Pigment characterization for the 2011 bloom in Qinhuangdao implicated ＂brown tide＂ events in China

• Published in: Chinese journal of oceanology and limnology Vol. 30; no. 3; pp. 361 - 370
• Main Author: 孔凡洲 于仁成 张清春 颜天 周名江
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Heidelberg Springer-Verlag 01.05.2012; SP Science Press; Springer Nature B.V
• Subjects: Algae; algal blooms; Analytical methods; Biology; Brown tides; Cell culture; Cell density; Cell size; Chemical oceanography; China; Chlorophyll; Chlorophylls; Coasts; Density; Earth and Environmental Science; Earth Sciences; Fucoxanthin; Haptophyta; industry; Marine; Marine aquaculture; Marine molluscs; mollusc culture; Oceanography; Phytoplankton; Pigments; Plankton blooms; Scallop culture; Scallops; Shellfish; summer; United States; 中国; 事件; 扇贝养殖业; 浮游植物群落; 秦皇岛; 细胞密度; 表征; 颜料; China; INW, China, People's Rep., Hebei Prov., Qinhuangdao; USA; China, People's Rep; INW, Bohai Sea; United States; pigment; harmful algal bloom; HPLC; 19-butanoyloxyfucoxanthin; pelagophyte; haptophyte
• ISSN: 0254-4059; 2096-5508; 1993-5005; 2523-3521
• DOI: 10.1007/s00343-012-1239-z

A large-scale bloom occurred from May to June in 2011 in sea area near Qinhuangdao of the Bohai Sea, leading to huge damage of the scallop culture industry. Similar blooms have been observed in this region for three years. The causative species of the bloom, which dominated the phytoplankton community with the maximum cell density around 109 cell/L, could not be identified with morphological features due to the small cell size （-2 μm）. A pigment analytical method was then adopted to analyze the pigment profile of the phytoplankton samples collected from the blooming sea area. It was found that pico-sized （〈2 μm）, nano-sized （2-20 μm）, and bulk phytoplankton samples had similar pigment profile, representing the pigment signature of the bloom-causative species. The major pigments detected included 19-butanoyloxyfucoxanthin （But-fuco）, fucoxanthin （Fuco）, diadinoxanthin （Diad） and chlorophyll a （Chl a）, and high content of But-fuco was the most significant characteristics of the phytoplankton samples. Based on the pigment composition and content, the bloom-causative species could be tentatively identified as pelagophyte, ＂type 8＂ group of haptophyte, or silicoflagellate. Some unique features of the bloom, such as the extremely high cell density, small-sized and But-fuco containing cells, occurring in early summer, and the feeding-cessation effects on scallops, suggest it be a ＂brown tide＂ event similar to those reported in the east coast of the United States of America. The recurrent ＂brown tide＂ events and their dramatic impacts on the shellfish mariculture industry in QirLhuangdao need close attention in the coming years.