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Hepatotoxic Cyanobacterial Blooms In Louisiana's Estuaries: Analysis Of Risk To Blue Crab (Callinectes Sapidus) Following Exposure To Microcystins, Ana Cristina Garcia
Hepatotoxic Cyanobacterial Blooms In Louisiana's Estuaries: Analysis Of Risk To Blue Crab (Callinectes Sapidus) Following Exposure To Microcystins, Ana Cristina Garcia
LSU Master's Theses
The most common toxins detected following freshwater harmful algal blooms are microcystins, a group of hepatotoxins produced by cyanobacteria (e.g., Microcystis and Anabaena spp.). Preference for filter-feeding prey, including bivalves, makes the blue crab, Callinectes sapidus, vulnerable to microcystin contamination and makes the commercially important crab a potential vector of microcystins. I used a combination of field and laboratory studies to determine blue crab vulnerability to microcystin contamination and consequent impacts on crab physiology. Samples collected from a hyper-eutrophic freshwater lake, Lac des Allemands, Louisiana, were analyzed for cyanobacterial abundances and microcystins in surface water and blue crabs using light-microscopy …
Estuarine Phytoplankton Response To Annual And Manipulated River Inputs, Jessica Czubakowski
Estuarine Phytoplankton Response To Annual And Manipulated River Inputs, Jessica Czubakowski
LSU Master's Theses
River water entering estuaries affects the physical and chemical environment at irregular intervals creating a highly dynamic aquatic habitat. Phytoplankton are important primary producers in estuaries that respond quickly to their changing environment. Since 1991, Breton Sound estuary in southeast Louisiana has been directly influenced by Mississippi River water through the Caernarvon Freshwater Diversion structure. Over a 12 month period, the phytoplankton response was examined, in terms of biomass, abundance, community composition and potential phycotoxin production to seasonal changes in river input into the estuary. Within this 12 month period, a short pulse study was also carried out to examine …