The influence of the toxin-producing dinoflagellate, Alexandrium catenella, on feeding, reproduction and toxin retention in Calanus helgolandicus

Abdulhussain, Ali H.; Cook, Kathryn B. ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-8590-3011; Bresnan, Eileen; Lacaze, Jean-Pierre; Mayor, Daniel J. ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-1295-0041. 2023 The influence of the toxin-producing dinoflagellate, Alexandrium catenella, on feeding, reproduction and toxin retention in Calanus helgolandicus. Harmful Algae, 132, 102564. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.hal.2023.102564

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Official URL: http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.hal.2023.102564

Abstract/Summary

Copepods of the genus Calanus dominate the biomass of pelagic ecosystems from the Mediterranean Sea up into the Arctic Ocean and form an important link between phytoplankton and higher trophic levels. Impacts from toxin-producing harmful algae (HA) have been recorded throughout this region over the last 50 years, with potentially negative effects on Calanus spp. populations and the ecosystem functions and services they provide. Here we examine how ingestion, egg-production and egg-viability in Calanus helgolandicus are affected by the relative abundance of the toxin-producing dinoflagellate Alexandrium catenella in their diet. Our four-day experiments demonstrate that the ingestion rate of C. helgolandicus declined significantly as the percentage of toxin-producing A. catenella within their diet increased, whereas egg production and egg viability were unaffected. Toxin profile concentrations for A. catenella are presented alongside body toxin-loads in C. helgolandicus after 4 days of feeding on these cells. The body toxin concentrations of C. helgolandicus were 3.6–356.6 pg STX diHCl eq. copepod−1, approximately 0.02–3.3 % of the toxins ingested. Our work suggests that the effects of exposure to A. catenella may be negligible in the short-term but could manifest if bloom conditions persist for longer than our experimental duration.

Item Type:	Publication - Article
Digital Object Identifier (DOI):	https://doi.org/10.1016/j.hal.2023.102564
ISSN:	15689883
Additional Keywords:	Phytoplankton, Harmful algal bloom, Copepod feeding, Egg production, Paralytic shellfish poisoning, Saxitoxin
Date made live:	13 Mar 2024 14:20 +0 (UTC)
URI:	https://nora.nerc.ac.uk/id/eprint/537075

Item Type:

Publication - Article

Digital Object Identifier (DOI):

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.hal.2023.102564

ISSN:

15689883

Additional Keywords:

Phytoplankton, Harmful algal bloom, Copepod feeding, Egg production, Paralytic shellfish poisoning, Saxitoxin

Date made live:

13 Mar 2024 14:20 +0 (UTC)

URI:

https://nora.nerc.ac.uk/id/eprint/537075