Pharmacology, Toxicology and Environmental Health Commons^™

Establishing Environmental Variability In The Toxins Produced By A Single Strain Of Prymnesium Parvum, Amy Parsons-White

Theses, Dissertations and Capstones

Prymnesium parvum (P. parvum) is a toxin producing haptophyte that has spread globally over the past 100 years. The algae, initially a marine organism, has moved inland to less saline waters. In addition, there is variability in the efficacy of the toxins produced from bloom to bloom. Variation between strains has been suggested as the reason for bloom differences; however, environmental variability within a single strain must first be established. Here, a single strain of P. parvum was cultured at three environmentally relevant salinities, 6psu, 13psu, and 35psu. Three different environmental shocks, decreased temperature, raised pH, and addition of specific …