Abstract:

This paper presents the identification and quantitative analysis of the phytoplankton samples collected in the Great Wall Bay, Antarctica from March 1988 to February 1989. The results indicate that the specific composition of phytoplankton clearly shows their ecological characteristics. That is the community mainly composed of cold-water species and neritic-eurythermal species. The dominant species altered with seasonal variation, their number showed the high-peak in the austral summer and the abundance of phytoplankton in each month mainly depended upon the dominant species. The distribution of phytoplankton is influenced by many environmental factors. Among them the hours of sunshine are the main factor.

Key words: Great Wall Bay, phytoplankton, dominant species, cell number