Temporal dynamics of protist communities and environmental factors in the horizontal flow-polyculture pond aquaculture model of Sinonovacula constricta

The horizontal flow (HF)–polyculture pond (PP) model has emerged as a new aquaculture model that has attracted considerable attention. The growth of Sinonovacula constricta in the HF is highly dependent on phytoplankton in the PP; however, the current understanding of the basic microbes in the HF-PP model research remains insufficient. To address this knowledge gap, we analyzed the temporal dynamics of protist communities in water and sediment samples obtained from the HF and PP in this study. In addition, we measured the temporal variations in physicochemical factors in these water and sediment samples. A comparison of water quality data between HF and PP revealed that HF effectively reduced the total nitrogen (TN) and total phosphorus (TP) levels in the polyculture ponds. Furthermore, Diatomea and Ciliophora were the predominant phyla in all samples. In the horizontal-flow water samples, significant alterations were observed over time in Skeletonema, Strombidium, and Gyrodinium genera. The dynamic pattern of the genus in the polyculture pond water (PPW) was similar to that in the horizontal flow water (HFW). Furthermore, Skeletonema abundance decreased over time in the horizontal flow sediment (HFS). Skeletonema and Cyclotella were dominant in polyculture pond sediment (PPS). There was a certain degree of community succession throughout the experiment in the HFW and PPW, but not in the HFS or PPS. Correlation analysis revealed that water temperature (WT), salinity(SAL)，dissolved oxygen (DO), pH, phosphate, and silicate played key roles in driving variations in the protist community. These findings contribute to our understanding of complex protist community dynamics within the HF-PP aquaculture model, shedding light on the roles of various environmental factors in shaping protist communities and water quality.