我国典型热带海域底栖甲藻的生物多样性及其时空分布研究

海洋底栖甲藻是广泛分布于热带、亚热带的一类附着藻类，在海洋底栖食物链中扮演着重要角色。很多底栖甲藻具有毒性或潜在毒性，通过食物链传递对海洋鱼类及人类健康构成严重威胁。底栖甲藻不同种类不同地理株系在形态结构和对环境因子的响应差异较大，同时也影响底栖甲藻的时空分布。有关我国热带海域底栖甲藻的研究很少，本项目拟通过普通光学显微镜、荧光显微镜和电子扫描电镜对采自海南岛海域底栖甲藻进行系统的分类学研究，了解底栖甲藻的种类多样性；通过生态学研究，阐明底栖甲藻的时空分布特征；借助分子生物学技术对优势种群进行系统发育学分析，确定其在分类学上的准确地位和生物地理分布格局；通过现场和实验室研究，分析影响底栖甲藻生长与分布的关键环境因子。本研究结果将为更全面了解我国海洋藻类生物多样性提供依据，为我国海洋底栖甲藻的进一步研究提供参考，同时为底栖甲藻藻华的防灾减灾提供科学依据。

Benthic dinoflagellates are widely distributed in tropical and subtropical seas. They functioned a very important role in the marine benthic food chains. Harmful events associated with benthic dinoflagellates, have been reported more frequently over the last decade including in areas where those benthic genera were hardly known. Of particular concern are the outbreaks of toxic dinoflagellate blooms which associated to the ciguatera fish poisoning (CFP). The ciguatoxins produced by Gambierdiscus are bioaccumulated in reef fishes and are responsible for the most common algal toxin-related illnesses, globally affecting the greatest number of victims and often with significant long-term health effects. Because benthic dinoflagellates, have not been extensively investigated worldwide. The degree to which various environmental factors control the distribution and abundance of individual dinoflagellate populations is largely unknown and would be a major focus on the study. The benthic dinoflagellates have rarely been studied in China. Hainan Island is a typical tropical island with rich substrates for benthic dinoflagelles growth. We propose to study the biodiversity, temporal and spatial distribution of benthic dinoflagellates in Hainan Island. The objective for the project are to answer the following scientific questions. How many species are in the area(biodiversity)? What are the environmental parameters that affect the local distribution and abundance of benthic dinoflagellates? What are the main ecological interactions(substrate specificity, trophic links, competition) related to benthic dinoflagellates? Through this study, we try to identify the important physical and chemical factors that control abundance and distribution over the temporal and spatial scales, and to determine the primary physiological, genetic, environmental processes that regulate population growth.