Species composition and distribution of some phytoplankton in Myeik Archipelago, Southern Myanmar

Abstract

The species composition and distribution of some phytoplankton, the primary producer in the food chain of fish and shrimp, was studied from water samples that collected at surface layer of 20 stations in the Myeik Archipelago, Southern Myanmar from 2010 to 2018. A total of 144 species comprised of 123 species of diatoms and 21 species of dinoflagellate were recorded in the Myeik Archipelago. Among them, the most number 93 species of phytoplankton was recorded in Done Pale Aw Station however the lowest 26 species found in Le' Al' Thal Tan Station. The common representative species were ten diatoms species such as Chaetoceros curvisetus, Ditylum sol, Lauderia annulata, Nitzschia longissima, Odotella sinensis, Pleurosigma normanii, Pseudo Nitzschia seriata, Rhizosolenia setigera, Thalassionema nitzschioides and T. frauenfeldii and then one of dinoflagellate, Ceratium furca. Moreover, the percentage of diatom (87%) was higher than the dinoflagellate (13%) during the study period. The temperature 25-30°C and salinity 4-34‰ was found in the Myeik Archipelago during the study period.