Effects of fish farming on phytoplankton community under the thermal stress caused by a power plant in a eutrophic, semi-enclosed bay: Induce toxic dinoflagellate (Prorocentrum minimum) blooms in cold seasons

• Published in: Marine pollution bulletin Vol. 76; no. 1-2; pp. 315 - 324
• Main Authors: Jiang, Zhibing, Liao, Yibo, Liu, Jingjing, Shou, Lu, Chen, Quanzhen, Yan, Xiaojun, Zhu, Genhai, Zeng, Jiangning
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Kidlington Elsevier Ltd 15.11.2013; Elsevier
• Subjects: Agnatha. Pisces; ammonium compounds; Animal and plant ecology; Animal aquaculture; Animal productions; Animal, plant and microbial ecology; Applied ecology; Aquaculture; Bacillariophyceae; Bays - chemistry; Biological and medical sciences; cages; China; cold season; Communities; community structure; Diatoms; Dinoflagellates; Dinoflagellida - growth & development; Ecotoxicology, biological effects of pollution; Electric power generation; Electric power plants; Environmental Monitoring; Eutrophication; fish culture; Fish farming; fish farms; Fundamental and applied biological sciences. Psychology; interspecific variation; Marine; Marine and brackish environment; Phytoplankton; Phytoplankton - growth & development; Pisciculture; Power Plants; Prorocentrum; Prorocentrum minimum; Sea water ecosystems; Seasons; species diversity; Synecology; temperature; Thermal discharge; thermal stress; Toxic; toxicity; Vertebrate aquaculture; Vertebrates: general zoology, morphology, phylogeny, systematics, cytogenetics, geographical distribution; Water Pollutants - analysis; water pollution; winter; Xiangshan Bay; China; INW, Donghai Sea; ISEW, China, People's Rep., Zhejiang Prov., Xiangshan Bay; Fish farming; Thermal discharge; Phytoplankton; Prorocentrum minimum; Xiangshan Bay; Eutrophication; Protozoa; Power plant; Cold; Plant community; Toxicity; Algae; Environmental factor; Stress; Marine environment; Vertebrata; Dinophyta; Pisces; Bloom; Pisciculture; Bay; Season
• ISSN: 0025-326X; 1879-3363
• DOI: 10.1016/j.marpolbul.2013.07.006

•We examined combined effects of fish farming and thermal effluent on phytoplankton.•Farming significantly increased NH4+, DIP, and TOC levels.•Farming and thermal stress changed the phytoplankton community.•Combined stresses induced Prorocentrum minimum blooms in cold seasons. Six cruises were conducted in a fish farm adjacent to the Ninghai Power Plant in Xiangshan Bay, East China Sea. Fish farming significantly increased NH4+, DIP, and TOC concentrations, while it significantly decreased the DO level. These increase/decrease trends were more pronounced in warmer seasons. Although culture practices did not significantly increase phytoplankton density, it drastically enhanced dinoflagellate abundance and domination. Significant differences in species diversity and community composition between the cages and the control area were also observed. Temperature elevation caused by thermal discharge associated with eutrophication resulted in a dominant species shift from diatoms alone to dinoflagellates and diatoms. This is the first report of stress-induced toxic dinoflagellate (Prorocentrum minimum) blooms in winter and the winter–spring transition in this bay. Therefore, the effects of aquaculture activity and power plant construction in such a eutrophic, semi-enclosed bay require further attention.