The Optimal Counting Number for Silicoflagellate Assemblages in the Western Arctic Ocean
2025
Xiaohang Feng | Jian Ren | Ruowen Xu | Haiyan Jin | Jianfang Chen
Siliceous plankton are vital for understanding modern and past marine environments. However, few studies have been carried out on silicoflagellates, a group of siliceous phytoplankton. The determination of reliable environmental reconstructions using silicoflagellates is hindered by the lack of consensus on the optimal counting number. In this study, sinking particles and surface sediments collected from the Chukchi Sea, western Arctic Ocean, were used to investigate the composition of silicoflagellates and to determine the optimal counting number of silicoflagellate assemblages. The silicoflagellate assemblage in the western Arctic is dominated by <i>Octactis speculum</i>, followed by <i>Staphanocha medianoctisol</i> in secondary abundance, while <i>Octactis octonaria</i> and <i>Stephanocha quinquangella</i> are present in very low frequencies. Employing an analysis of relative abundances and their corresponding coefficient of variations (CVs) for different silicoflagellate species across a counting gradient, we established an optimal counting number of 100–200 silicoflagellate skeletons for samples with high abundance. In contrast, the entire sample slide should be counted due to the low absolute abundance of silicoflagellates in surface sediments.
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