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Research Publications: UM-SG-RS-2008-02
Title:
Distribution, abundance and domoic acid analysis of the toxic diatom genus Pseudo-nitzschia from the Chesapeake Bay.Year:
2008Authors:
Thessen, AE; Stoecker, DKSource:
Estuaries and Coasts 31 ( 4 ) : 664 - 672DOI:
10.1007/s12237-008-9053-8Abstract:
Very little research has been conducted on mid-Atlantic estuarine populations of the diatom Pseudo-nitzschia despite recent evidence of toxicity in regional isolates. We collected field samples from the Chesapeake Bay region from 2002 to 2007 for Pseudo-nitzschia enumeration and toxin analysis. Abundances of Pseudo-nitzschia were highest in the winter and spring at 10(3) cells ml-1. Domoic acid (DA) was detectable in 42% of samples tested, but concentrations were generally low, ranging from 0 to 1,037 pg DA ml-1 (mean 176 pg DA ml-1), and DA cell quota ranged from < 0.1 to 49.4 pg DA per cell (mean 1.4 pg DA per cell). Although Pseudo-nitzschia populations were observed year round when salinity was >= 5, populations were highest from February to May when temperatures were low (2-15 degrees C) and salinity relatively high (>= 10). Six species of Pseudo-nitzschia were identified via transmission electron microscopy of the samples: P. pungens (Grunow ex Cleve) Hasle, P. calliantha Lundholm, Moestrup et Hasle, P. subpacifica (Hasle) Hasle, P. cuspidata (Hasle) Hasle emend. Lundholm, Moestrup et Hasle, P. fraudulenta (Cleve) Hasle and P. multiseries (Hasle) Hasle. P. calliantha was the most common and not previously reported from the Chesapeake Bay. Of these species, P. pungens, P. calliantha, P. cuspidata, P. fraudulenta and P. multiseries are known to produce domoic acid.Maryland Sea Grant Topic(s):
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Leone Yisrael is a cephalopod-loving scuba diver, cook, and loves to try new activities. She conducts genetic analysis and fieldwork at the Smithsonian Environmental Research Center through the Coastal Disease Ecology Lab.
Featured Research Project
Developing a habitat model for mysids, an important link in Chesapeake Bay food webs
Mysids are important mesozooplankton prey for many species of fish in Chesapeake Bay and are an important link in transferring energy from lower to upper trophic levels. Mysids also serve as biological vectors for benthic-pelagic coupling due to their diel vertical migration and omnivorous prey-switching behavior, which makes mysids important regulators of food web architecture. Despite their central role in coastal food webs, surprisingly little is known about mysid ecology and dynamics in Chesapeake Bay.
