Spatial distribution of the protist community in the southern part of the Okhotsk Sea off Hokkaido during summer

Abstract

AbstractThe southern part of the Okhotsk Sea off Hokkaido has rich fishery resources supported by high primary production. The phytoplankton community has been described by several studies based on size-fractionated chlorophyllaconcentration and primary production; however, the details of the species composition of nano- and micro-protist communities have not been well investigated. We evaluated the spatial distribution and relationship with hydrography of nano- and micro-protist communities in the southern region of the Okhotsk Sea off Hokkaido during the summer of 2019. Forty-two species of diatoms from 19 genera, dinoflagellates from 7 genera, tintinnid ciliates, oligotrich ciliates, and 1 genus of silicoflagellates were identified. Their spatial distribution showed distinct differences among the taxa. Cluster analysis based on the protist cell density identified six groups with geographically well-distinguished distributions. Diatom-dominant communities were distributed in the Cold Water Belt and Soya warm current along the coastal area of Hokkaido. Nanoflagellate-dominated communities were distributed in the offshore area. Some harmful species of diatoms (Pseudonitzschia pseudodelicatissima) and dinoflagellates (Alexandriumspp.) were dominant in the Cold Water Belt off Wakkanai. We suggest that the upwelling of cold water could increase the abundance of harmful species, with immanent negative impacts on marine ecosystems or fishery resources. In summary, the species composition and abundance of the summer protist community was strongly related to different water masses in the southern part of the Okhotsk Sea off Hokkaido.