Toxic Algae

有毒藻类

基本信息

批准号：
7569494
负责人：
ELAINE V ARMBRUST
金额：
$ 6.14万
依托单位：
UNIVERSITY OF WASHINGTON
依托单位国家：
美国
项目类别：
财政年份：
资助国家：
美国
起止时间：
至
项目状态：
未结题

项目摘要

Diatoms are the most abundant phytoplankton in coastal waters. In temperate waters such as those of the Pacific Northwest, diatoms form large blooms each Spring and Fall, providing a seasonal input of organic carbon that fuels ecosystem dynamics. Diatoms are characterized by high levels of intra- and inter-specific genetic and physiological variation, perhaps explaining why they are so successful in a wide variety of environments. Under environmental conditions that remain largely unknown, the genus of pennate diatom, Pseudo-nitzschia, can produce the neurotoxin domoic acid. This compound can be biomagnified through the food web, ultimately culminating in a potentially lethal syndrome in humans known as amnesiac shellfish poisoning. Along the west coast of the U.S., the ecological and economic impact of domoic acid contamination of fisheries has increased dramatically over the past decade. In the Pacific Northwest, 4 species of Pseudo-nitzschia - P. australis, P. multiseries, P. pseudodelicatissima, and P. pungens -are associated with toxic blooms, which have led to closures of razor clam and Dungeness crab fisheries. All fishery closures to date in Washington State have occurred along the coast where human settlement is limited. In Puget Sound, where many more people could potentially be affected, no shellfish closures have yet occurred although low levels of domoic acid are commonly detected in Puget Sound mussels and clams. The goal of the research proposed in the Toxic Algae Research Core is to dissect apart the underlying reasons for the differences between the coastal environment of the Pacific Northwest and Puget Sound. We hypothesize that environmental variability in combination with genetic and physiological variation within and between the different Pseudo-nitzschia species results in variations in toxicity at the different sites. We will focus specifically on factors related to potential chemical/physical/genetic differences between the different environments and phytoplankton communities.

硅藻是沿海水域最丰富的浮游植物。在太平洋西北地区等温带水域，硅藻在每年春季和秋季大量繁殖，提供季节性有机碳输入，促进生态系统动态。硅藻的特点是高水平的种内和种间遗传和生理变异，这或许可以解释为什么它们在各种环境中如此成功。环境下在很大程度上未知的条件下，羽状硅藻属、拟菱形藻可以产生神经毒素软骨藻酸。这种化合物可以通过食物网进行生物放大，最终导致人类出现一种潜在的致命综合症，即遗忘性贝类中毒。在美国西海岸，软骨藻酸污染渔业所造成的生态和经济影响在过去十年中急剧增加。在太平洋西北地区，4 种拟菱形藻（P. australis、P. multiseries、P. pseudodelicatissima 和 P. pungens）与有毒水华有关，导致蛏子和珍宝蟹渔业关闭。华盛顿州迄今为止所有的渔业关闭都发生在人类居住有限的沿海地区。在普吉特海湾，可能有更多的人受到影响，尽管普吉特海湾的贻贝和蛤蜊中普遍检测到低含量的软骨藻酸，但尚未发生贝类捕捞关闭的情况。有毒藻类研究核心提出的研究目标是剖析太平洋西北地区和普吉特海湾沿海环境差异的根本原因。我们假设环境变异性与不同拟菱形藻物种内部和之间的遗传和生理变异相结合，导致了毒性的变化。不同的网站。我们将特别关注与不同环境和浮游植物群落之间潜在的化学/物理/遗传差异相关的因素。