Variation of Primary Productivity and Phytoplankton Community in the Weirs of Mid and Downstream of the Nakdong River during Fall and Early Winter: Application of Phytoplankton Pigments and CHEMTAX.
지구 온난화에 따른 기온 상승, 보나 댐의 건설로 인한 체류시간의 변화는 식물플랑크톤의 이상증식을 일으키며 이로 인한 수계의 부영양화, 녹조 현상은 상수원 수질 악화에 영향을 미쳐 심각한 사회적 문제로 대두되고 있다. 본 연구와 같이 일차생산력과 환경요인들의 상관관계를 확인하는 것은 일차생산력의 조절인자 파악에 매우 효과적이다. 또한 HPLC-CHEMTAX 분석 방법은 간편하며 짧은 시간 안에 식물플랑크톤의 색소 비 값을 기반으로 각 군집의 상대적인 기여도 추정이 가능하다. 이러한 연구 방법들을 적용할 경우 수 생태 건강성 평가 및 식물플랑크톤 이상증식에 영향을 주는 군집조성을 빠르게 파악할 수 있어 조류 예보제 및 수계관리에 있어 효과적으로 활용될 수 있을 것으로 판단된다.
Phytoplankton is one of the important primary producers providing organic matter through photosynthesis in aquatic environments. In order to determine a temporal and spatial variation in primary productivity after weir construction in the Nakdong River, we investigated carbon uptake rates using in-situ 13C labeling experiments and identified algal communities contributing to primary productivity using HPLCCHEMTAX analysis from October to December, 2017. The primary productivity gradually decreased from fall to early winter season (249~933 mgC m-2 d-1 in October, 64~536 mgC m-2 d-1 in November and 60~274 mgC m-2 d-1 in December, respectively). This is attributed to the temporally declining light intensity and the decreasing biomass and physiological activity of phytoplankton in winter. The contribution of diatoms to the phytoplankton community in the Nakdong River was approximately 63% at all the sampling sites and seasons, while the contribution of cryptophytes increased from 9% in October to 32% in November and December. The temporal changes in the primary productivity and the dominant phytoplankton species in the mid and downstream weirs of the Nakdong River was investigated for the first time, after construction of the weirs, and major environmental factors controlling the temporal variation in primary productivity and phytoplankton communities were identified in this study. We suggest that seasonal field investigations will provide further information on the major environmental factors which affect the annual variation of primary productivity and phytoplankton communities.