Spatial distribution of diatom assemblages in the surface sediments of Selin Co,central Tibetan Plateau,China, and the controlling factors

Currently there are few studies on modern diatom ecology in large lakes on the Tibetan Plateau. To illustrate spatial patterns of diatom communities and study the correlation with environmental variables, 143 surface sediments were sampled from the largest lake (Selin Co) on the central Tibetan Plateau. A total of 143 diatom species belonging to 30 genera were identified, most of which were halophilic and basophilic species. Our results show that diatom communities exhibit a distinct spatial pattern in different environments including fluvial rivers, the inlet of Selin Co, the small lake region and the large lake region of Selin Co. Based on a depth-constrained cluster analysis, the diatom taxa were divided into three different communities: the shallow sedimentary zone (0–12 m), middle sedimentary zone (12–22 m) and deep sedimentary zone (22–48 m). The dominant species were Cocconeis placentula, Nitzschia hungarica and Anomoeoneis costata respectively. Through Canonical correspondence analysis, it was indicated that the spatial distribution of the diatom assemblages was mainly influenced by water depth, grain size and temperature, with water depth being the dominant factor. WA-PLS and WA regression models were used to establish a diatom-depth transfer function (r²_boot = 0.73, RMSEP = 0.19; r²_boot = 0.76, RMSEP = 0.19), further demonstrating the correlation between the diatom community and water depth. Our results defined the spatial distributions and controlling factors of diatom assemblages from the different environments.