Aquatic Sciences Meeting, Albuquerque 2001

PC01 Harmful Algal Blooms

Date: Tuesday, February 13, 2001

Location: Southwest Hall

Roman, M, R, Univ. Maryland, Horn Point Laboratory, Cambridge, USA, roman@hpl.umces.edu

Adolf, H, , Univ. Maryland, Horn Point Laboratory, Cambridge, USA, hallie@hpl.umces.edu

Gustafson, D, , Univ. Maryland, Horn Point Laboratory, Cambridge, USA, gustafsn@hpl.umces.edu

Jester, D, , Univ. Maryland, Horn Point Laboratory, Cambridge, USA, djester@hpl.umces.edu

Spear, A, , Univ. Maryland, Horn Point Laboratory, Cambridge, USA, aspear@hpl.umces.edu

Zhang, X, , Univ. Maryland, Horn Point Laboratory, Cambridge, USA, zhang@hpl.umces.edu

Barnett, A, , Dalhousie University, Halifax, Canada, a.barnett@dal.can

Reaugh, M, , East Stroudsburg University, East Stroudsburg, USA, mreaugh@esu.edu

INGESTION OF THE DINOFLAGELLATES, PFIESTERIA PISCICIDA AND PROROCENTRUM MINIMUM BY THE CALANOID COPEPOD, ACARTIA TONSA

The dinoflagellates Pfiesteria piscicida and Prorocentrum minimum can form harmful algal blooms in estuarine environments. The dominant copepod usually found in these waters is Acartia tonsa. We tested the ability of Acartia to graze these dinoflagellate species and thus serve as a potential biological control of algal blooms. Acartia grazed both Prorocentrum and the non- toxic zoospore stage of Pfiesteria (strain FDEPMDR23). Ingestion of both types of algae increased with algal concentration (functional ingestion response). When Pfiesteria cells were added to natural seston assemblages in water collected from a site of previous Pfiesteria blooms (Pocomoke River), Acartia ingested the introduced Pfiesteria cells. Our results suggest that if there are sufficient numbers of Acartia present in the field, they may serve as a significant biological control over Pfiesteria populations.

This Session Listing

Aquatic Sciences Meeting, Albuquerque 2001

Quicklinks