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秋季南黄海表层沉积物中甲藻孢囊分布 总被引：4，自引：0，他引：4
2007年秋季(10月)在黄海22个站位采集表层沉积物样品进行甲藻孢囊的种类鉴定与计数,本航次中共鉴定出33种(不包括2个未确定种),优势种是锥状斯克里普藻(Scrippsiella trochoidea)、塔玛亚历山大藻(Alex-andrium tamarense)和膝沟藻属(Gonyaulaxsp.)的种类。与东海和南海甲藻孢囊的同期丰度相比,黄海的相对较低,丰度范围为10~519个/cm3,平均108个/cm3。孢囊丰度总体分布趋势从北向南递增,最高丰度区出现在长江口以北(32°19′59.88″N,122°37′5.16″E),另外,在南黄海调查海域中,中部黄海冷水团区域孢囊丰度较高,膝沟藻成为该区域的优势种,密集中心达101个/cm3。有毒甲藻孢囊在沉积物表层聚集且分布广泛,有爆发赤潮的可能。 相似文献
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《Journal of Sea Research》2010,63(4):189-213
To determine the relationship between region specific dinoflagellate cyst distribution in the Po-river discharge area and oceanic environmental conditions, surface sediments of 48 sites in the middle and distal part of the discharge plume area have been studied. Establishing such a relationship is a prerequisite to create reconstructions of the eutrophication history as well as the palaeoclimatic and palaeoceanography history of the area.Literature based information about the sedimentation rates based on 210Pb dating methods are available for 18 sites. This enables the calculation of cyst accumulation rates of individual cyst species which reflect their cyst production. Correlation of the accumulation rates of individual species with environmental parameters of the upper waters allows us to adapt and refine the ecological characteristics of a selection of cyst species. This latter is trivial since the current concepts on the ecological significance of dinoflagellate cyst have to be revised as a result of the current developments in the dinoflagellate research field. These developments have elucidated that a considerable part of the relative abundance datasets that form the basis for the present day ecological concepts of dinoflagellate cysts might have suffered from so called “closed sum effects” and have been overprinted by early diagenetic processes.The dinoflagellate cyst association reflects both upper and bottom water circulation. Based on the relative abundance data four associations can be distinguished that are characteristic for the major oceanographic settings in the region. (1) River discharge association. This association consists of Echinidinium spp., Lejeunecysta sabrina, Lingulodinium machaerophorum, Polykrikos kofoidii, Polykrikos schwarzii, cysts of Protoperidinium stellatum, Selenopemphix quanta and reworked cysts. These species have high relative abundances in sites where bottom waters are low in oxygen and upper waters are influenced by river discharge waters that are characterized by high productivity and relative low salinity. (2) Warm water association. This association consists of Spiniferites mirabilis, Spiniferites pachydermus, Spiniferites ramosus and Spiniferites spp. which have their highest relative abundances in the sites at the plume margin that are characterized by relative warm upper waters and intermediate chlorophyll-a concentrations. (3) Oxygenated bottom water group. Species of this group; Impagidinium aculeatum, Impagidinium patulum, Impagidinium sphaericum, Operculodinium centrocarpum and Operculodinium israelianum have their highest relative abundances at sites where bottom waters are formed by well ventilated Adriatic Deep Water or Eastern Mediterranean Deep Water. (4) Golfo di Taranto group consisting of round brown cysts produced by Protoperidinium species (grouped as Brigantedinium spp.).The variation in accumulation rates can be related to gradiental changes in the trophic state of the surface waters linked to river outflow. Most species show a positive relationship between cyst production and nutrient/trace element availability in upper waters. No negative correlation between cyst production and nutrient/trace element availability could be documented. Production of Brigantidinium spp., Echinidinium spp., L. sabrina, L. machaerophorum, P. kofoidii/schwarzii, Spiniferites spp., S. mirabilis and S. quanta shows the most pronounced increase with increasing nutrient/trace element availability. These species can be considered as valuable indicators for reconstructing changes in the trophic state of the upper waters within the Po-river area in palaeo-environmental studies. 相似文献
