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Phytoplankton and environmental variables were measured monthly from July 2009 to August 2011 in the Maixi River from the estuary to Baihua Reservoir in the Maotiao River catchment, southwestern China, to understand phytoplankton community structure and environmental factors. The relationship between phytoplankton community structure and environmental factors including hydrological, meteorological, physical, and chemical variables were explored using multivariate analysis. A total of 81 taxa of phytoplankton were identified, which were mainly composed of chlorophyta, bacillariophyta, and cyanobacteria. The phytoplankton community was dominated by Pseudanabaena limnetica during summer and fall and by Cyclotella meneghiniana during winter and spring. The abundance of phytoplankton ranged from 0.24×10 cells/L to 33.45×10 cells/L, with the minimum occurring during February 2010 and the maximum during July 2009. The phytoplankton community was dominated mainly by cyanobacteria from April to September, and by bacillariophyta and pyrrophyta from October to March. Canonical correspondence analysis showed that temperature, pH values, and orthophosphate were the most important driving factors regulating the composition and dynamics of the phytoplankton community in the estuary. Cyanobacteria and euglenophyta abundance and biomass were affected mainly by temperature and pH values, while most chlorophyta and bacillariophyta were influenced by the concentrations of nutrients. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study was conducted to evaluate the distribution characteristics of phosphorus and its species in 14 sediments samples collected from Lake Hongfeng based on sequential extraction. Lake Hongfeng, a major drinking-water source for Guiyang City in southwestern China, is one of the largest artificial reservoirs located in a typical karstic area of the Yunnan-Guizhou Plateau. The results of this study indicate that the average percentages of DP, Al-P, Fe-P, Ca-P and OP in the lake sediments were 0.52, 6.59, 6.09, 42.85 and 40.27, respectively. The concentrations of organic phosphorus (OP) were lower than those of inorganic phosphorus (IP), which consisted mainly of calcium-bound phosphorus (Ca-P). The high concentrations of Ca-P may temporarily control the release of phosphorus from the sediments because it is a relatively stable, inert, and non-bioavailable phosphorus fraction. However, a large number of phosphate solubilizing bacteria can transform insoluble phosphate into bioavailable forms. Moreover, the concentrations of total phosphorus (TP) in the lake sediments were high; thus, the potential for the release of phosphorus from the sediments to the water column and phosphorus bioavailability were still significant. Further statistical analyses of the results revealed significant correlations between phosphorus species in sediments from the lake with two extractable principal component species (PCs) and five selectable cluster levels allowing interpretation of possible origins of phosphorus loading and the release of phosphorus. Furthermore, available remediation measures were briefly assessed for the lake with consideration of its distinctive environmental features. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]