Littoral and Limnetic Phytoplankton Distribution and

Advanced Studies in Biology, Vol. 6, 2014, no. 4, 149 - 168

HIKARI Ltd, www.m-hikari.com

http://dx.doi.org/10.12988/asb.2014.4631

Littoral and Limnetic Phytoplankton Distribution

and Biodiversity in a Tropical Man-Made Lake,

Malaysia

Asma’ Jamal1, Fatimah Md. Yusoff1, 2*, Sanjoy Banerjee1

and M. Shariff 1, 3

1Laboratory of Marine Biotechnology, Institute of Bioscience; 2Department of Aquaculture, Faculty of Agriculture;

3Department of Veterinary Clinical Studies, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine,

Universiti Putra Malaysia, 43400 UPM Serdang, Selangor Darul Ehsan, Malaysia

*Corresponding author: Prof. Fatimah Md. Yusoff

Copyright © 2014 Asma’ Jamal et al. This is an open access article distributed under the

Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and

reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.

Abstract

The distribution of the phytoplankton community in different zones of Putrajaya

Lake, Malaysia was analyzed from October 2009 to September 2010 to examine

the zonal-distribution relationship. Three stations representing three different lake

zones namely Station 1 (littoral zone), Station 2 (sub-littoral zone) and Station 3

(limnetic zone) were selected. Water transparency, temperature, pH, dissolved

oxygen and conductivity were found to be important factors characterizing each

zone. A total of 148 species from 77 genera were recorded throughout the

sampling duration from October 2009 until September 2010. During this period,

Chlorophyta was the most abundant group (59% of the total phytoplankton),

followed by Pyrrhophyta (15%), Cyanobacteria (11%), Bacillariophyceae (9%),

Chrysophyceae (3%), Cryptophyta (2%) and Euglenophyta (1%). The highest

mean density of phytoplankton was recorded in the limnetic zone (433.94 ± 18.29

cells ml-1), followed by sub-littoral (292.94 ± 18.61 cells ml-1) and littoral zone

(199.58 ± 13.56 cells ml-1). There was a significant difference in the Shannon-

Wiener diversity index for phytoplankton diversity and abundance in all three

zones (p<0.05) with limnetic zone demonstrating the highest species diversity.

150 Asma’ Jamal et al.

Species commonly found in the sub-littoral area also dominated both littoral and

limnetic phytoplankton communities suggesting that sub-littoral zone acted as an

interphase for phytoplankton adaptation and migration between the two different

zones. The findings suggest that spatial distribution and diversity of the

phytoplankton community can be affected significantly by local lake zonation

characterized by environmental variations.

Keywords: Phytoplankton community, Species diversity, Tropical lake

1. Introduction

The phytoplankton community is known for their spatial and temporal

dynamics throughout the water column. They float freely, populating the euphotic

zone or upper strata of water bodies by controlling buoyancy by means of gas

vacuoles, flagella or metabolic processes [7]. Their dynamics are a function of

multiple environmental processes that affect a lake system including climatic,

physical and chemical changes [14]. The detailed consideration of the biology of

lakes and other water body types begins with the phytoplankton as they form the

base line of the aquatic food web. Thus, the dynamics of the rest of the biological

community is dependent to a very large extent on these photosynthetic

microorganisms. In tropical lakes, variation in the succession and periodical

pattern of phytoplankton community is strongly associated to meteorological

factor and water stratification mixing process caused by the prevailing wind, in

contrast to temperate environment where high temperature fluctuations in

accordance to changing seasons exert major influence [36, 38].

Lakes have regions that are well defined by boundaries and physical

characteristics which clearly define local communities and their niche [43]. Lake

boundaries have different abiotic conditions, resulting in different species that can

adapt within the given condition. Nevertheless, phytoplankton possesses the

capacity to tolerate and co-occur even though each species may have a specific

niche based on its physiological requirements and the constraints of the

environment. The variability of morphometric features and physico-chemical

parameters affect the development of specific types of aquatic macrophytes, the

communities of which in turn play the habitat-making role, changing both the

physical and chemical conditions, thus creating the substrate and refuges for

aquatic organisms [29].

