TITLE	Distribution of coccolithophorids and coccoliths in surface ocean off northeastern Taiwan
AUTHOR	Tien-Nan Yang Global Change Research Center and Department of Geosciences, National Taiwan University, Taipei, 10716 Taiwan, ROC Kuo-Yen Wei Global Change Research Center and Department of Geosciences, National Taiwan University, Taipei, 10716 Taiwan, ROC Gwo-Ching Gong Department of Oceanography, National Taiwan Ocean University, Keelung, Taiwan, ROC
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ABSTRACT	This study depicts quantitatively the distribution of coccolithophorids and coccoliths during one summer season in the area off northeastern Taiwan where the Kuroshio flows northward and interacts with the shelf waters of the East China Sea. To minimize the influence of diurnal variation of coccolithophorids, only samples taken at sunrise were analyzed. Sea-surface water (2 m in depth) samples were obtained at six stations during the summer of 1996. Forty-one species were identified with Emiliania huxleyi (Lohmann) Hay et Mohler, Palusphaera vandelii Lecal emend. R. E. Norris, Umbellosphaera Paasche spp. and Syracosphaera Lohmann spp. being the predominant forms. Three coccolithophorid communities were recognized: (1) the continental shelf community, dominated by Emiliania huxleyi, Gephyrocapsa oceanica Kamptner and Calciosolenia murrayi Gran, which showed intermediate biodiversity and species evenness; (2) the Kuroshio community, which showed the highest diversity and evenness, with a flora dominated by genus Umbellosphaera Paasche; and (3) the Western North Pacific Central Water community, which had the lowest diversity and evenness, with dominant species Calicasphaera Kleijne and Palusphaera vandelii. The absolute abundance of loose coccoliths ranged from 10.2 x 104 individual coccoliths l-1 to 22.9 x 104 individual coccoliths l-1, while those of coccospheres were much less, ranging from 11.5 x 103 cells l-1 to 19.7 x 103 cells l-1. The largest absolute abundance of coccoliths and coccospheres was found in the Kuroshio path.
KEYWORD	Coccolithophorid; Diversity; East China Sea; Kuroshio; Standing crops;
ARTICLE INFO	Botanical Bulletin of Academia Sinica, Volume 42 Number 4 October 2001, page 287-302, 16 pages
PUBLISHER	Institute of Plant and Microbial Biology, Academia Sinica, Taipei, Taiwan, Republic of China