biostudies-literatureXia JNational Key Research and Development PlanOceanic Interdisciplinary Program of Shanghai Jiao Tong University550https://www.ebi.ac.uk/biostudies/studies/S-EPMC11273628biostudies-literatureUnknown13(7)The Pearl River Estuary (PRE) is one of the world's most urbanized subtropical coastal systems. It presents a typical environmental gradient suitable for studying estuarine phytoplankton communities' dynamics and photosynthetic physiology. In September 2018, the maximum photochemical quantum yield (<i>Fv</i>/<i>Fm</i>) of phytoplankton in different salinity habitats of PRE (oceanic, estuarine, and freshwater zones) was studied, revealing a complex correlation with the environment. <i>Fv</i>/<i>Fm</i> of phytoplankton ranged from 0.16 to 0.45, with taxa in the upper Lingdingyang found to be more stressed. Community composition and structure were analyzed using 18S rRNA, accompanied by a pigment analysis utilized as a supplementary method. Nonmetric multidimensional scaling analysis indicateBiologyPhytoplankton Diversity, Spatial Patterns, and Photosynthetic Characteristics Under Environmental Gradients and Anthropogenic Influence in the Pearl River Estuary.PMC112736282023YFC3107403WH410260402/035Xia JLi JHu HGao YGao XKan JfalsePhytoplankton Diversity, Spatial Patterns, and Photosynthetic Characteristics Under Environmental Gradients and Anthropogenic Influence in the Pearl River Estuary.The Pearl River Estuary (PRE) is one of the world's most urbanized subtropical coastal systems. It presents a typical environmental gradient suitable for studying estuarine phytoplankton communities' dynamics and photosynthetic physiology. In September 2018, the maximum photochemical quantum yield (<i>Fv</i>/<i>Fm</i>) of phytoplankton in different salinity habitats of PRE (oceanic, estuarine, and freshwater zones) was studied, revealing a complex correlation with the environment. <i>Fv</i>/<i>Fm</i> of phytoplankton ranged from 0.16 to 0.45, with taxa in the upper Lingdingyang found to be more stressed. Community composition and structure were analyzed using 18S rRNA, accompanied by a pigment analysis utilized as a supplementary method. Nonmetric multidimensional scaling analysis indicate2024-01-01T00:00:00Z2024 Jul2026-04-21T03:22:54.779Z2025-04-19T13:09:16.753ZS-EPMC112736283905674210.3390/biology13070550