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Based on the study of aquatic palynomorph assemblages in two Holocene sediment cores obtained from the eastern Laptev Sea shelf, the main stages in the postglacial transgression are reconstructed for the last 11.3 ky. During that period, the inner shelf of the Laptev Sea (sea depth of 51 m) was already flooded representing an area of intense freshwater sedimentation in the immediate proximity from the river mouth in the period of 11.3 to 10.3 ky B.P. Approximately 1.0–1.5 ky later, the inner shelf (sea depth of 32 m) was flooded, although it remained under the influence of the river runoff up to 7.4 ky B.P. The period of 10.3–7.4 ky B.P. was marked by the dominant dinoflagellate cysts Operculodinium centrocarpum among the aquatic palynomorphs, the appearance of more thermophilic dinoflagellate species, and elevated values of the AH ratio, which indicates an enhanced influx of relatively warm North Atlantic waters to the Laptev Sea shelf. The environment close to the present-day one became dominant on the outer and inner shelf of the Laptev Sea approximately 8.6 and 7.4 ky B.P., respectively. 相似文献
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Distributional characteristics of dinoflagellate cysts in surface sediments were investigated in relation to environmental
factors in the eastern part of Geoje Island, Korea. Samples were collected from 10 stations in February of 2004 and water
temperature and salinity were measured in February, May, September and November of 2004. Total 30 taxa of dinoflagellate cysts
were identified representing 19 genera, 28 species and 2 unidentified species. Among these dinoflagellate cysts,Brigantedinium spp. of which relative proportion in the total dinoflagellate cysts was 23.5%, was the most abundant at all stations except
St. 1, and was followed bySpiniferites bulloideus (8.6%),Lingulodinium machaerophorum (8.2%) andDiplopsalis lenticula (6.7%). In addition, ellipsoidal cysts of the genusAlexandrium (Alexandrium catenella - tamarense type) andGymnodinium catenatum, known to be causative organisms for PSP, occurred with high concentrations.Scrippsiella trochoidea was also found; however, its cyst concentration was low. Generally, species composition in the study area was similar to
these reported from Jinhae Bay and Busan Harbor and several dinoflagellate cysts reflected the eutrophic condition. Cyst distribution
in the eastern part of Geoje Island seems to be influenced by the Tsushima Warm Current flowing from the southwest. The mean
water temperature was 12.0°C in February, 14.7°C in May, 20.9°C in September and 17.2°C in November, which was most favorable
forAlexandrium spp. growth. The abundances of dinoflagellate cysts ranged from 528 to 2,834 cysts/g dry sediment. Higher concentrations
were recognized in sediments of west area of the Jisimdo than at other stations. The cyst composition of this area was closely
related to these of Jinhae Bay and Busan Harbor from which currents flow into this area. Higher cyst concentration in the
west area of Jisimdo might be due to formation of the gyre. 相似文献