The phytoplankton community structure has been adopted as an important

biological indicator due to its ability to respond rapidly and predictably to a wide

range of pollutants and environmental changes [35]. Knowledge on the changes in

phytoplankton biomass and species composition across time and space can

provide useful early warning signals of degrading conditions and the possible

Littoral and limnetic phytoplankton distribution and biodiversity 151

causes [15]. Nevertheless, the effects of different local regions in a lake towards

the dynamics of phytoplankton population are rarely studied and understood.

There have been few published studies focusing on the effect of different lake

zones on the phytoplankton community structure within a single lake body.

Understanding how the in-lake factors affect the dynamics of phytoplankton

community as the primary producer may help in future lake management. The

objective of this study was to examine the zonal-distribution relationship of

phytoplankton community in terms of their density and diversity in littoral and

limnetic areas in Putrajaya Lake, Malaysia.

2. Materials and methods

2.1. Study site description

The data used in this study were collected from the man-made Putrajaya

Lake, located in the heart of the Malaysian federal government administrative

center which holds the concept of city-in-a-garden. Putrajaya Lake was created in

1997 by the flooding of two rivers – Chuau river and Bisa river. It was primarily

designed to enhance the natural aesthetic appeal of the city besides providing

recreational water-based activities. It is an integrated lake with yet the biggest

constructed wetlands in the tropics which covers an area of 600 ha. The lake body

which occupies some 400 ha and located in the southern part of the wetland

receives water inflow from the wetland which acts as a natural filtering system for

the lake. The wetland adopts a multi-cell and multi-stage designed system to

enhance hydraulic performance and retention of pollutants. The Putrajaya Lake

and its associated wetland catchment is a part of the bigger Sungai Langat river

basin within the state of Selangor. Average rainfall in Putrajaya Lake ranged from

205.3 mm to 237.0 mm according to lake zones.

2.2. Sampling

Sampling was done monthly from October 2009 until September 2010.

Three stations representing different zones of the lake were selected. Station 1

was characterized by dense macrophytes and located close to the dam separating

the wetland from the lake; Station 2 was an area at one of the arms of the lake,

between the riverine and the lacustrine zones, characterized by lesser submerged

aquatic plants; while Station 3 was a region above the main dam, situated in the

central part of the lake constituting an open water without vegetation (Fig. 1).

Phytoplankton samples were collected from each station using a 2 L Van Dorn

water sampler at 0.5 m intervals until photic depth was reached for each station.

The 1 L samples were preserved with Lugol’s iodine and subjected to

identification and enumeration. Basic environmental parameters such as water

temperature, conductivity, pH, and dissolved oxygen were measured in situ during


sampling using the multiparameter water quality meter (YSI 650 MDS). Photic

depth was determined from the water transparency readings which were taken

using a Secchi disc. Meteorological data was obtained from the Putrajaya

Corporation Database Centre.

2.3. Identification and enumeration

Preserved samples were left to settle to the bottom of the measuring cylinder

and concentrated to a 100 ml working volume. Identification of phytoplankton

was based on related identification keys [2, 10, 19, 21, 23]. Enumeration of

phytoplankton was done using an inverted Leitz diavert microscope adopting the

method modified by Legendre and Watt [27]. Samples of 1 ml to 4 ml were

placed in the counting chamber and left to settle for 4 to 24 h prior to transfer to

the microscope stage. Random non-overlapping fields were examined until at

least 150 units of the dominant species were counted [26]. Phytoplankton density

was calculated using the following formula;

No ml-1 =

Where:

C = Number of organisms counted

At = Total bottom area of settling chamber (mm2)

Af = Area of a field (mm2)

F = Number of field counted

V = volume of sample settled (ml)

V1= volume of concentrated sample

V2 = volume of lake water

2.4. Statistical analysis

Diversity of phytoplankton abundance was determined using the Shannon-

Weiner index (H’) and equitability index (J’) run by PRIMER (Plymouth

Routines in Multivariate Ecological Research) version 6. Cluster analysis was

performed to examine the percentage similarity of phytoplankton among stations.

Statistical differences in determining spatial and temporal significance were tested

using the one-way and two-way analysis of variance (ANOVA) (Statistical

Package for the Social Sciences, version 20).

