Data From: Distribution of ciliates community and trophic modes in relation to hydrodynamic process in the northern South China Sea

Physical processes play a crucial role in modulating microplankton community in northeastern South China Sea. Ciliates are important components of microplanktons and can respond quickly to environmental fluctuations. In this study, the effects of various physical processes on ciliate community were investigated during the El Niño event. Significant differences in ciliate diversity and composition were found between coastal (i.e. China Coastal Current and Coastal Upwelling) and offshore (i.e. Kuroshio and South China Sea water) water masses, which were attributed to the significant environmental differences and weak dispersal effect between these masses. El Niño induced some local hydrodynamic processes in basin area, which exerted significant impact on the vertical distribution of ciliates. In addition, the trophic compositions of ciliate exhibited distinct responses to different physical processes, indicating their great potential to indicate the effect of physical process.