Spatial distribution of modern dinoflagellate cysts in polluted estuarine sediments from Buzzards Bay (Massachusetts, USA) embayments

Abstract

Analysis of the spatial distribution of the dinoflagellate cyst assemblages in 19 surface sediment samples collected from 3 Buzzards Bay (Massachusetts, USA) embayments revealed the potential applicability of dinoflagellate cysts as biological indicators of environmental conditions in estuarine systems. Sites with the highest levels of toxic pollution and hypertrophic conditions are characterized by the lowest dinoflagellate cyst species-richness and concentrations. Among the abiotic factors influencing the distribution of dinoflagellate cysts, nutrients and toxic pollution are the major controls, as in these embayments salinity and temperature variability is low. Principal component analysis, based on the proportions of cyst taxa, indicated that cyst assemblages gradually change when moving away from the sources of nutrient pollution, sewage outfalls in particular.

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“…The higher total cysts concentration were observed at stations in the Aliağa Bay than station in the Nemrut Bay. In comparison, the total cyst concentration were found higher than Sishili Bay, China (Liu et al, 2012), Visakhapatnam Harbour, India (D'Silvia et al, 2013, whereas the lower than Izmir Bay, Turkey (Aydin et al, 2011), Thermaikos Gulf, Greece (Giannakourou et al, 2005) and Buzzards Bay, USA (Pospelova et al, 2005). Cysts behave like fine particles and accumulate into the sediment.…”

“…Total number of cyst was reported as a general indicator of industrial pollution from the Buzzards Bay, USA and toxic metal and organic carbon content were negatively correlated to species richness (Pospelova et al, 2005). Different from Pospelova et al (2005), more dinoflagellate cyst diversity were observed at stations which are detected higher level of metals.…”

“…Most of researches have focused on the effect of nutrient enrichment and eutrophication on the dinoflagellate cysts (Marret and Zonneveld, 2003;Pospelova and Kim, 2010;Kim et al, 2012;Zonneveld et al, 2013). The effects of industrial pollution on dinoflagellate cysts assemblages have been studied only in a few areas (Dale, 2001;Pospelova et al, 2005;Liu et al, 2012).…”

Palynomorph Assemblages Dominated by Heterotrophic Marine Palynomorphs in Tropical Coastal Shallow-water Sediments from the Southern Myanmar Coast

“…These organic-walled micro-remains preserved in sediments are regarded as a useful proxy of coastal environments and used in reconstructing coastal marine environmental history. In particular, dinoflagellate cysts are known as the most useful marine palynomorphs, typically employed for understanding eutrophication mainly in temperate to sub-boreal regions (Dale 2009, Matsuoka 2011, Pospelova 2005. Also along tropical Southeast Asian coasts, several studies have examined dinoflagellate cysts found in surface sediments of the Philippines (Baula et al…”

Do the levels of industrial pollutants influence the distribution and abundance of dinoflagellate cysts in the recently-deposited sediment of a Mediterranean coastal ecosystem?

“…Until now, most of the ecotoxicological studies conducted on dinoflagellates investigated the effects of contaminants only on vegetative cells. Few studies examined their potential effect on cyst production and abundance (e.g., Pospelova et al, 2005;Godhe and McQuoid, 2003;Aydin et al, 2015;Liu et al, 2012). These authors studied the relationships between resting cyst abundance and the degree of heavy metal contamination, suggesting that trace metals could potentially affect the physiology of dinoflagellates by enhancing resting cyst production rates.…”