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Assessing mariculture water quality with the structural and functional characteristics of a ciliate community

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Abstract

Ciliated protozoa play important roles in micro-ecosystems, especially in marine biotopes. However, few studies have been carried out on the periphytic, or aufwuch, forms in mariculture waters so far. In this study, we sampled periphytic ciliate communities in two closed mariculture ponds (ponds CP1 and CP2) and a natural seawater reservoir (pond RP) using a glass slide method to evaluate their colonizing processes and general ecological features, as well as their application as water quality indicators. We analyzed species compositions, structural parameters (species number, richness, diversity, evenness, abundance and d BP) and functional parameters (G, S eq and T 90%). Pond RP was characterized by higher levels of structural parameters (except for abundance and d BP) and more equal proportion of the major taxonomic groups. The values of S eq were significantly higher in pond RP and similar in both pond CP1 and CP2. It was also demonstrated that environmental factors, including NO2-H, NO3-H, NH3-H, soluble reactive phosphate, temperature and pH, were the first principal factors affecting the communities. Among them, temperature and chemical factors were all significantly and negatively correlated with species number (P<0.01), richness (P<0.01), diversity (P<0.01), and positive correlated with abundance (P<0.01). Opposite correlations between pH and structural parameters were observed. This study showed that there were significant differences in species composition, structural parameters and functional parameters of the periphytic ciliate communities among the ponds, which were in agreement with the water quality. Results of this study confirmed the periphytic ciliate communities to be useful bioindicators of water quality in intensive mariculture waters.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Laboratory of Protozoology, Key Laboratory of Ecology and Environmental Science in Guangdong Higher Education, South China Normal University, Guangzhou, 510631, China

    Jiqiu Li  (李继秋) & Xiaofeng Lin  (林晓凤)

  2. Laboratory of Protozoology, Institute of Evolution and Marine biodiversity, Ocean University of China, Qingdao, 266003, China

    Henglong Xu  (许恒龙)

  3. Zoology Department, King Saud University, Riyadh, 11451, Saudi Arabia

    Khaled A. S. Al-Rasheid

Authors
  1. Jiqiu Li  (李继秋)
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  2. Henglong Xu  (许恒龙)
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  3. Xiaofeng Lin  (林晓凤)
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  4. Khaled A. S. Al-Rasheid
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Henglong Xu  (许恒龙).

Additional information

Supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (Nos. U0633006, 30700069, 41076089) and from the Center of Excellence in Biodiversity Research, King Saud University

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Li, J., Xu, H., Lin, X. et al. Assessing mariculture water quality with the structural and functional characteristics of a ciliate community. Chin. J. Ocean. Limnol. 29, 128–135 (2011). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00343-011-9063-4

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00343-011-9063-4

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