Phytoplankton distribution and composition in the waters of Burung and Buntal islands, Kotania bay, western Ceram, Maluku, Indonesia

Start your abstract here Abstract. Phytoplankton distribution and composition was evaluated on February, April and June 2015, from Burung and Buntal islands in Kotania Bay. Altogether 42 species phytoplankton representing at least 27 genera from 15 families were collected. The high similarity of species was found in the waters of both islands, but the numbers of species were found in the waters of Buntal Island was higher than those in Burung island. Based on spatial distribution, the highest abundance of phytoplankton was encountered in the waters of Buntal island, while in June, the average abundance of phytoplankton reached the highest with the value of 1010225 cell/m3, and it was also in the waters of Buntal island. We speculate about the differences of a habitat of the two islands, and argue that the composition and abundant of species are related to the season and condition of the surrounding waters.