Protist Interactions and Seasonal Dynamics in the Coast of Yantai, Northern Yellow Sea of China as Revealed by Metabarcoding

摘要: Facilitated by the high-throughput sequencing (HTS) technique, importance of protists to aquatic systems has been widely acknowledged in last decade. However, information protistan biotic interactions and seasonal dynamics is much less known coast ecosystem with intensive anthropic disturbance. In this study, year-round changes protist community composition diversity coastal water Yantai, a city along northern Yellow Sea China, were investigated using HTS for V4 region 18S rDNA. The among groups also analyzed co-occurrence network. Data analyses showed that Alveolata, Chlorophyta, Stramenopiles are most dominant phytoplanktonic area. displayed strong variation. abundant families Dino-Group-I-Clade-1 Ulotri-chales_X had higher proportions spring summer, while Bathycoccaceae exhibited ratios autumn winter. Alpha diversities (Shannon Simpson) highest lowest (ANOVA test, P < 0.05). Nutrients (SiO42−, PO43−), total organic carbon (TOC), pH seemed drive variation alpha diversity, temperature, PO43− TON significant factors influencing whole community. Co-variance network reveal frequent events ciliates, chlorophytes dinoflagellate, suggesting have induced predation, parasitism mixotrophy.