3. Results

3.1. Characterization of lake zones

Mean temperature, pH, conductivity, transparency and dissolved oxygen

values showed significant differences (p<0.05) amongst stations (Table 1). The

(C x At)

(Af x F x V)

x V1

V2


littoral zone showed the lowest water temperature, pH, dissolved oxygen and

transparency compared to sub-littoral and limnetic zones. On the other hand, the

limnetic station had the highest dissolved oxygen concentration and water

transparency.

3.2. Phytoplankton composition

There were seven phytoplankton groups in Putrajaya Lake which

comprised Bacillariophyceae (diatoms), Chlorophyta (green algae), Cyanobacteria

(blue-green algae), Pyrrhophyta (dinoflagellates), Chrysophyceae (golden-brown

algae), Cryptophyta (cryptomonads) and Euglenophyta (euglenoids) (Table 2).

Chlorophyta dominated the community with a marked 59% of the total

phytoplankton density, followed by Pyrrhophyta (15%), Cyanobacteria (11%) and

Bacillariophyceae (9%). Chrysophyceae, Cryptophyta and Euglenophyta

contributed a small portion to the phytoplankton abundance with 3%, 2% and 1%,

respectively. A total of 148 species were recorded from 77 genera for all stations

throughout the sampling period (Table 2). The most dominant genus in littoral and

sub-littoral zone was Peridinium whereas Staurastrum dominated the limnetic

zone. The genera Staurastrum from the Desmidiaceae family and Scenedesmus

from Scenedesmaceae accounted as the most diverse genera with 11 and 12

species documented, respectively. In this lake, the Desmidiaceae consisted of

Cosmarium, Euastrum, Spondylosium, Staurodesmus, Pleurotaenium, and

Xanthidium in addition to Staurastrum.

Phytoplankton monthly distribution showed that the highest density

(p<0.05) at the limnetic zone occurred in the wet months (October to December

2009) and gradually declined until the end of the sampling period in September

2010 (Fig. 2). In October 2009, this station recorded a high density of 883.27 cells

ml-1. In the littoral and sub-littoral zones, the phytoplankton densities were highest

only in October 2009 (730.99 cells ml-1 in sub-littoral and 545.66 cells ml-1 in

littoral zone), but quickly declined to densities lower than 500 cells ml-1 for the

rest of the sampling period. Lowest density occurrence was observed in January

2010 for littoral (86.00 cells ml-1) and sub-littoral zones (93.60 cells ml-1).

Although all zones exhibited phytoplankton density fluctuations throughout the

sampling period, the sub-littoral transition zone showed drastic oscillations

compared to adjacent zones which displayed a more gradual change (Fig. 2).

Rapid changes of phytoplankton density in the littoral and limnetic can however

be observed in the early sampling months from October 2009 until January 2010.

Among all stations, limnetic zone had the highest mean total density (p<0.05)

with 433.94 ± 18.29 cells ml-1, followed by sub-littoral (292.94 ± 18.61 cells ml-1)

and littoral zone with 199.58 ± 13.56 cells ml-1 (Fig. 3). The dendrogram showed

two distinct groups at 83% similarity level consisting of limnetic and littoral +

sub-littoral zones (Fig. 4). Limnetic zone showed significantly higher (p<0.05)

abundance of chlorophyta compared to the other areas. On the other hand, the


eutrophic indicator groups such as cyanobacteria and euglenophyta were higher

(p<0.05) in littoral and sub-littoral zones compared to the open water area (Fig. 5).

3.3. Phytoplankton diversity

Shannon-Wiener diversity index (H’) was highest in the limnetic zone

followed by sub-littoral and littoral zone (Fig. 6). Species evenness (J’) was

highest in limnetic zone and lowest in sub-littoral zone. The differences were

significant (p<0.05) across all sampling stations.

4. Discussion

All three sampling stations of Putrajaya Lake had different characteristics

in terms of location, depth and water quality. The phytoplankton community was

dominated by the chlorophytes, which was similar to most phytoplankton

community structure in tropical lakes [5, 15, 22, 25]. Domination by specific

phytoplankton group depends on the trophic status of a lake [4], which is further

determined by the availability of nutrients especially nitrogen and phosphorus [17,

18]. In addition, the tiny sizes and protruding structures of the cells provide

competitive advantage to most species of chlorophytes due to high surface volume

ratio and increased nutrient diffusion rates [34]. Biswas and Nweze [39] reported

that a desmid, Cosmarium, was dominant in a shallow African lake. Sharma [4]

attributed the dominance of desmids to the low pH, low conductivity and the

oligotrophic nature of the water, similar to the characters exhibited in the limnetic

zone of Putrajaya lake. Desmids in the limnetic zone were 23.86% of the total

phytoplankton as compared to sub-littoral and littoral zones where desmids

accounted 10.03% and 8.93%, respectively.

