Effects of UV-B radiation on the growth interaction of Ulva pertusa and Alexandrium tamarense

Enhanced UV-B(280-320 nm) radiation resulting from ozone depletion is one of global environmental problems. Not only marine organisms but also marine ecosystems can be affected by enhanced UV-B radiation. The effects of UV-B radiation on interaction of macro-algae and micro-algae were investigated using Ulva pertusa Kjellman and Alexandrium tamarense as the materials in this study. The results demonstrated that UV-B radiation could inhibit the growth of Ulva pertusa and Alexandrium tamarense when they were both mono-cultured, and the growth inhibition of algae was more significant with increasing doses of UV-B radiation. Alexandrium tamarense could inhibit the growth of Ulva pertusa in mixed culture, and the growth inhibition was more significant when increasing the initial cell density. However, Ulva pertusa could inhibit the growth of Alexandrium tamarense in early phase and stimulate the growth in latter phase when they were grown in mixed culture. Lower initial cell density(10~2 cell/ml) of Alexandrium tamarense could inhibit the growth of Ulva pertusa under UV-B radiation treatment,however, with the initial cell density increasing(10~3 and 10~4 cell/ml), the growth of Ulva pertusa was stimulated under lower dose of UV-B radiation and inhibited under higher dose of UV-B radiation by Alexandrium tamarense. Compared with that in mixed culture, Ulva pertusa showed more positive inhibition to the growth of Alexandrium tamarense under UV-B radiation treatment.

Effect of Antibiotic Treatment on Toxin Production by Alexandrium tamarense

Objective Impact of the presence of bacteria associated with a marine dinoflagellate, Alexandrium tamarense CI01, on the growth and toxin production of the algae in batch culture was investigated. Methods Pronounced changes in the activities of the algal culture were observed when the culture was treated with different doses of a mixture of penicillin and streptomycin. Results In the presence of antibiotics at the initial concentration of 100 u/mL in culture medium, both algal growth and toxin yield increased markedly. When the concentration of antibiotics was increased to 500 u/mL, the microalgal growth was inhibited, but resumed in a few days to eventually reach the same level of growth and toxin production as at the lower dose of the antibiotics. When the antibiotics were present at a concentration of 1 000 u/mL, the algal growth was inhibited permanently. Conclusions The results indicate that antibiotics can enhance algal growth and toxin production not only through their inhibition of the growth and hence competition for nutrients, but also through their effects on the physiology of the algae.

Study on impact of dinoflagellate Alexandrium tamarense on life activities of marine bivalves

The effects of a PSP producing dinoflagellate Alexandrium tamarense on marine bivalvesat their several important life stages: egg, D- shape larva, eyespot larva, juvenile and adult, were studied. The results show that the hatching, survival, activity, filtration and growth were adversely affected by the alga and the impact was significantly increased with the increase of algal density. The inhibitory effect on egg hatching was most significant, which the hatching rate was only 30% of the control when exposed to the alga at 100 cell/cm3 after 36 h. Further experiments show that the algal culture, re-suspended cells and cell fragments had the inhibitory effect, while no such effect was from the cell-free medium, cell contents and standard STX. The results indicate that the alga could produce unknown toxins, rather than PSP, associated with the cell surface.

The prewarning value of Alexandrium tamarense PSP in an area with frequent outburst of red tide

The PSP toxicity of Alexandrium tamarense （Lebour） Balech on the blue mussel （Mytilus edulis） from the western waters of Xiamen in China was studied by following the standard method of PSP mouse bioassay developed by the Association of Official Analytical Chemists （ AOAC ）. The results showed that the mice survived when the density of A. tamarense cells was lower than 1×10^5 cells per cubic decimetre and died when the density was higher than 1×10^6 cells per cubic decimetre. The past record of red tide events in the western waters of Xiamen showed a general trend of starting from the bloom of non-toxic planktonic diatoms in local waters and resulting in a harmful algal bloom due to the fade of planktonic diatoms which failed in the survival competition in the unfavorable and deteriorated eco-environment. On the basis of experimental results and natural environment of Xiamen waters and by making reference to the critical criteria of shellfish toxins in various states, a prewarning value 1×10^5 cells per cubic decimetre of A. tamarense PSP toxicity was proposed for the areas in South China where red tides frequently occur.

