The Structure of the Seasonal Benthic Diatom Community and Its Relationship With Environmental Factors in the Yellow River Delta

Benthic diatoms are the main primary producers and are sensitive to environmental changes in the estuarine ecosystem. Therefore, it is critical to evaluate the impact of environmental stress on the benthic diatom community in the estuarine ecosystem. In this study, the sediment samples from the five sampling sites were collected from the Yellow River Delta in the four seasons, and the abundance of benthic diatoms were determined using the high-throughput sequencing of 18S rRNA genes. The results showed that the motile guild taxa, such as Navicula, Nitzschia, and Amphora, was dominated in the benthic diatom the community throughout the sampling period. The structure of the benthic diatom community was significantly different among seasons (ANOSIM P < 0.01), especially between summer and winter. Redundancy analysis showed that water temperature and the concentrations of silicate, nitrate, ammonium, and pH value are the main driving factors shaping the seasonal assembly of the benthic diatom community. The results will improve knowledge about the benthic diatom community in the estuarine ecosystem and provide a theoretical foundation for estuary environmental management.

Automated summary

This study investigated the impact of environmental stress on the benthic diatom community in the Yellow River Delta by collecting sediment samples from five sampling sites in all four seasons and using high-throughput sequencing of 18S rRNA genes. The results showed significant seasonal variations in the structure of the benthic diatom community, with water temperature and concentrations of silicate, nitrate, ammonium, and pH being identified as the main driving factors shaping this seasonal assembly. This research contributes to a better understanding of the benthic diatom community in estuarine ecosystems and provides valuable insights for estuary environmental management.