Inter-Research > AME > v45 > n2 > p101-106  
AME
Aquatic Microbial Ecology


via Mailchimp

AME 45:101-106 (2006)  -  doi:10.3354/ame045101

First successful culture of the marine dinoflagellate Dinophysis acuminata

Myung Gil Park1,*, Sunju Kim2, Hyung Seop Kim3, Geumog Myung2, Yi Gu Kang2, Wonho Yih2

1Department of Oceanography, Chonnam National University, Gwangju 500-757, Republic of Korea
2Department of Oceanography, Kunsan National University, Kunsan 573-701, Republic of Korea
3Gunsan Regional Maritime Affairs and Fisheries Office, MOMAF, Kunsan 573-882, Republic of Korea

ABSTRACT: The dinoflagellate genus Dinophysis includes several species that cause diarrhetic shellfish poisoning, none of which have yet been established in culture. We report on the maintenance of Dinophysis acuminata cultures that were established in December 2005 and also on its feeding mechanism, and growth rates when fed the ciliate prey Myrionecta rubra with and without the addition of the cryptophyte Teleaulax sp. D. acuminata grew well (growth rate of 0.95 d–1) in laboratory culture when supplied with the marine ciliate M. rubra as prey, reaching a maximum concentration of about 2400 cells ml–1 at the end of the feeding experiment. In contrast, D. acuminata did not show sustained growth in the absence of the ciliate or when provided the cryptophyte Teleaulax sp. as prey (D. acuminata used its peduncle to extract the cell contents of the prey organism, M. rubra). Based on the prey– predator interactions occurring among D. acuminata, M. rubra, and Teleaulax sp. in this study, establishment of permanent culture of the dinoflagellate D. acuminata may facilitate a better understanding of the ecophysiology, biology, and toxicology of Dinophysis species, as well as the evolution of dinoflagellate plastids.


KEY WORDS: Dinophysis acuminata · Cultivation · Myrionecta rubra · Diarrhetic shellfish poisoning · Feeding


Full text in pdf format
Supplementary Video (8MB)

Next article