Biological activity of a red-tide alga—A. tamarense under co-cultured condition with bacteria

The relationship between Alexandrium tamarense （Lebour） Balech, one of red-tide alga, and two strains of marine bacteria, Bacillius megaterium（S7 ） and B. halmapulus（ S10 ） isolated from Xiamen Western Sea, was investigated by evaluating the growth state of A. tamarense and the variation of β-glucosidase activity in co-culture system. The results showed the growth and multiplication of the alga were related with the concentration, genus speciality of the bacteria, and growth stage of the alga itself. The growth of A. tamarense was obviously inhibited by S7 and S10 at high concentration. Either inhibition or promotion contributed much more clearly in earlier than in later stageof the growth of the alga. Furthermore, there was a roughly similar variation trend of the activity of extra-cellular enzyme, β- glucosidase, in the water of the separately co-cultured bacteria S7 and S10 with the alga. The β-glucosidase activity（β-GlcA） rapidly increased during the later algal growth accompanying the increase of the lysis of the alga cells. The obvious inhibition of A. tamarense by marine bacteria at high concentration and evident increase of β-GlcA in co-colture system would help us in better understanding the relationship between red-tide alga and bacteria, and also enlightened us the possible use of bacteria in the bio-control of red-tide.

Distribution of dinoflagellate cysts in Yellow Sea sediments

To investigate the distribution, abundance, and species composition of dinoflagellate cysts in the Yellow Sea, surface sediment samples were collected at 37 sites, including the Korean dump site. Twenty-one di- noflagellate cyst taxa were identified, with the assemblages dominated mainly by Spiniferites bulloideus, Operculodinium centrocarpum, and cyst of Alexandrium catenella/tarnarense type. A high frequency of O. centrocarpum in the Yellow Sea was observed for the first time, and it is likely that this can be attributed to the dynamics of the Yellow Sea Cold Water Mass and the Changjiang （Yangtze） River runoff. Total cyst concentrations ranged from 23 to 48 442 cysts/g dry weight, and high cyst concentrations were recorded adjacent to the dumping site. This result suggests that anthropogenic activities such as ocean dumping s- timulate the growth of dinoflagellates in the Yellow Sea, which in turn leads to high levels of dinoflagellate cyst production.

Competition of bloom-forming marine phytoplankton at low nutrient concentrations

Competition of three bloom-forming marine phytoplankton （diatom Skeletonema costatum, and dinoflagellates Prorocentrum minimum and Alexandrium tamarense） was studied through a series of multispecies cultures with different nitrate （NaNO 3 ） and phosphate （NaH 2 PO 4 ） levels and excess silicate to interpret red tide algae succession. S. costatum outgrew the other two dinoflagellates in nitrate and phosphate replete cultures with 10 μmol/L Na 2 SiO 3 . Under nitrate limited （8.82 μmol/L NaNO 3 ） conditions, the growth of S. costatum was also dominant when phosphate concentrations were from 3.6 to 108 μmol/L. Cell density of the two dinoflagellates only increased slightly, to less than 400 and 600 cells/mL, respectively. Cell density of S. costatum decreased with time before day 12, and then increased to 4000 cells/mL （1.5 mg/L dry biomass） at NaNO 3 concentrations between 88.2 and 882 μmol/L with limited phosphate （0.36 μmol/L NaH 2 PO 4 ） levels. In addition, P. minimum grew well with a maximal cell density of 1690–2100 cells/mL （0.5–0.6 mg/L dry biomass）. Although S. costatum initially grew fast, its cell density decreased quickly with time later in the growth phase and the two dinoflagellates were dominant under the nitrate-limited and high nitrate conditions with limited phosphate. These results indicated that the diatom was a poor competitor compared to the two dinoflagellates under limited phosphate; however, it grew well under limited nitrate when growth of the dinoflagellates was near detection limits.