The phytoplankton community abundance can be a useful indicator of the

trophic conditions of lake zones based on their relative abundance [14]. The

desmid genus Staurastrum, and dinoflagellates Peridinium which were found

dominant in the present study are generally found in oligotrophic waters [35]. The

presence of chrysophytes in combination with one or two other algal groups,

which can be the cryptophytes, diatoms and/or dinoflagellates indicates

oligotrophic or mesotrophic conditions [8]. Malek et al. [42] in their study on the

Bacillariophyceae dynamics indicated that Putrajaya Lake trophy interchanged

between oligotrophic to mesotrophic.

Phytoplankton group composition in Putrajaya Lake is comparatively

similar to Lake Chini, Pahang, Malaysia [3] and Banglang Reservoir, Pattani in

Southern Thailand [5]. Both studies documented 135 phytoplankton species and

had Staurastrum amongst the most dominant and diverse genus recorded. Other

reports on diversity in lakes across Malaysia showed a high variation depending


on the type, size, and history of the water bodies; e.g. 19 and 33 genera were

recorded from a study in small urban water bodies, Lake Aman and Lake

Titiwangsa, respectively [14], 43 genera were identified in a highly stained

(dystrophic) swamp, Paya Bungor, Pahang [16], and 56 species were documented

from a study in a newly formed Kenyir reservoir, Terengganu [15]. From other

tropical reservoirs such as the Barra Bonita reservoir, Brazil, 131 taxa were

recognized [31].

In contrast to studies by Khuantrairong and Traichaiyaporn [44], and

Ghosh et al. [40], phytoplankton in Putrajaya Lake exhibited high densities in the

wet season. The Botryococcus braunii bloom in the early sampling months near

the littoral zone may have contributed to the high phytoplankton density during

this period (personal observation). The bloom of the same species was also

recorded in the Banglang reservoir coinciding with high concentration of total

phosphorus, ammonium and nitrate [5]. At the same time, high turbidity caused

by heavy rain which led to light limitation and low water transparency in shallow

water bodies might be among the leading factors that inhibited phytoplankton

growth to be lower in the littoral and sub-littoral zones compared to limnetic zone

[11, 44]. This was in accordance to the case in Bera lake [25] which demonstrated

peak abundance of phytoplankton density in the early northeast monsoon

(September until October 1971) in each station sampled, with the open water

region having the highest density (739.4 cells L-1) followed by littoral region

(440.4 cells L-1) and swamp-forest region (124.4 cells L-1). Furtado and Mori [25]

discussed that dominant peak in phytoplankton abundance could be due to

increased nutrient influx favouring temporal development of certain taxa or

caused by the translocation of littoral and sub-littoral phytoplankton to limnetic

area by monsoonal rainfall.

Despite Hutchinson’s [20] statement on non-existing correlation between

lake area and number of phytoplankton species, more recent studies by Jankowski

and Weyhenmeyer [43] including the present study found that larger and deeper

lake areas are associated with higher diversity and species richness. The high

species density and evenness for limnetic zone thus may be closely attributed to

the wider area of the lake represented by the relevant station (Station 3). Study in

the Banglang reservoir also recorded the highest phytoplankton density in the

lacustrine zone and the outflow zone was lower than both lacustrine and transition

zones for phytoplankton densities which ranged from zero to 2.1x109 cells m-3 [5].

Large ecosystems are likely to harbour more species due to higher immigration

rates and lower extinction rates [30]. The optimal depth of distribution for

phytoplankton is in the first 3-5 m of the water column [33]. This supports the fact

that limnetic zone has a deeper sampling depth with highest water transparency

recorded, thus penetration of light was optimum for the growth of phytoplankton

as manifested in the high reading of dissolved oxygen within the water column.


