title: PSP toxin levels and plankton community composition and abundance in size-fractionated vertical profiles during spring/summer blooms of the toxic dinoflagellateAlexandrium fundyensein the Gulf of Maine and on Georges Bank, 2007, 2008, and 2010: 2. Plankton community composition and abundance.
abstract: As part of the Gulf of Maine Toxicity (GOMTOX) project, we determinedAlexandrium fundyenseabundance, paralytic shellfish poisoning (PSP) toxin levels in various plankton size fractions, and the community composition of potential grazers ofA. fundyensein plankton size fractions during blooms of this toxic dinoflagellate in the coastal Gulf of Maine and on Georges Bank in spring and summer of 2007, 2008, and 2010. PSP toxins andA. fundyensecells were found throughout the sampled water column (down to 50 m) in the 20-64 μm size fractions. While PSP toxins were widespread throughout all size classes of the zooplankton grazing community, the majority of the toxin was measured in the 20-64 μm size fraction.A. fundyensecellular toxin content estimated from field samples was significantly higher in the coastal Gulf of Maine than on Georges Bank. Most samples containing PSP toxins in the present study had diverse assemblages of grazers. However, some samples clearly suggested PSP toxin accumulation in several different grazer taxa including tintinnids, heterotrophic dinoflagellates of the genusProtoperidinium, barnacle nauplii, the harpacticoid copepodMicrosetella norvegica, the calanoid copepodsCalanus finmarchicusandPseudocalanusspp., the marine cladoceranEvadne nordmanni, and hydroids of the genusClytia. Thus, a diverse assemblage of zooplankton grazers accumulated PSP toxins through food-web interactions. This raises the question of whether PSP toxins pose a potential human health risk not only from nearshore bivalve shellfish, but also potentially from fish and other upper-level consumers in zooplankton-based pelagic food webs.
authors.affiliation: School for Marine Science and Technology, University of Massachusetts Dartmouth, 706 South Rodney French Boulevard, New Bedford, MA 02744, USA.
authors.forename: Christian M
authors.initials: CM
authors.lastname: Petitpas
authors.affiliation: School for Marine Science and Technology, University of Massachusetts Dartmouth, 706 South Rodney French Boulevard, New Bedford, MA 02744, USA.
authors.forename: Jefferson T
authors.initials: JT
authors.lastname: Turner
authors.affiliation: US FDA Center for Food Safety and Applied Nutrition, 5100 Paint Branch Parkway, College Park, MD 20740, USA.
authors.forename: Jonathan R
authors.initials: JR
authors.lastname: Deeds
authors.affiliation: Biology Department, Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution, Woods Hole, MA 02543, USA.
authors.forename: Bruce A
authors.initials: BA
authors.lastname: Keafer
authors.affiliation: Department of Applied Ocean Physics and Engineering, Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution, Woods Hole, MA 02543, USA.
authors.forename: Dennis J
authors.initials: DJ
authors.lastname: McGillicuddy
authors.affiliation: School for Marine Science and Technology, University of Massachusetts Dartmouth, 706 South Rodney French Boulevard, New Bedford, MA 02744, USA.
authors.forename: Peter J
authors.initials: PJ
authors.lastname: Milligan
authors.affiliation: US FDA Center for Food Safety and Applied Nutrition, 5100 Paint Branch Parkway, College Park, MD 20740, USA.
authors.forename: Vangie
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Shue
authors.affiliation: US FDA Center for Food Safety and Applied Nutrition, 5100 Paint Branch Parkway, College Park, MD 20740, USA.
authors.forename: Kevin D
authors.initials: KD
authors.lastname: White
authors.affiliation: Biology Department, Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution, Woods Hole, MA 02543, USA.
authors.forename: Donald M
authors.initials: DM
authors.lastname: Anderson
keywords: Georges Bank; Gulf of Maine; Harmful algal bloom; PSP toxins; Vectorial intoxication; Zooplankton