Rôles of temperature, salinity, and light in seasonality, growth, and toxicity of ciguatera-causing Gambierdiscus toxicus Adachi et Fukuyo (Dinophyceae)

• Published in: Journal of experimental marine biology and ecology 1988-01, Vol.115 (1), p.53-65
• Main Authors: Bomber, Jeffrey W., Guillard, Robert R.L., Nelson, Walter G.
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Animal and plant ecology; Animal, plant and microbial ecology; Autoecology; Biological and medical sciences; Dinoflagellate; Fundamental and applied biological sciences. Psychology; Gambierdiscus toxicus; Growth; Marine; Plants and fungi; Seasonality; Toxicity
• ISSN: 0022-0981; 1879-1697
• DOI: 10.1016/0022-0981(88)90189-X

The ciguatera-causing dinoflagellate Gambierdiscus toxicus Adachi et Fukuyo reached maximum abundance in the Florida Keys when the water temperature was ≈ 30°C; populations were over half maximum when temperature lay in the interval 27–30°C. In laboratory unialgal culture experiments, temperatures >29 and 1.4 × 10 16 quanta .cm -2 · s -1 (≈ 11% of full sunlight). Under optimum combinations of the aformentioned parameters, growth rates > 0.5 division · day -14 could be sustained and led to unusually high yields in large scale cultures of up to 360 mg (dry weight) · 1 -1. Cultures grown at 27°C were more toxic than those at 21°C (3515 ± 500 cells · MU -1 vs. 16536 ± 2400 cells · MU -1, sd). Cultures were also still capable of producing toxins at inhibiting high irradiance levels.