Multi-specific Harmful Algal Bloom
in a Chilean Fjord: A dangerous phytoplankton cocktail
Fig. 1. Maps of study area showing: left, NW Patagonian fjords; right, Quitralco Fjord
Harmful Algal Blooms (HABs) in Southern Chile (Patagonian fjords) have followed the global trend of increasing
reports and recurring negative impacts
in the last decades [1,2]. Consequently,
HABs in this fjord system have become
a major problem that affects artisanal
fisheries, aquaculture and tourist resources as well as coastal and inland
ecosystems, and public health [3]. Recurrent events of Paralytic Shellfish
Toxins (PSTs) producing species Alexandrium catenella pose the main threat to
aquaculture and public health in Southern Chile [3]. Amnesic Shellfish Toxins
(ASTs) events caused by the diatom
genus Pseudo-nitzschia and Diarrheic
Shellfish Toxins (DSTs) by endemic Dinophysis species (D. acuta and D. acuminata complex producers of Okadaic
Acid (OA) derivatives and Pectenotoxins, PTX) also threaten the Patagonian fjords ecosystem [1]. In addition,
blooms of Yessotoxin (YTX) producers,
such as the dinoflagellate Protoceratium reticulatum, recurrent in Southern
Chile, have been associated with mass
mortalities in Northern Chile [4].
In 2022, an intense summer bloom
of toxic species, Pseudo-nizschia spp, Alexandrium catenella, Dinophysis acuminata and Protoceratium reticulatum,
8
was detected in the southern fjords of
NW Patagonia (Fig. 1A). The Quitralco
Fjord, located south of the Aysén region, was the area most impacted (Fig.
1B). This diverse Harmful Algal Bloom
(HAB) generated intense brown patches of water close to the head of the fjord
(Fig. 2). In February 22, measurements
of physical-chemical properties were
carried out at a station inside Quitralco
fjord to study fine-scale distribution of
the HAB species. Vertical distribution
(CTD profiles) of temperature (C), salinity, in vivo fluorescence (equiv. μg L-1
Chl-a) and dissolved oxygen (mL L-1) as
well as water samples at 2m intervals
from surface to 20 m (Niskin bottles)
for microphytoplankton analyses were
collected.
CTD profiles showed a stratified water column with salinity ranging from
26.8 to 29.5 and temperature from 13.5
C to 10.5 C between surface and 20 m
(Fig. 3A). An intense subsurface chl-a
maximum (SSCM) was detected from 3
to 5 m, with a maximum of 22.6 mg L-1 at
4 m depth (Fig. 3A). The phytoplankton
community was dominated by Pseudonizschia (72%) and the dinoflagellate
Alexandrium catenella (10%). Maximum cell densities of Pseudo-nizschia
spp. (2 x 106 cells L-1) and A. catenella
(267 x 103 cells L-1) were detected at 4
m depth, coinciding with the chl a maximum (Figs. 3B, C). High densities of D.
acuminata (6.0 x 103 cells L-1) and P.
Fig. 2. Photographs of the red tide (upper panel) and light microscopy micrographs of Alexandrium
catenella and Pseudo-nitzschia spp. (lower panel) from Quitralco Fjord
HARMFUL ALGAE NEWS NO. 70 / 20221
Harmful Algae News An IOC Newsletter on Toxic Algae and Algal Blooms No. 70 - July 2022 https://hab.ioc-unesco.org/ Mar Menor lagoon: an iconic case of ecosystem collapse Content Featured articles Mar Menor lagoon: an iconic case of ecosystem collapse, Juan M Ruiz, Jaime BernardeauEsteller, M Dolo
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provided by President and Staff of the harbours Club Nautico Lo Pagán, Club Náutico La Puntica and Centro de Actividades Náuticas (San Pedro del Pinatar, Murcia, Spain). References 1. Ruiz JM et al 2020. Informe de asesoramiento técnico del IEO, 165pp 2. Belando MB et al 2019. Front. Mar. Sci. Conf
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Fig. 3. Vertical distribution of A) temperature (blue line), salinity (red line) and chlorophyll a (green line); B) Pseudo-nitzschia spp; C) A. catenella; D) D. acuminata; E) P. reticulatum at a sampling station close to the head of Quitralco Fjord on February 22, 2022 reticulatum (18.3 x 103 cells
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