org/10.1071/MF18448
Submitted: 21 November 2018 Accepted: 29 April 2019 Published: 13 August 2019
Abstract
Multifunctional trait analysis is increasingly recognised as an effective tool for assessing ecosystem function and environmental quality. Here, a baseline study was performed at four depths (i.e. 1, 2, 3.5 and 5 m) in Yellow Sea coastal waters of northern China in order to determine the optimal depth for bioassessment using biological traits of biofilm-dwelling ciliates. Community-weighted means (CWM) from functional traits system were used to summarise the trait distribution and functional diversity of ciliates among the four depths during a 1-month colonisation period. Functional trait distribution revealed a clear temporal variation among the four depths. In total, 3 of 17 functional traits (i.e. feeding type, body size and flexibility) showed significant temporal patterns. Bootstrapped averaging and permutational multivariate analysis of variance (PERMANOVA) tests demonstrated that the colonisation pattern of biofilm-dwelling ciliates as expressed by CWM at 1 and 2 m differed significantly from those at 3.5 and 5 m. Functional diversity indices showed lower variability at 1 and 2 m than at 3.5 and 5 m. These results suggest that 1 and 2 m are the preferred sampling depths for bioassessment of marine water quality using biological traits of biofilm-dwelling ciliates.
Additional keywords: biological trait, functional diversity, marine water, trait distribution.
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