Diversity and seasonal variation of marine phytoplankton in Jiaozhou Bay, China revealed by morphological observation and metabarcoding

Phytoplankton are central components of marine environments, and are major players in the production and respiration budgeting. However, their diversity and distribution patterns are still poorly understood due largely to their small sizes and inconspicuous morphology that have been determined via the application of traditional morphology methods over the past two decades. To better understand the composition and diversity of phytoplankton in Jiaozhou Bay, China, seasonal sampling was carried out in 2019 and samples were analyzed with morphological observations and high-throughput sequencing, from which obvious seasonal variations in phytoplankton composition and proportional abundances were uncovered. Metabarcoding revealed far more diversity and species richness of phytoplankton than morphological observations, especially with respect to dinoflagellates. Diatoms were the most dominant phytoplankton group throughout the year, of which Thalassionema and Skeletonema were co-dominant in the bay. Parasitic dinoflagellates (e.g. Amoebophrya), which is often overlooked in the morphological observations, were in dominance and high diversity in the metabarcoding dataset, thus more attention should be paid to exploring the potential role of parasitic dinoflagellates. Temperature, chlorophyll a, and nutrient levels were the main influential factors on the distribution of phytoplankton. This study provided a comprehensive morphological and molecular description of phytoplankton and clearly demonstrated the importance of molecular technology in exploring phytoplankton communities. More-widespread use of molecular technology will facilitate deeper understanding of the ecological importance of the different species.