On the other hand, the dense growing macrophytes in the littoral zone

might have practically prevented sunlight from penetrating the water column,

impeding growth and flourishing of algae [9]. Density of aquatic macrophytes

largely determines the diversity and abundance of littoral plankton, as discussed in

the study of the plankton community in different habitat conditions of an oxbow

lake [1]. In addition, the presence of macrophytes tends to inhibit the growth of

phytoplankton as demonstrated by the clear water wherever macrophytes

dominate. This study demonstrated significantly higher (p< 0.05) algal diversity

and evenness values in the open water area (3.48 and 0.85, respectively),

compared to areas overgrown with submerged macrophytes (3.24 and 0.83,

respectively), and another area with less vegetation cover (3.32 and 0.82,

respectively). The lesser macrophytes in sub-littoral zone allowed the

phytoplankton to grow more intense with less competition for light source

compared to the littoral zone. Studies on the secondary productivity in Temenggor

reservoir, Perak [32] also showed the same result where Shannon-Wiener

diversity and evenness indices of zooplankton in the limnetic zone were 1.98 and

0.42, respectively, while the littoral zone recorded 1.91 and 0.01, respectively.

The drastic changes in the sub-littoral zone may be due to the movement

and adaptation of sub-littoral species between littoral and limnetic zones, the need

for increased competition on the part of macrophytes, and the more diversified

environmental condition which enabled the coexistence of algal species with

different life strategies [1]. Norizam and Ali [32] observed that zooplankton of

Temenggor reservoir migrated to the limnetic zone in certain period of the day.

Based on this fact, it is regarded that the sub-littoral zone may act as an interphase

for the community to coexist with other communities of different zones or a life

strategy medium. This observation is consistent with the theory on the coexistence

and avoidance of phytoplankton species which postulates that different species

coexist by being constrained by different resources (equilibrium theory of

competition) and that environmental variability permits the coexistence of species

competing for the same resource [44], or as Hutchinson [20] described it as the

paradoxical nature of the phytoplankton.

The relative predominance of flagellated groups (Pyrrhophyta,

Chyrsophyceae, Cryptophyta and Euglenophyta) in littoral and sub-littoral zones

compared to the limnetic zone may be associated to their ability to move best in

lighted water layers especially in shallow lakes [34]. Denser species from the

eutrophic indicator group found in littoral zone suggested the zone was

moderately polluted as euglenoids indicates the effects of organic pollution [41].

Disregarding the Chlorophyta group, Pyrrhophyta (dinoflagellates) exhibited the

highest density in all zones. Distribution of dinoflagellates is often associated with

chemical characteristics in water, indicating they are widely tolerant and

ubiquitous, especially among genera of Ceratium and Peridinium but with

restriction to certain ranges of pH and dissolved organic matter [12].


Dinoflagellates typically form a minor component in freshwater phytoplankton

communities and they co-occur with their prey, often the diatoms [13], consistent

with the observation in the present study. As for cryptophytes,they normally

present in low numbers and occur in most lakes regardless of trophic state [12,

28].

5. Conclusion

Findings from this study in 2009 and 2010 indicated that the dynamics and

community structure of the phytoplankton community in Putrajaya Lake were

influenced by varying factors that contributed to the different conditions of the

zones at different times of the year. Although the littoral, sublittoral and limnetic

zones looked contiguous, their environmental parameters were dissimilar,

resulting in different phytoplankton abundance and diversity. Apparently, habitat

characteristics were important factors that determined the composition of species

in the community, their life strategies, growth and development. Phytoplankton

richness and diversity were lower in the littoral zone probably due to higher

turbidity, lower light availability and higher abundance of macrophytes compared

to the limnetic area. In addition, the littoral zone was more likely to be subjected

to environmental disturbance from the adjacent land-based activities. Limnetic

zone of the lake, on the other hand, seemed to have a more stable and suitable

environmental conditions for mesotrophic phytoplankton growth, thereby showing

higher species diversity compared to the littoral zone.

Acknowledgements

The authors wish to thank Putrajaya Corporation for their support in the field

work and for providing the meteorological data. The same appreciation goes to

Alam Sekitar Malaysia (ASMA) for their cooperation in the sample collection.

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a recurrent artificial neural networks. In: Environmental and Computer

Science, ICECS '09, Second International Conference, 2009, 407-410.

