Seasonal variation in the biochemical compositions of phytoplankton and zooplankton communities in the southwestern East/Japan Sea

Abstract

The macromolecular composition of phytoplankton communities and the proximate composition of zooplankton communities were measured monthly in the southwestern East/Japan Sea from April to November 2014 in order to identify seasonal changes in, and relationships among, the biochemical compositions in both phytoplankton and zooplankton. The carbohydrate content of phytoplankton was highest in June, whereas the protein content was highest in August and lipids were highest in April. Overall, carbohydrates were dominant (53.2 ± 12.5%) in the macromolecular composition of phytoplankton during the study period. This composition is believed to result from the dominance of diatoms and/or nutrient-depleted conditions. In comparison, the protein level of zooplankton was highest in November, whereas lipids were slightly higher in May than other months. Overall, proteins were the dominant organic compounds (47.9±8.6% DW) in zooplankton communities, whereas lipids were minor components (5.5±0.6% DW). The high protein content of zooplankton might be related to the abundance of copepods, whereas the low lipid content might be due to a relatively high primary production that could provide a sufficient food supply for zooplankton so that they do not require high lipid storage. A significant positive correlation (r=0.971, n=7, p<0.01) was found between the lipid compositions of phytoplankton and zooplankton during our study period with a time lag, which is consistent with the findings from previous studies. More detailed studies on the biochemical composition of phytoplankton and zooplankton are needed to better understand the East/Japan Sea ecosystem's response to the many environmental changes associated with global warming.