海洋浮游纤毛虫原生动物因其在微食物网内的重要功能而成为海洋、生态、环境等领域重要的研究对象。迄今的工作表明，人们对浮游纤毛虫原生动物群落对水体环境异质性的响应了解仍很粗浅。为了更好的了解南极近岸流对环境状况和浮游生物多样性的影响，本课题选择在南极夏季围绕海洋浮游纤毛虫原生动物群落的空间分布格局和异质性展开研究。借助传统形态方法和高通量测序手段建立完整的定性定量数据库。借助多元分析手段探讨其群落结构和基因多样性的空间分布模式，以期确定造成其变化的主要环境影响因素。本工作将南极地区浮游纤毛虫原生动物对近岸流等因素带来的环境差异的响应作为研究重点，填补此类研究的空白。将生态学、环境学、生物海洋等研究提供重要的理论依据，为更好的理解极地海洋生态系统中环境变化对生物的影响提供新的角度和基础数据。

Marine pelagic ciliated protozoa are an important biological components in marine ecosystems and play a crucial role in the functioning of microbial food web. Although their importance is being increasingly recognized, studies on the response to environmental heterogeneity, particularly in the Southern Ocean, are quite rare. In order to understand the impacts of Antarctic coastal current on environmental conditions and pelagic biodiversity, we plan to study the spatial pattern and distribution heterogeneity of community structure and genetic diversity in pelagic ciliate community during austral summer in Southern Ocean which locates particular geographical area and presents a unique marine ecosystem. Based on classic observation through the microscopy and fixation and staining procedcures, and high throughput sequencing, quantitative (on morphotypes) and qualitative (on phylotypes) dataset will be established. Via analyzing the spatial variation patterns in genetic diversity and community structure of pelagic ciliated protozoa using multivariate analyses, we therefore expect to determine the forcing environmental factors which affect them most. The present study will be the first detailed research in Antarctic region about the variation pattern of pelagic ciliated protozoa in response to environmental changes caused by Antarctic coastal current. The results of this study will provide the detailed and basic data for future ecological, environmental and oceanographic studies, and will help understand the important questions about the influence of environmental variability to polar ecosystems.