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孢囊是甲藻生活史中特殊的休眠阶段,被认为是赤潮发生的种源。于2018年4月采集了福建福宁湾海域表层沉积物,对沉积物中甲藻孢囊的分布规律进行了研究,重点揭示有毒有害甲藻孢囊的分布;同时测定了沉积物中生源要素含量,以揭示孢囊分布与生源要素的关系。共鉴定甲藻孢囊25种,其中别什藻(Biecheleria tirezensis)孢囊占据优势。孢囊的种类多样性指数(H'')偏低,为2.06~2.34;均匀度指数(J)为0.71~0.81。孢囊密度介于178.6~386.3 cysts/g (以干重计,下同),平均为286.0cysts/g。孢囊密度高值区位于水深较深、沉积物颗粒较细的长表岛外海域,而低值区则位于长表岛至海尾角的近岸海域。值得注意的是,研究分析鉴定出9种有毒有害甲藻的孢囊,包括麻痹性贝类毒素(paralytic shellfish poisoning,PSP)原因种奥氏亚历山大藻(Alexandrium ostenfeldii)和链状/塔玛亚历山大藻(Alexandrium catenella/tamarense)孢囊复合体、goniodomine A原因种平野亚历山大藻(Alexandrium hiranoi)、虾夷扇贝毒素(yessotoxin,YTX)原因种具刺膝沟藻(Gonyaulax spinifera)和网状原角藻(Protoceratium reticulatum)、产生鱼毒素的哈曼褐多沟藻(Pheopolykrikos hartmannii)以及赤潮藻类Barrufeta bravensis、锥状斯氏藻(Scrippsiella acuminata)和垂裂莱万藻(Levanderina fissa),其中Barrufeta bravensis、Gonyaulax spinifera和Scrippsiella acuminata的孢囊分布广泛且密度较高,需引起关注。 相似文献
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To understand the effects of the Yellow Sea Cold Bottom Water(YSCBW)on the diel vertical migration(DVM)of the copepod Calanus sinicus,we surveyed vertical distribution of C.sinicus at a fixed station in the Yellow Sea before(spring)and during(summer)formation of the YSCBW.Cold water(<10 C)was observed in the bottom layer when the water column was thermally stratified in summer,but the water column was thermally well-mixed in spring 2010.Samples were collected from five different layers at 3-h intervals using an opening-closing net.Adult females(1–155 ind./m3)showed a clear normal DVM pattern throughout the entire water column in spring,whereas adult males did not migrate.DVM of copepodite V(CV)individuals was not clear,but the maximum abundance of CI–CIV occurred consistently in the upper 10–20 m layer,where there was a high concentration of chlorophyll-a(Chl-a)(0.49–1.19μg/L).In summer,weak DVM was limited to cold waters beneath the thermocline for adult females(<30 ind./m3),but not for adult males.The maximum abundance of CI–CIV also occurred consistently in the subsurface layer(20–40 m)together with high concentrations of Chl-a(0.81–2.36μg/L).CV individuals(1–272 ind./m3)moved slightly upward nocturnally to the near-surface layer(10–20 m),where the average temperature was 25.74 C,but they were not found in the surface layer(0–10 m;28.31 C).These results indicate that the existence of the YSBCW affected food availability at depth and the vertical temperature distribution,leading to variation in the amplitude and shape of stage-specific vertical distributions(CI to adults)in C.sinicus before and during the formation of cold waters in the Yellow Sea during the study period. 相似文献
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Green tides caused by the unusual accumulation of high floating Ulva prolifera have occurred regularly in the Yellow Sea since 2007. The primary source of the Yellow Sea green tides is the attached algae on the Pyropia aquaculture rafts in the Subei Shoal. Ulva prolifera and Blidingia(Italic) sp. are the main species observed on Pyropia aquaculture rafts in the Subei Shoal. We found that U. prolifera has strong buoyancy and a rapid growth rate, which may explain why it is the dominant species of green tides that occur in the China's sea area of the Yellow Sea. The growth rate of floating U. prolifera was about 20%–31% d–1, which was much higher than Blidingia(Italic) sp. There were about 1.7 × 10~4 t of attached algae on the Pyropia aquaculture rafts in May 2012. We found that 39% of attached algae could float when the tide rose in the Subei Shoal, and U. prolifera accounted for 63% of the floating algae. Our analysis estimated that about 4 000 t of attached U. prolifera floated into the surrounding waters of the Subei Shoal during the recycling period of aquaculture rafts. These results suggest that the initial floating biomass of large-scale green tides in the Yellow Sea is determined by the U. prolifera biomass attached to Pyropia aquaculture rafts, further impacting the scale of the green tide. 相似文献
