Netz-Phytoplankton Diversity in the western and southern regions of the South China Sea

Based on the survey records on netz-phytoplankton (>76 μm) collected in the South China Sea (SCS) during the cruise from the 21st August to the 18^th October, 2012, the species composition, biodiversity and its spatial distribution were studied. The identified 326 phytoplankton species belonged to 75 genera and 4 phyla. Thalassionema nitzschioides was the most dominant species accounting for 33.24% of the total cell abundance, followed by Bacteriastrum furcatum − 8.69%. Whereas the phytoplankton cell abundance (cells l^-1) was the highest in the Zhubi Reef (1106.45 ± 2475.38), the southern SCS (396.84 ± 969.87), the western SCS (90.82 ± 144.66) and the northern SCS (66.48 ± 70.89) in order. The distribution of phytoplankton appears to be affected by the Mekong river discharge and particles derived in Sumatra and Kalimantan from biomass burning, nutrient concentrations, the South China Sea Warm Current (SCSWC). The evaluation of biodiversity indices indicated the high level of species richness, evenness and biodiversity in the survey area.