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Interactive Effects Of Domoic Acid Allelopathy, Salinity, And Eutrophication On Estuarine Phytoplankton Community Structure, Elise Van Meerssche

Theses and Dissertations

Coastal regions and estuaries are particularly sensitive to the increase in nutrient loading and river runoff, threatening the ecosystems with possible spreads in harmful algal blooms (HABs). As an example, blooms of toxic Pseudo-nitzschia species can release acute concentrations of the neurotoxin domoic acid (DA) in the water column. When ingested at concentrations higher than 20 ppm, DA can cause the death of marine birds, marine mammals and even humans. The main objectives of my research were to determine the drivers of Pseudo-nitzschia abundance and toxicity and to assess how these drivers influenced the phytoplankton community structure and DA allelopathy. …