Dinoflagellate cysts production in the north-western Adriatic Sea

Abstract

A sediment trap study was conducted in the Gulf of Venice, north-western Adriatic Sea, from April to December 2005 to assess relationships between planktonic dinoflagellates and cyst production. Every month, CTD profiles and discrete samplings for phytoplankton, nutrients and particulate matter were conducted. Cyst fluxes spanned from 90 to 127,600 cysts m-2 d-1 and major peaks were due to a small cyst attributed to cf. Biecheleria and to calcareous cysts of Scrippsiella trochoidea. A good correspondence between cyst fluxes in sediment traps and the presence of the corresponding vegetative cells in the water column was detected for Lingulodinium polyedrum, and species of the genera Spiniferites,Gonyaulax and Protoperidinium. A PCR method applied to surface sediment samples allowed the identification of a number of potentially harmful dinoflagellate cysts (Alexandrium minutum, A. tamutum, A. taylorii, Lingulodinium polyedrum and Protoceratium reticulatum).

Dinoflagellate resting cysts from surface sediments of the Adriatic Ports: Distribution and potential spreading patterns

“…For example, Biecheleria spp. was reported in NW region (Bastianini et al, 2016), but was undetected in port of Venice during this study, whereas Protoperidinium conicum was reported in mE region (Viličić et al, 2002), but was observed only in port of Split during this study (and not in port of Šibenik).…”

“…Spreading of dinoflagellates over coastal areas, and across the Adriatic by natural pattern, by general circulatory system and/or large gyres connecting western and eastern part of Adriatic, seems to be rather limited. Nevertheless, three taxa were observed in a new region during this study, whereto the spreading might have occurred by general anticyclonic currents system: Scrippsiella precaria spread from SE (Saracino and Rubino, 2006b;Rubino et al, 2009) up the eastern coast to NE (observed in port/s of Trieste and Koper), and Protoperidinium claudicans down the western coast, from NW (Sangiorgi and Donders, 2004;Bastianini et al, 2016) down to SW (observed in port of Bari). Protoperidinium compressum, observed in port of Split might have spread by large gyres eastwards from mW (Rubino et al, 2000) and/or SW (Rubino et al, 2002(Rubino et al, , 2009 and then up the eastern coast by general anticyclonic system.…”

“…Italy, Mediterranean Bal: Satta et al, 2013Tyr: Gómez, 2003Montresor and Zingone, 1988;Montresor et al, 1994Montresor et al, , 1998Fertouna-Bellakhal et al, 2014Ion: Rubino et al, 2002 Satta et al, 2013Aeg: Aydin and Uzar, 2014Aydin et al, 2015Ion: Rubino et al, 2002Ferraro et al, 2017Tyr: Gottschling et al, 2005Fertouna-Bellakhal et al, 2014Lev: Rubino et al, 2017SE: Viličić et al, 2002Saracino and Rubino, 2006b;Rubino et al, 2009;Drakulović et al, 2012;mE: Totti et al, 2000NE: Nichetto et al, 1995Rubino et al, 2000;Viličić et al, 2002, 2009, Cabrini et al, 2012Rogelja et al, 2018NW: Rubino et al, 2000Bastianini et al, 2016(also cyst) mW: Rubino et al, 2000SW: Rubino et al, 2002, 2009Thoracosphaeraceae indet. Schiller, 1930 Ion: Ferraro et al, 2017Arg, Bal, Tyr, Ion, Aeg, Lev: Gómez, 2003NE: Rogelja et al, 2018 xxx-xxx Table 6 Check-list of the taxa observed during PBS in the nine Adriatic Sea endorsed in five regions of the Adriatic (mE = mideastern with ports of Split and Šibenik, NE = northeastern with ports of Rijeka, Pula, Koper and Trieste; NW = northwestern with port of Venice, mW = Midwestern with port of Ancona; and SW = southwestern with port of Bari), including references to literature findings generally in the Adriatic (ADRIATIC) and per region (including SE = southeastern, mE, NE, NW, mW and SW) based on information given in Tables…”