Occurrence of Toxigenic Microalgal Species and Phycotoxin Accumulation in Mesozooplankton in Northern Patagonian Gulfs, Argentina

Abstract

In the Northern Patagonian gulfs of Argentina (Golfo Nuevo and Golfo San José), blooms of toxigenic microalgae and the detection of their associated phycotoxins are recurrent phenomena. The present study evaluated the transfer of phycotoxins from toxigenic microalgae to mesozooplankton in Golfo Nuevo and Golfo San José throughout an annual cycle (December 2014–2015 and January 2015–2016, respectively). In addition, solid‐phase adsorption toxin tracking (SPATT) samplers were deployed for the first time in these gulfs, to estimate the occurrence of phycotoxins in the seawater between the phytoplankton samplings. Domoic acid was present throughout the annual cycle in SPATT samplers, whereas no paralytic shellfish poisoning toxins were detected. Ten toxigenic species were identified: Alexandrium catenella, Dinophysis acuminata, Dinophysis acuta, Dinophysis tripos, Dinophysis caudata, Prorocentrum lima, Pseudo‐nitzschia australis, Pseudo‐nitzschia calliantha, Pseudo‐nitzschia fraudulenta, and Pseudo‐nitzschia pungens. Lipophilic and hydrophilic toxins were detected in phytoplankton and mesozooplankton from both gulfs. Pseudo‐nitzschia spp. were the toxigenic species most frequent in these gulfs. Consequently, domoic acid was the phycotoxin most abundantly detected and transferred to upper trophic levels. Spirolides were detected in phytoplankton and mesozooplankton for the first time in the study area. Likewise, dinophysistoxins were found in mesozooplankton from both gulfs, and this is the first report of the presence of these phycotoxins in zooplankton from the Argentine Sea. The dominance of calanoid copepods indicates that they were the primary vector of phycotoxins in the pelagic trophic web. Environ Toxicol Chem 2019;38:2209–2223. © 2019 SETAC.

DOMOIC acid, Pseudo-nitzschia spp and potential vectors at the base of the pelagic food web over the northern Patagonian coast, Southwestern Atlantic

“…was predominant during the bloom reported by D' Agostino et al (2018Agostino et al ( , 2019 in NG in spring, in our study DA production as well as DA transfer and accumulation co-occurred in late summer. These findings are therefore indicative of the high risk to which primary and secondary consumers, right whales, and other marine animals are exposed as a result of the presence of DA in these northern Patagonian gulfs (D'Agostino et al, 2018(D'Agostino et al, , 2019. P. australis, P. fraudulenta, and P. pungens, which were reported to be toxigenic (Lelong et al, 2012), occur in the northern Patagonian gulfs and in our study region regardless of the season, thus indicating the potential risk of Pseudo-nitzschia spp.…”

Increase in records of toxic phytoplankton and associated toxins in water samples in the Patagonian Shelf (Argentina) over 40 years of field surveys

“…P. australis and P. pungens were the most abundant species responsible for the toxic event. Similarly in Argentina, a massive stranding of the southern right whale (Eubalaena australis) in Valdés Peninsula (Wilson et al, 2015) was likely related to the detection of DA in whale feces (D'Agostino et al, 2017), probably after trophic transfer and accumulation of DA through mesozooplankton (D'Agostino et al, 2019). In Chile, P. australis and P. calliantha are the main producers of DA, causing yearly blooms which sometimes have led to closures in shellfish harvest areas (Díaz et al, 2019).…”

Transcriptomic Analysis of the Response of the Toxic Dinoflagellate Prorocentrum lima to Phosphorous Limitation

“…Also, large biomass blooms of the species have been reported along the coast of India [ 7 ], Italy [ 12 ], and Turkey [ 13 ]. DSP outbreaks in coastal waters are hazardous events as they can cause seafood toxicity and affect toxins transfer through the food chain, including humans [ 14 ]. Consequently, the formation mechanisms of dinoflagellate blooms and the regulation of physiological processes have become research hotspots in the field of HABs.…”