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Intensive Pyropia aquaculture in the coast of southwestern Yellow Sea and its subsequent waste, including disposed Ulva prolifera, was speculated to be one of the major sources for the large-scale green tide proceeding in the Yellow Sea since 2007. It was, however, unclear how the detached U. prolifera responded and resumed growing after they detached from its original habitat. In this study, we investigated the growth and photosynthetic response of the detached U. prolifera to various temperature, salinity and irradiance in the laboratory. The photosynthetic rate of the detached U. prolifera was significantly higher at moderate temperature levels(14–27°C)and high salinity(26–32), with optimum at 23°C and 32. Both low(14°C) and highest temperature(40°C), as well as low salinity(8) had adverse effects on the photosynthesis. Compared with the other Ulva species, U. prolifera showed higher saturated irradiance and no significant photoinhibition at high irradiance, indicating the great tolerance of U. prolifera to the high irradiance. The dense branch and complex structure of floating mats could help protect the thalli and reduce photoinhibition in field. Furthermore, temperature exerted a stronger influence on the growth rate of the detached U. prolifera compared to salinity. Overall, the high growth rate of this detached U. prolifera(10.6%–16.7% d~(–1)) at a wide range of temperature(5–32°C) and salinity(14–32) implied its blooming tendency with fluctuated salinity and temperature during floating. The environmental parameters in the southwestern Yellow Sea at the beginning of green tide were coincident with the optimal conditions for the detached U. prolifera. 相似文献
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Dinoflagellate cysts were studied in 42 samples from the surface sediments of the White Sea. The total concentration of dinocysts varies from single cysts to 25 000 cyst/g of dry sediments, which reflects the biological productivity in the White Sea waters and the regional particular features of the sedimentation processes. The highest concentrations are observed in silts; they are related to the regions of propagation of the highly productive Barents Sea waters in the White Sea. Generally, the spatial distribution of dinocysts species in the surface sediments corresponds to the distribution of the major types of water masses in the White Sea. The cysts of the relatively warm-water species (Operculodinium centrocarpum, Spiniferites sp.) of North Atlantic origin that dominate in the sediments indicate an intensive intrusion of the Barents Sea water masses to the White Sea along with hydrological dwelling conditions in the White Sea favorable for the development of these species during their vegetation period. The cold-water dinocyst assemblage (Islandinium minutum, Polykrikos sp.) is rather strictly confined to the inner parts of shallow-water bays, firstly, those adjacent to the Onega and Severnaya Dvina river mouths. 相似文献
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秋季黄海中华哲水蚤(Calanus sinicus)脂肪酸组成及其指示作用 总被引：1，自引：0，他引：1
采用气相色谱法对秋季黄海颗粒悬浮物和中华哲水蚤的脂肪酸组成及其指示作用进行了研究。结果表明,黄海表层海水中硅藻所占比例要大于甲藻。硅藻在黄海南部浮游植物中所占比重高于黄海北部,甲藻在黄海南北部的差别不大。从脂肪酸组成来看,中华哲水蚤雌体、雄体和桡足幼体都摄食硅藻和甲藻,雌体和雄体摄食的硅藻远多于甲藻,而桡足幼体摄食的甲藻则比雌体和雄体多。雄体和桡足幼体植食性的程度高于雌体,而雌体则可能由于繁殖活动的需要,还摄食了原生动物等其它一些营养丰富的食物。对冷水团内外中华哲水蚤脂肪酸组成研究发现,桡足幼体比雌体积累了更多的脂肪酸以满足度夏过程中的能量需求和后期繁殖的需要。 相似文献
