Bloom of Gonyaulax spinifera (Dinophyceae: Gonyaulacales) in Ensenada de La Paz lagoon, Gulf of California.

Abstract

During a sampling on 24 September 2012 in the coastal lagoon, Ensenada de La Paz, a small bloom of the dinoflagellate Gonyaulax spinifera was detected. Its abundance varied from 401 to 1342 × 103 cells L–1. Cells of G. spinifera ranged from 34 to 50 μm in length and 22 to 35 μm in width (n = 30). Seawater temperature and salinity were 29 °C and 35.5, respectively. The species composition of the bloom was recorded. The phytoplankton community had high species richness, resulting from a mix of benthic and pelagic diatoms and dinoflagellates, as well as cyanobacteria that occurred with low frequency. This brief proliferation lasted around three hours and may have been caused by tidal water accumulation along the shore. Although G. spinifera is a producer of yessotoxin, no fish or invertebrates were apparently killed by this bloom, which was rapidly dispersed by tides and wind-forcing. Florecimiento de Gonyaulax spinifera (Dinophyceae: Gonyaulacales) en la laguna Ensenada de La Paz, Golfo de California Durante un muestreo el 24 de septiembre de 2012 en la laguna costera Ensenada de La Paz se detectó un pequeño florecimiento del dinoflagelado Gonyaulax spinifera. Los valores de abundancia variaron de 401 a 1342 × 103 céls L–1. Los especímenes de G. spinifera presentaron un intervalo de tallas de 34 a 50 μm de longitud y de 22 a 35μm de ancho (n = 30). La temperatura del agua fue de 20 °C y la salinidad fue de 35.5. Se determinó la composición de especies durante este florecimiento. Como resultado de la mezcla de especies bentónicas y pelágicas de diatomeas y dinoflagelados, así como de algunas cianobacterias poco frecuentes, la comunidad del fitoplancton presentó una riqueza de especies alta. Esta pequeña proliferación se observó por alrededor de 3 horas y pudo ser ocasionada por la marea acumulándola en la línea de costa. Aunque G. spinifera es una especie productora de yessotoxinas, no se observaron peces ni invertebrados muertos durante este florecimiento, el cual se dispersó rápidamente por efecto de la marea y la fuerza del viento.

Bacteria enhance the production of extracellular polymeric substances by the green dinoflagellate Lepidodinium chlorophorum

“…Moreover, similar maximum TEP concentrations were observed for all strains, suggesting that TEP production was not dependent on intraspecific variability. However, the three strains had been isolated on the French Atlantic coast, while L. chlorophorum has been observed in other countries in Europe 63 as well as in Chile 64 , California 65 and Australia 66 . Therefore, the variation in TEP production among strains could be due to biogeographical issues.…”

When phytoplankton do not bloom: the case of the dinoflagellate Lepidodinium chlorophorum in southern Brittany (France) assessed by environmental DNA

“…The capacity of this unarmoured dinoflagellate (Elbrächter and Schnepf, 1996;Hansen et al, 2007) to form green seawater discolorations is due to the presence of green-coloured plastids (Matsumoto et al, 2011) inherited from secondary endosymbiosis with a chlorophyte (Kamikawa et al, 2015;Gavalás-Olea et al, 2016;Jackson et al, 2018). Blooms of L. chlorophorum are widely distributed in coastal waters: in Chile (Iriarte et al, 2005;Rodríguez-Benito et al, 2020), California (Gárate-Lizárraga et al, 2014), Australia (McCarthy, 2013), as well as in Europe (Honsell and Talarico, 2004;Sourisseau et al, 2016;Siano et al, 2020, Serre-Fredj et al, 2021Roux et al, 2022). Along the French Atlantic coast, blooms of this species are mainly observed during summer (Karasiewicz et al, 2020;Siano et al, 2020;Roux et al, 2022).…”

Lipophilic Toxins in Wild Bivalves from the Southern Gulf of California, Mexico

“…Other dinoflagellates, of the genera Prorocentrum , Dinophysis and Phalacroma , also inhabit the GuC. Some of their species can produce OA and other LT [ 16 ], while dinoflagellates such as Gonyaulax spinifera , Protoceratium reticulatum , Azadinium spinosum and Vulcanodinium rugosum , have been reported in the Pacific coast and in the GuC and are recognized to produce YTXs, AZAs and CI [ 17 , 18 ]. Epibenthic dinoflagellates, of the genus Prorocentrum , Coolia , Ostreopsis , Amphidinium and Fukuyoa, have been reported in Mexico.…”