Attached
Hie present study was to investigate dinoflagellate
cyst assemblage in relation to characteristics of sediments in
Colombo Port Sampling was conducted between June and October
2013. Sediment samples collected using small (2cm) and large
(18cm) core samplers and analyzed for occurrence of dinoflagellate
cysts, particle size and organic content of the sediment. Sea Surface
Temperature (SST) and Sea Surface Salinity (SSS) were also
measured at each sampling site. Eight dinoflagellate cysts were
recorded from the sediment samples. They were Protoperidinium
leonis, Protoperidinium pentagonum, three other Protoperidinium
spp., Scrippsiella spp., Spiniferites spp. and Polykrikos spp. The
Scrippsiella spp. is known to form harmful algal blooms which lead
to fish mortality. The mean SST varied between 28~29.5°C and SSS
between 15.5—33.5 ppt. Organic content was between 6.63-14.02%
and sediment texture ranged from very fine sand to coarse sand. The
study revealed that the dinoflagellate cysts were associated with fine
sediments and showed inverse relationships with organic content
Port environment and adjacent coastal environments should be
closely monitored for non-indigenous species which would otherwise
cause deleterious effects on native biota