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A spatial and temporal variation in physiochemical parameters in the southeastern Yellow Sea(YS) is investigated in the spring and summer of 2009 to 2011.Nutrient show a strong negative relationship with chlorophyll a(Chl a) concentration in spring,and the subsurface chlorophyll a maxima(SCM) layer was associated with the nitracline in summer.In summer,the SCM was usually found within or above the pycnocline and at the depths of shoals from the open sea to the coastal sea due to tidal and/or topographical fronts in the southernmost study area.High Chl a concentrations were found in the central southern YS,where the YS cold water layer expanded under the pycnocline and encountered water masses during spring and summer.After a typhoon in the summer of 2011,Chl a concentration increased,especially in the central southern YS,where cold waters occurred below the pycnocline.The results suggest that the development of thermohaline fronts may play an important role in the growth and accumulation of phytoplankton biomass in the upper layer of the southeastern YS during spring and summer. 相似文献
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指纹蛤属Acila贝类是我国黄东海重要的底栖生物,研究其遗传多样性及进化对了解这一海区环境的变化及与生物的关系具有重要作用。本研究通过线粒体COI基因标记,分析了黄东海常见的两个指纹蛤属物种—奇异指纹蛤Acila mirabilis和指纹蛤Acila divaricata的分化情况,结果表明这两个种的分化形成时间分别在3.71和4.27百万年前,处于上新世时期,我们推测冰期时海平面下降引起的物种栖息地的缩减以及黄海和东海环境条件的不同是导致物种分化的重要原因。通过群体遗传多样性分析,我们发现分布于黄海的4个奇异指纹蛤群体中,3500-10群体的遗传多样性水平最高,且群体遗传多样性自冷水团中心内侧至外侧呈递减趋势,推测这可能与这一群体对冷水团有较好的适应性有关。分布于东海的3个指纹蛤群体均检测到两个单倍型类群ZA和ZB,两类群的分化时间大约在64万年前,发生于更新世中期,我们认为冰期时海平面升降引起的群体地理隔离与二次接触是导致指纹蛤两个单倍型类群形成的主要原因。 相似文献
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机械刺激所致生物发光无论对于海洋生态学的研究还是对于水下目标探测均具有重要意义。本研究利用现场测量数据，首次定量化揭示了夏季黄渤海机械刺激所致生物发光强度的三维空间分布特征，并在此基础上，进一步结合同步测量的环境参数及浮游植物种群数据分析了其影响因素。主要结论包括：（1）夏季黄渤海机械刺激所致生物发光强度较强，其平均值约为4×1010photons/（s·L），最大值约为2×1012photons/（s·L），高值区主要出现在长江口附近海域；（2）夏季黄渤海机械刺激所致生物发光的物种以甲藻类浮游植物为主，在甲藻中，夜光藻对机械刺激所致生物发光强度的分布起着主要决定作用；（3）夏季黄渤海机械刺激所致生物发光的空间分布对温度、盐度及以叶绿素浓度为代表的总生物量的整体依赖性较低。 相似文献
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Late Holocene paleoceanography and climate variability of the Southeastern Beaufort Sea (Canadian Arctic) have been investigated on the basis of sedimentary cores collected over the Mackenzie Slope. Piston, trigger and box cores were sampled at station 803 in 2004 aboard the CCGS Amundsen at 218 m water depth. The chronology of the piston core is constrained by 4 AMS-14C dates, as the sedimentation rate in the box core is assessed from 210Pb data. We obtain a continuous composite sequence covering the last 4600 years, with a sedimentation rate of ~ 140 cm.kyr? 1. Transfer functions (modern analogue technique) based on dinoflagellate cyst (dinocyst) assemblages were used to reconstruct the evolution of sea-surface conditions over the time period covered by the cores.Palynological data reveal that dinocyst assemblages are dominated by Operculodinium centrocarpum sensu lato (mean of 43.3%) throughout the core, with the accompanying taxa Brigantedinium spp. (19.6%), Islandinium minutum (15.6%) and cysts of Pentapharsodinium dalei (13.7%). Four zones have been established on the basis of dinocyst relative abundances. Dinocyst assemblage zone 1 (D1), from 4600 to 2700 cal years BP, is dominated by O. centrocarpum (mean of 49.0%). In zone D2 (2700–1500 cal years BP), the relative abundances of O. centrocarpum decrease (34.4%) in favour of the opportunistic, heterotrophic taxa Brigantedinium spp. (28.8%) and cysts of Polykrikos sp. var. arctic/quadratus (2.8%). Dinocyst zone D3 (1500–30 cal years BP or 450–1920 AD) is characterised by the high relative abundance of the peridinioid taxa I. minutum (19.9%). The last zone (D4), spanning from 1920 to 2004 AD, is again dominated by O. centrocarpum (44.5%), and shows low relative abundances of Brigantedinium spp. and cf. Echinidinium karaense.Quantitative reconstructions of past sea-surface parameters (August sea-surface temperature: SST, August sea-surface salinity: SSS, and duration of sea-ice cover) indicate relatively stable conditions over the last 4.6 kyr, with episodic cooling events (SST of ~ 1.5 °C below the modern value of 6 °C) that took place between 700 and 1820 AD. We associate the last and the longest of these cooling events (1560–1820 AD) with the Little Ice Age. Reconstructed SSS shows decadal oscillations since 1920 AD that we tentatively associate with the accumulation of freshwater by the Beaufort Gyre and the subsequent Great Salinity Anomalies. Our data suggest that similar salinity anomalies could have occurred ca. 1860 and 1790 AD.Stable isotopic data show a slight increase in δ13C values (from ~?27.1‰ at the base to ~?25.8‰ at the top) over the last 4.6 kyr that we associate with the gradual increase in atmospheric CO2 concentration as recorded by Antarctic ice cores. Variations in the δ15N profile suggest variations in Pacific water influence from 4600 to ~ 1300 cal years BP, associated with centennial scale shifts of the Arctic Oscillation phases. 相似文献
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The aim of this study was to investigate nitrogen and phosphorus released in the process of the decomposition of giant jellyfish in the laboratory and found the evidence to verify the influence of nutrients released by the decomposition of jellyfish on the ecosystem in the field. The release of nitrogen and phosphorus from the decomposition of Nemopilema nomurai was examined in a series of experiments under different incubation conditions such as different p H values, salinity values, temperatures and nitrogen and phosphorus concentrations. The results showed that the complete decomposition of Nemopilema nomurai generally took about 4–8 d. The release of nitrogen and phosphorus from the decomposition of Nemopilema nomurai could be divided into two stages: the early stage and the later stage, although the efflux rate of nitrogen was one order more than phosphorus. In the early stage of the decomposition of Nemopilema nomurai, the concentrations of dissolved nitrogen, dissolved phosphorus, total nitrogen and total phosphorus in seawater increased rapidly, and the concentration of nitrogen could reach the highest level in the whole degradation process. In the later stage of the decomposition, the concentrations of dissolved nitrogen and total nitrogen declined slowly, while the concentration of phosphorus in water could reach a maximum in the degradation process. High p H, low salinity,high temperature and N/P will promote the release of nitrogen; low p H is unfavorable to the release of nitrogen but favorable to the release of phosphorus. In addition, we found the concentrations of ammonium and phosphate in the bottom water were higher than those in the surface water during the period of jellyfish bloom in the Jiaozhou Bay, proving that nutrients released by the decomposition of jellyfish have significant influence on nitrogen and phosphorus in the field. For the whole Yellow Sea, nutrients released by jellyfish carcasses may reach up to(2.63±2.98)×107 mol/d of dissolved nitrogen(DN) and(0.74±0.84)×106 mol/d of dissolved phosphorus(DP) during the period of jellyfish bloom. The values are comparable to riverine inputs in a day, but much higher than sediment–water exchange flux in the Yellow Sea. The great amounts of nutrients must have significant influence on the nutrients balance of the Yellow Sea during the period of jellyfish dead and decomposition. Both the experimental data and field observations proved that the decomposition of jellyfish may release a great amount of nutrient to the surrounding environment during the period of jellyfish decomposition. 相似文献
18.
