Winter distribution of diatom assemblages along the coastline of R. O. Korea in 2010

Abstract

Diatoms are a globally successful and eukaryotic photosynthetic organism with an ornamented silica external wall. The relationship between their valve morphology and habitat means that diatoms can be used as bioindicators to characterize the aquatic environment. To estimate the differential distribution and diversity of diatom assemblages along the coastal line, we collected phytoplankton samples from 114 coastal sites of waters of R. O. Korea. We applied the unweighted pair-group technique using the arithmetic averages clustering method to cluster the sampling sites, apart from those where the biota consisted of other groups, such as dinoflagellates, into four regions: the Yellow Sea, South Sea, southern East Sea, and northern East Sea. Indicator species analysis in each region led to the selection of tychoplanktonic, chain-forming, attached species to substrates and psychrophilic indicator diatoms, respectively, each of which represented a planktonic lifestyle associated with one of the four regions. This study shows the diatom assemblages to serve as bioindicators of Korean coastal water in winter, and the subsequent seasonal survey will provide a starting point for the improved understanding of Korean diatom-based ecoregions, in both time and space. © 2022, Chinese Society for Oceanography and Springer-Verlag GmbH Germany, part of Springer Nature.