ABSTRACT
ABSTRACT: Structure of phytoplankton community and its relationship with environmental factors in Lake Caohai were studied in 2012. A total of 147 phytoplankton species belonging to 7 phyla were identified, in which 47.62% were Chlorophyta and 25.85% were Bacillariophyta. The algal cell density was (6.19 ± 3.50) × 106 cell/L, and the Cyanophyta was dominant (76.89%). Sampling stations in the middle area observed larger species number, lower algal cell density, and higher species diversity. In comparison, the inverse case was observed in the along-shore area. According to the Spearman correlation analysis, the total dissolved phosphorus positively correlated with the algal cell density (r= 0.790, p= 0.002), while the Shannon-Wiener index negatively correlated with the dissolved oxygen (r=−0.710, p= 0.010) and water transparency/depth (r=−0.671, p= 0.017). Our findings indicated that Lake Caohai was phosphorus-limited and slightly polluted by organics and nitrogen.