[43] T. Jankowski and G.A. Weyhenmeyer, The role of spatial scale and area

in determining richness-altitude gradients in Swedish lake phytoplankton

communities, Oikos, 115 (2006), 433-442.

[44] T. Khuantrairong and S. Traichaiyaporn, Diversity and seasonal

succession of the phytoplankton community in Doi Tao Lake, Chiang Mai

Province, Northern Thailand, The Natural History Journal of

Chulalongkorn University, 8 (2008), 143-156.

Table 1: Mean values ± SE and range of environmental variables of Putrajaya

Lake at different stations. Values in rows having different superscripts are

significantly different at p<0.05. Number of samples (n) of each zone is given in

parentheses.

Physico-chemical

parameters

Zones

Littoral (n=92) Sublittoral (n=112) Limnetic (n=168)

Mean±SE Range Mean±SE Range Mean±SE Range

Temperature (oC) 30.94±0.13a 28.66-34.30 31.85±0.09b 29.92-34.01 31.09±0.07a 29.15-33.55

pH 6.67±0.03a 5.61-7.18 7.07±0.04b 6.11-7.74 6.97±0.03b 6.14-7.51

Conductivity (µS cm-1) 81.54±1.38b 65.00-134.00 84.54±0.66c 70.00-98.00 75.88±0.48a 66.00-87.00

Transparency (m) 1.05±0.03a 0.40-1.80 1.21±0.04b 0.30-1.80 2.04±0.04c 1.20-3.00

Dissolved oxygen (mg l-1) 7.00±0.11a 4.10-8.90 7.79±0.08b 5.60-9.07 8.05±0.08b 5.05-9.56


Table 2: Mean densities (cells ml-1 ± SE) and percentages (%) of dominant phytoplankton

genera in different zones of Putrajaya Lake during September 2009 to October 2010.

