Noctiluca scintillans feeds on a large number of phytoplankton, including diatoms and dinoflagellates, frequently forms red tide in the East China Sea (ECS) southern Yellow (SYS). However, spatiotemporal distribution pattern, controlling factors, long-term change N. ECS SYS remain unclear. In present study, we collected samples from throughout four seasons 2011. We sampled phytoplankton environ...