In a grid investigation, dinoflagellate cysts were collected from sediments in Xiamen Western Harbor in May of 2000, from which five species of cysts were identified: Alexandrium tamarensis, A. minutum, Lingulodinium polyedra, Gonyaulax scrippsae and Gymnodinium catenatum, account for about 21% in the species composition. The quanti-tative analysis of the sediments shows that the number of dinoflagellate cysts varies from 51 to 256 cysts/g of sediment, the highest value (>200 cysts/g) being recorded at the stations of the central part of the bay, while the lowest (<100 cysts/g) at the bay mouth. A good linear relationship is found between cyst amount and fine-grained sediments. Complex physiognomies on the seabed, topographty in the bay and weak water exchange are the main factors not only in cyst accumulation but also in their distribution pattern, and have resulted in the difference in cyst densities between the inner bay and the outer bay in the harbor. 相似文献
19.
东海原甲藻(Prorocentrum donghaiense Lu)是我国东海海域的典型赤潮藻种,其在水体中通常呈垂直非均匀分布,并存在季节性和日内的垂直迁移现象。本文通过量化垂直迁移过程中东海原甲藻的分布状态,利用Hydrolight软件数值模拟各状态下的水体反射光谱,研究其光谱特征和变化规律。利用叶绿素浓度高斯垂向模型表征东海原甲藻在水体中的垂直分布,结合东海近岸海域二类水体的生物光学模型,模拟得到垂直迁移过程中东海原甲藻赤潮水体的反射光谱。对比分析叶绿素浓度垂向分布参数(背景叶绿素浓度、甲藻主体水层厚度、水体总生物量和叶绿素浓度峰值深度)对水体反射光谱的影响。研究结果表明,在东海原甲藻从次表层向表层垂直向上迁移过程中,水体反射光谱数值在蓝绿波段(400—570nm)减小,在黄红波段(570—720nm)增大,特别是在叶绿素荧光效应波段(680nm)处的变化尤为明显。 相似文献
20.
Marion Kohn Karin A.F. Zonneveld 《Deep Sea Research Part I: Oceanographic Research Papers》2010,57(12):1543-1560
For the optimal use in palaeoceanographic studies of the stable oxygen isotopic signal and elemental composition of the calcareous photosynthetic dinoflagellate Thoracosphaera heimii, it is essential to gain detailed information about its calcification depth and spatial distribution. We therefore studied the vertical and horizontal distribution patterns of T. heimii in the upper water column (0–200 m) along three transects: an inshore–offshore gradient off Cape Blanc (CB), a south–north transect from CB to the Portuguese coast and a north–south transect off Tanzania. We compared concentrations of living cysts (cells with cell content) with chlorophyll-a, salinity and temperature measurements at the sampling depth. In order to explore the seasonal variability in cyst production, three transect off CB were sampled at three different times of the year.Living T. heimii cysts were found in the upper 160 m of the water column with highest concentrations in the photic zone indicating that the calcification of T. heimii occurs in the upper part of the water column. Maximal abundances of living cysts were found relatively often in or just above the deep chlorophyll maximum (DCM), the depth of which varies regionally from about 20–40 m off CB to about 80 m off Tanzania and along the transect from CB to the Portuguese Coast. However, there was no significant correlation at the 95% confidence level between the cyst concentrations and temperature, salinity and chlorophyll-a concentrations at the sampling depths observed.In both the Atlantic and Indian Oceans, the highest abundances of T. heimii were observed in regions where the upper water masses contained relatively low nutrient concentrations that are influenced only sporadically, or not at all, by enhanced photic zone mixing related to the presence of upwelling cells or river outflow plumes at or close to the sampling sites. The seasonal production of cysts by T. heimii appears to be negatively related to the presence of upwelling filaments across the sampling sites. Our study suggests that turbulence of the upper water masses is a major environmental factor influencing T. heimii production. 相似文献