Spatial and diel variations of the prokaryotic community in the Phaeocystis globosa blooms area of Beibu Gulf

Thus, a comprehensive field study was conducted in the high incidence area of P. globosa blooms of the Beibu Gulf to reveal the spatial (horizontal and vertical) and diel differences in prokaryotic communities. Water and bacteria samples were collected from representative stations during the outbreak phase of the bloom in January 2019. The composition and structure of the prokaryotic communities were further explored with the assistance of high-throughput sequencing technology. The major objectives were to 1) determine the spatial distributions of the composition and structure of the prokaryotic communities during outbreak of P. globosa bloom, 2) depict the dynamics of prokaryotic community within a diel cycle of the algal bloom, and 3) examine the role of the major environmental parameters (e.g. physicochemical parameters, P. globosa bloom) as the main factors acting on the variability.