Dinoflagellate cyst distribution in surface sediments along the south-western Mexican coast (14.76° N to 24.75°N)

Abstract

Abstract In this study, we explore the relationship between the modern assemblages of organic-walled dinoflagellate cysts and sea-surface conditions (temperature, salinity, primary productivity) and water depth and distance to the coast. Statistical treatments were performed on 95 surface sediment samples from sites located along the south-western Mexican coast (14.76° N to 24.75°N). Redundancy analysis (RDA) illustrates that the principal parameters correlated with the regional cyst distribution are the distance to the coast and the productivity in the upper water column, which is closely related to upwelling intensity. Empirical observations coupled with RDA provide insight into the spatial coverage of some cyst taxa produced by dinoflagellate species potentially responsible for harmful algal blooms along the coast. They also allow the recognition of four zones of assemblages, which are linked to the upwelling intensity and the productivity and characterize La Paz Bay, the south-western Mexican margin (from 15.95° N to 23.11° N), the northern part of the Gulf of Tehuantepec and the southern part of the Gulf of Tehuantepec.