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Influence of Sample Sizes on Analyzing Community Parameters of Periphytic Diatoms for Bioassessment Using an Artificial Substrate in Coastal Waters
Author(s) -
Jiang Yong.,
Zhu Mingzhuang.,
Zhang Wei.,
AlRasheid Khaled A. S.,
Xu Henglong.
Publication year - 2013
Publication title -
water environment research
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.356
H-Index - 73
eISSN - 1554-7531
pISSN - 1061-4303
DOI - 10.2175/106143013x13736496909220
Subject(s) - replicate , diatom , periphyton , substrate (aquarium) , environmental science , algae , ecology , hydrology (agriculture) , biology , geology , statistics , mathematics , geotechnical engineering
Influence of sample sizes on analyzing community parameters of periphytic diatoms was studied in coastal waters of the Yellow Sea from May 2010 to June 2010. Samples were collected from two depths of 1 m and 3 m using an artificial substrate. Based on a 95% probability, 15, 8, and 5 replicate slides (∼260, 140, and ∼90 cm 2 ) were sufficient for recovering the diatom communities with specified cumulative contributions of 99%, 95%, and 90% at two depths, respectively. To achieve less than 10% standard errors (coefficients of variation), six (105 cm 2 ) replicate slides were required for biodiversity analysis of the microperiphyton communities with various colonization times at two depths. More replicate sides were required for the young diatom communities (less than 14 days) than the mature samples (greater than 14 days). These results suggest that six replicate slides at two depths may be sufficient to analyze community parameters of periphytic diatoms in costal waters.