Distribution patterns of phytoplankton functional groups in connected/isolated reservoirs in an urban drinking water system

Eighteen reservoirs belonging to an urban drinking water system (Zhuhai city, South China) were investigated in the dry and flood seasons of 2013 to evaluate how hydrological connectivity may affect the specie richness and functional composition of phytoplankton. Eleven among the studied water bodies are connected through pipelines and seven are isolated. Twenty one phytoplankton functional groups were identified in the studied reservoirs. Cluster analysis showed that phytoplankton similarity is higher among connected reservoirs than among isolated ones. The average α-diversity is high in the connected reservoirs, but the average β-diversity is much higher in the isolated reservoirs. The hi…