Inhibition of egg hatching success and larvae survival of the scallop, Chlamys farreri, associated with exposure to cells and cell fragments of the dinoflagellate Alexandrium tamarense.
We report an apparently novel toxic effect of the dinoflagellate Alexandrium tamarense, manifested by inhibition of the egg hatching success of the scallop, Chlamys farreri. The hatching rate of C. farreri approached only 30% of controls when its fertilised eggs were exposed for 36h to A. tamarense cells or cellular fragments at a concentration of 100 cells/ml, and the hatching rate was just 5% after exposure to A. tamarense of 500 cells/ml. Similar exposures of the fertilised scallop eggs to two other algal species, the diatom Phaeodactylum tricornutum and the raphidophyte Heterosigma carterae, resulted in no such toxicity or inhibitory effects. Likewise, exposure of eggs to standard STX toxin, as well as to A. tamarense cell contents (supernant of re-suspended algal cells following ultrasonication and centrifugation), did not elicit this inhibitory response. However, exposure of the scallop eggs to cell cultures, intact algal cells, or cell fragments of A. tamarense produced marked toxicity. The alga also influenced larvae at early D-shape stage of scallop. The survival rates began to decrease significantly after exposed for 6 days at concentration of 3000 cells/ml and above; no larvae could survive after 14-day exposure to A. tamarense at 10,000 cells/ml or 20-day at 5000 cells/ml. The results indicated the production of novel substances from A. tamarense which can cause adverse effects on egg hatching and survival of the scallop larvae. The experiment also found that the developmental stages before blastula was the developmental period most sensitive to the A. tamarense toxin(s) and the alga at early exponential stage had the strongest effect on egg hatching comparing with other growth phases. The adverse effect of A. tamarense on early development of scallops may cause decline of shellfish population and may have further impact on marine ecosystem.
Yan
T
T
Institute of Oceanology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, 266071, Qingdao, China. tianyan@ms.qdio.ac.cn
Zhou
M
M
Fu
M
M
Wang
Y
Y
Yu
R
R
Li
J
J
D000818:Animals; D004141:Dinoflagellida / Q000472:pathogenicity*; D056890:Eukaryota / Q000472:pathogenicity; D007814:Larva / Q000502:physiology; D008974:Mollusca / Q000502:physiology*; D010058:Oviposition; D010063:Ovum / Q000502:physiology