Study finds that green tide in the Yellow Sea may promote the growth of phagocytic algae

In 2007, the green tide formed by Ulva prolifera appeared for the first time in the South Yellow Sea.
So far, the green tide has erupted for 15 consecutive years
.

During the occurrence of green tide every year, a large number of green algae accumulate along the coast of the South Yellow Sea, posing a threat to social and economic activities such as tourism and aquaculture in coastal areas
.

In the late stage of the large-scale green tide outbreak, a large number of floating green algae still settled, rotted, and decomposed in the South Yellow Sea.
However, the relevant knowledge of the impact of the death and decomposition of a large number of floating green algae on the ecological environment of the sea area in the late green tide is still insufficient
.

 Focusing on the impact of the Yellow Sea green tide on the marine ecological environment, the team of Yu Rencheng, a researcher at the Institute of Oceanography, Chinese Academy of Sciences, identified the subsidence area of ​​a large number of floating green algae in the late green tide in the South Yellow Sea, revealing the unique ecological environment of the subsidence area before and after the occurrence of the green tide.
change
.

Related research results were published in Environmental Science & Technology under the title Green tides in the Yellow Sea promoting the proliferation of pelagophyte Aureococcus anophagefferens
.

The researchers used 28-isofucosterol in the surface sediments as a biomarker of Ulva green algae, and based on years of field survey data, they found that a large number of floating green algae mainly settled in the southeastern waters of the Shandong Peninsula during the late green tide ( 36-36.
5°N, 122-124°E)
.

The study used amplicon high-throughput sequencing and qPCR to analyze the changes of the phytoplankton community in the subsidence area before and after the green tide.
Both the degree and dominance of phytoplankton have increased significantly; based on the relevant survey results, it is speculated that the change of phytoplankton community is affected by the environmental changes in the subsidence area before and after the occurrence of the green tide and the formation of the Yellow Sea Warm Current.

.

Eating-suppressing Aureus is a typical cause of Ecosystem disruptive algal bloom (EDAB).
After 2009, brown tides have formed in the Yellow Sea and Bohai Seas for many times.
The seed hatchery industry is wreaking havoc
.

In-depth exploration of the potential relationship between green tides and brown tides will help to gain a more comprehensive understanding of the ecological and environmental effects of green tides in the Yellow Sea
.

 The research work has been co-funded by the National Natural Science Foundation of China, the Natural Science Foundation of Shandong Province, the special project of major scientific and technological innovation projects of Shandong Province, and the special project of scientific and technological basic resources investigation
.

Schematic diagram of promoting the growth of brown tide causative species after the settlement of green algae Source: Institute of Oceanography, Chinese Academy of Sciences