Effects of temporal, spatial, and environmental factors on ciliates community in northeastern South China Sea, with notes on co-occurrence patterns of environment, phytoplankton, and ciliate

• DOI: 10.1128/spectrum.01247-24
• Publication Date: 2024-11-29T15:47:07Z
• Authors: Weiwei Liu; Zijun Cheng; Shaowei Wen; Gang Li; Zhixin Ke; Daning Li; Yehui Tan
• Keywords: 0301 basic medicine; protozoa; 03 medical and health sciences; deep sea; network; microplankton; Microbiology; QR1-502; diversity; microbial food web; Research Article

ABSTRACT Little is known about temp-spatial variations and determining mechanism of microplankton community from continental shelf to deep basin. Here, the distribution determinants ciliates in northeastern South China Sea were investigated summer winter. We found that alpha diversity generally similar, but composition showed clear difference For spatial dimension, significantly decreased neritic water deep, only detected between upper water. The varied depending on research scale. entire community, higher explained by environmental factors than factors. Specially, physical main determinants, which may attribute effects processes occurred area. three subareas, season more significant influences communities other Network analyses revealed ciliate exhibited relationships with phytoplankton environment Diatom accounted for most ciliate-phytoplankton-environment co-occurrence relationships, suggesting their stability microbial food web. This study improves our understanding mechanisms structuring microzooplankton open sea across both space time. IMPORTANCE Ciliates are important components microplanktons play a crucial role global nutrient cycling. There still large knowledge gap patterns neSCS assessed relative contribution temporal, spatial, structuring. Compared factors, take responsibilities distribution. Among largest variation. Moreover, ciliate-environment pattern contributed relationships. These findings suggested key roles dynamics ocean.