Assessment distribution of the phytoplankton community structure at the fishing ground, Banyuasin estuary, Indonesia

Abstract

The research objective was to describe the distribution of phytoplankton community structure and corelated to the physic-chemical parameters at fishing ground, Banyuasin estuarine waters. The methodology of research was phytoplankton sampling; physicochemical waters parameters data collected such as; dissolved oxygen, pH, temperature, brightness, salinity, current speed, nitrate, and phosphate. Identifications and calculations phytoplankton are based on photography under a light microscope. Data were analyzed by calculated abundance, diversity (H′ index) and dominance (C index), and Principal Component Analysis (PCA). There were 24 species of phytoplankton on the all-observation station grouped in three classes, Bacillariophyceae 91.3%, Dinophyceae 9%, and Cyanophyceae 0.1%. The abundance of phytoplankton species obtained in the range of 666.48 to 184,592.68 cells L−1, were mostly found in high Chaetoceros affinis and Bacteriastrum furcatum. The distribution of phytoplankton abundance in these waters was found to be more influenced by seawater mass than freshwater. Phytoplankton diversity is considered a moderate category (1.37 < H′ < 2.57), and there were no species of phytoplankton that dominates (C < 0.5). Principal component analyzes showed that waters can be classified based on their physical-chemical characteristics, which were temperature, salinity, pH, transparency, current speed in the south coast around river estuaries, while DO and nutrients on the north coast of the waters. Based on the distribution of phytoplankton abundance is illustrated that the northern part is more potential for fishing area than the southern part with an abundance of phytoplankton >90,000 cells L−1 and more stable water dynamics.