Aquatic Sciences Meeting, Albuquerque 2001

CS15 Harmful Algal Blooms

Date: Tuesday, February 13, 2001, Time: 4:15:00 PM

Location: Cochiti/Taos

Coyne, K, J, University of Delaware, Lewes, USA, kcoyne@udel.edu

Hutchins, D, A, University of Delaware, Lewes, USA, dahutch@udel.edu

Hare, C, E, University of Delaware, Lewes, USA, schroff@udel.edu

Cary, S, C, University of Delaware, Lewes, USA, caryc@udel.edu

LOW LEVEL DETECTION AND ENUMERATION OF PFIESTERIA PISCICIDA USING MOLECULAR PROBING TECHNIQUES

The environmental factors that contribute to blooms of many HAB species such as Pfiesteria piscicida are unknown because often the essential early stages of a bloom are not detected using standard microscopic techniques. An understanding of these factors is critical to the development of monitoring strategies and requires an accurate assessment of even low levels of HAB species. Here, we present two powerful molecular techniques to identify and enumerate P. piscicida in natural phytoplankton communities. The first method, denaturing gradient gel electrophoresis (DGGE), revealed the presence of several closely related strains of Pfiesteria in both water and sediment samples of mid-Atlantic estuaries. A second method, real time quantitative PCR, was used to assess the abundance of Pfiesteria in the water column. Concentrations of Pfiesteria in environmental samples were determined by linear regression analysis using a standard curve generated from samples spiked with known amounts of cultured P. piscicida. These molecular approaches will provide important insight into the distribution and response of Pfiesteria to local physiochemical conditions and are readily applicable to other HAB species.

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Aquatic Sciences Meeting, Albuquerque 2001

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