Changes in size and form in the dominant phytoplankton species in the southern Caspian Sea

Abstract

Due to the recent destructive pressures on the Caspian environment, an effect on phytoplankton communities is expected in different aspects such as cell size and form. This paper aims to survey the size and form in the dominant phytoplankton species in the years of 1996, 2001, 2006, 2009, 2011 and 2012 in the Iranian coast of the Caspian Sea. Results of current study showed that the dominant species and along with it their sizes and forms remained quite similar in the fall of different years, but the greatest shift in size and form were observed during spring, summer and winter. It is suggested that these changes reflect an ecological disturbance and instability in the Caspian environment