Phytoplankton composition of Santubong and Samariang

A study of phytoplankton composition in Samariang and Santubong estuaries was carried out to detennine the cell abundance of the phytoplankton species and their relationship with environmental factors. A total of9 samplings were done at each site from September 2012 to March 2013. Overall, the phytoplankton composition in both sampling sites was dominated by diatom. Highest cell density counted was 412849 cells L-1 in Samariang estuary, while the lowest counted was 108148 cells L -I. In Santubong estuary, the highest cell density reached 466937 cells L-1 and the lowest counted of the cell density was 94264 cells L-1• The predominant group in both sampling sites was diatom taxa Skeletonema sp. and Chaetoceros spp., and cyanobacteria taxa. Besides, phytoplankton composition in Samariang and Santubong estuaries was affected by environmental factors, i.e. pH, temperature, water transparency, and macronutrients with each factor showed different degree of effect. The SEM analysis was done to enhance the phytoplankton identification and the micrographs were capture