Spatial distribution of dinoflagellate resting cysts in Yellow Sea surface sediments

to investigate the spatial distribution of dinoflagellate resting cysts. The sampling areas comprised four latitudinal tran-sects, the northernmost of which was located off the Shandong Peninsula, China and the southernmost off Jeju Island, Korea. Each transect line was composed of six to nine stations, spanning the distance between the Chinese and Korean coasts. Twenty-five different types of dinoflagellate cysts were identified. Gonyaulax scrippsae, Alexandrium spp. (el-lipsoidal type), and G. spinifera were the most dominant at all stations surveyed. Dinoflagellate cysts belonging to the Gonyaulacales comprised over 50 % of all cysts collected. The latitudinal distribution trend showed that cyst concentra-tions along the two middle transects were much higher than those along the two northern and southern transects. Cyst concentrations in the offshore central areas reached their highest values within each transect and gradually decreased toward the Chinese and Korean coasts. Overall, cyst concentrations were markedly elevated in the offshore central Yel-low Sea areas and gradually decreased outward in all four directions. This concentric cyst distribution pattern was con-sistent with the hydrographic features of the Yellow Sea, such as circular current systems, sedimentary properties, and water depth. Key Words: dinoflagellate; resting cyst; spatial distribution; Yellow Se