Vertical Distribution Characteristics and Influencing Factors of Phytoplankton Community Structure in Qiandao Lake

Abstract

Clear vertical variations in phytoplankton community structure are usually observed in deep-water lakes and reservoirs, which is one of the key components of water quality and ecosystem functioning. However, the vertical patterns and ecological drivers of phytoplankton communities in deep-water lakes and reservoirs are still understudied. In this study, we took Qiandao Lake, a deep-water reservoir, as an example to reveal the vertical distribution characteristics of phytoplankton communities and its influencing factors by investigating phytoplankton community structure and the associated water quality index at 12 sites across the whole lake in two seasons (spring and autumn). The results showed that the phytoplankton abundance and chlorophyll a were highest in the surface layer in autumn and then decreased toward deep water, whereas in spring, the maximum value occurred in the subsurface layer (2-5 m), and the dominant phytoplankton species showed obvious vertical stratification characteristics. Specifically, in spring, Cryptomonas and Pseudanabaena dominated the surface and subsurface layers, Cryptomonas dominated in the middle layer, and the abundance of Cyclotella at the bottom layer was significantly higher than that of the other algae genera. The dominant genera in autumn were Pseudanabaena and Aphanizomenon. In the subsurface and middle layers, Leptolyngbya and Pseudanabaena occupied the dominant position, and Leptolyngbya became the only dominant genus. In the bottom layer, Leptolyngbya was the only dominant genus. The key environmental indicators of the water also had obvious vertical changes. The contents of N and P nutrients had a negative correlation with the water depth in spring, whereas the reverse trend was observed in autumn. The correlation analysis showed that the vertical variation in phytoplankton abundance in spring was significantly positively correlated with phosphate concentration, whereas the vertical distribution of phytoplankton abundance in autumn was significantly positively correlated with intensity of light, and the water temperature, NH4+-N, and total nitrogen were the main factors driving the vertical changes in the dominant genera of phytoplankton community in the two seasons. To summarize, environmental conditions such as water temperature, light, and nutrients had strong effects on the vertical distribution of phytoplankton. In the ecological investigation and quality assessment of deep-water lakes and reservoirs, the vertical distribution characteristics of the phytoplankton community structure and the influence of environmental conditions should be fully considered.