Genera Phyla/Family Number of

species

Littoral zone Sublittoral zone Limnetic zone

Mean±SE % Mean±SE % Mean±SE %

Peridinium Pyrrhophyta 5 29.65±3.76 14.86 46.83±.92 15.98 51.95±2.46 11.97

Chroococcus Cyanobacteria 5 15.69±2.24 7.86 25.23±2.93 8.61 29.98±2.22 6.91

Scenedesmus Chlorophyta 12 13.81±1.57 6.92 20.27±1.86 6.92 20.98±1.10 4.84

Crucigenia Chlorophyta 4 13.67±1.23 6.85 21.06±2.18 7.19 23.91±1.67 5.51

Staurastrum Chlorophyta 11 10.86±2.17 5.44 14.75±1.52 5.03 62.33±4.24 14.36

Cryptomonas Cryptophyta 1 10.02±2.78 5.02 4.84±1.19 1.65 2.91±0.63 0.67

Selenastrum Chlorophyta 2 9.58±1.30 4.80 24.84±2.95 8.48 21.57±2.42 4.97

Botryococcus Chlorophyta 1 8.36±0.81 4.19 7.25±0.61 2.47 6.81±0.47 1.57

Tetraedron Chlorophyta 3 6.58±1.00 3.30 8.49±1.01 2.90 19.84±1.36 4.57

Dinobryon Chrysophyceae 2 6.16±0.54 3.08 9.26±1.23 3.16 6.65±0.66 1.53

Chlorobion Chlorophyta 1 5.91±0.60 2.96 8.52±1.11 2.91 11.20±0.95 2.58

Closterium Chlorophyta 1 5.44±0.87 2.73 4.30±0.48 1.47 13.51±1.10 3.11

Cyclotella Bacillariophyceae 1 5.44±0.66 2.72 7.22±0.75 2.46 8.68±0.73 2.00

Spaerotaenia Chlorophyta 1 5.33±0.54 2.67 8.69±0.90 2.96 18.38±1.07 4.24

Oscillatoria Cyanobacteria 2 4.06±0.46 2.03 3.36±0.63 1.15 2.78±0.34 0.64

Ankistrodesmus Chlorophyta 4 3.85±0.57 1.93 5.05±0.79 1.72 14.75±1.80 3.40

Chlorella Chlorophyta 1 3.81±1.16 1.91 3.45±0.84 1.18 3.92±0.79 0.90

Staurodesmus Chlorophyta 2 3.50±0.94 1.75 4.85±0.88 1.66 23.51±3.28 5.42

Gleocystis Chlorophyta 2 3.43±0.39 1.72 7.59±1.05 2.59 9.64±0.90 2.22

Achnanthes Bacillariophyceae 1 3.14±0.43 1.57 5.51±0.54 1.88 9.71±1.07 2.24

Euglena Euglenophyta 6 2.90±0.50 1.46 2.40±0.55 0.82 2.17±0.31 0.50

Aphanocapsa Cyanobacteria 2 2.57±0.40 1.29 2.75±0.35 0.94 5.06±0.62 1.17

Cosmarium Chlorophyta 4 2.33±0.56 1.17 2.99±0.48 1.02 9.79±1.16 2.26

Mallomonas Chrysophyceae 3 1.68±0.29 0.84 2.32±0.46 0.79 2.71±0.30 0.62

Characium Chlorophyta 1 1.65±0.24 0.82 1.96±0.32 0.67 4.31±0.51 0.99

Asterococcus Chlorophyta 1 1.27±0.23 0.64 2.18±0.31 0.74 4.36±0.53 1.00

Trachelomonas Euglenophyta 3 1.26±0.29 0.63 0.97±0.26 0.33 0.69±0.15 0.16

Diatoma Bacillariophyceae 1 1.15±0.26 0.58 0.92±0.25 0.31 2.63±0.40 0.61

Melosira Bacillariophyceae 1 1.14±0.26 0.57 4.24±1.08 1.45 5.21±0.48 1.20

Spondylosium Chlorophyta 1 1.13±0.21 0.57 6.80±1.15 2.32 7.92±1.10 1.83

Oocystis Chlorophyta 2 1.11±0.23 0.55 1.87±0.33 0.64 2.86±0.40 0.66

Coscinodiscus Bacillariophyceae 1 1.10±0.27 0.55 0.66±0.17 0.23 1.66±0.30 0.38

Ceratium Pyrrhophyta 1 0.68±0.18 0.34 4.19±0.62 1.43 1.71±0.20 0.39

Microcystis Cyanobacteria 2 0.63±0.21 0.32 2.12±0.49 0.72 1.08±0.14 0.25

Stauroneis Bacillariophyceae 1 0.57±0.12 0.28 0.52±0.15 0.18 3.98±0.73 0.92

Nitzschia Bacillariophyceae 1 0.19±0.06 0.10 2.01±1.06 0.68 0.74±0.36 0.17

Others 55 9.93±0.80 4.98 12.71±2.00 4.34 14.02±0.97 3.23


Figure 1: Geographical location of the study area and sampling stations in

Putrajaya Lake, Peninsular Malaysia.


Figure 2: Changes of monthly mean total density (cells ml-1 ± SE) of

phytoplankton community in different zones of Putrajaya Lake.


Figure 3: Mean total densities (cells ml-1 ± SE) of phytoplankton community in

different zones of Putrajaya Lake. Mean values with different superscripts

indicate significant difference at p<0.05.

199.58a±13.56

292.94b±18.61

433.94c±18.29

0

50

100

150

200

250

300

350

400

450

500

Littoral Sublittoral Limnetic

Mea

n t

ota

l den

sity

(ce

lls m

l-1)


Figure 4: Dendrogram of phytoplankton mean total density (cells ml-1) according

to zones in Putrajaya Lake.


Figure 5: Mean density percentages (%) of phytoplankton groups in different

zones of Putrajaya Lake.

0%

10%

20%

30%

40%

50%

60%

70%

80%

90%

100%


Ph

yto

pla

nkt

on

gro

up

per

cen

tage

(%

)

Euglenophyta

Cryptophyta

Chrysophyta

Pyrrhophyta

Cyanophyta

Chlorophyta

Bacillariophyta


Figure 6: Shannon-Wiener diversity index (H’) and species evenness (J’) of

different zones in Putrajaya Lake. S is number of species.

Received: June 1, 2014

S=146 S=142 S=1450,8

0,81

0,82

0,83

0,84

0,85

0,86

3,00

3,10

3,20

3,30

3,40

3,50

3,60


Spec

ies

even

nes

s (J

')

Div

ersi

ty in

dex

(H

')

H' J'

Documents

Littoral and Limnetic Phytoplankton Distribution and