An annotated checklist of Marine Phytoplankton taxa at the SOMLIT-Astan time series off Roscoff (Western English Channel, France): data collected from 2000 to 2010

Abstract

A checklist of micro-phytoplankton taxa based on net tow and Niskin bottle samples taken twice a month during the periods 2000-2003 and 2006-2010 at station SOMLIT-Astan (north of Roscoff, Western English Channel, France) is presented. SOMLIT-Astan is a coastal long-term monitoring station. It was established off Roscoff, where the water column seldom becomes stratified, and where continental influence is limited. Taxonomic identification was done based on light microscopy observations. The checklist includes 178 taxa (genus or species) among which 70 genera and 131 species of diatoms are recorded. Diatoms with benthic affinities make up 51% of the list of diatoms genera identified. Guinardia (especially G. delicatula) and Paralia sulcata appear as key taxa, becoming dominant in spring/summer and winter, respectively. Dinoflagellates are less diversified and never dominate. This work although not exhaustive, provides a reference list for micro-phytoplankton off Roscoff, and more generally for the permanently mixed waters of the Western English Channel, as well as information on the most common and/or abundant taxa in this habitat.