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PHYTOFLAGELLATES OF THE SALTON SEA: CRYPTOPHYCEAE
Author(s) -
Barlow S.B.,
Kugrens P.
Publication year - 2000
Publication title -
journal of phycology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.85
H-Index - 127
eISSN - 1529-8817
pISSN - 0022-3646
DOI - 10.1046/j.1529-8817.1999.00001-13.x
Subject(s) - biology , ecosystem , population , endangered species , ecology , fish kill , flyway , eutrophication , marine ecosystem , fish <actinopterygii> , nutrient , fishery , algal bloom , demography , sociology , habitat , phytoplankton
The species composition of phytoflagellates in the Salton Sea has recently been the subject of intense investigation as part of an analysis of the Salton Sea ecosystem. The Salton Sea, an inland sea occupying 980 km 2 in southern California, has become a major stopping point for migratory birds along the Pacific Flyway. The increasing salinity of the sea, currently at 44 gm L −1 , and its eutrophic condition (average depth is nine meters, with a high nutrient load contributed by agricultural drainage from the surrounding farmlands) have contributed to a stressed ecosystem. Massive fish kills and bird kills, including such endangered birds as the brown pelican, have become a recurring problem. Although previous investigations have noted the presence of at least two phytoflagellates implicated in fish mortality, little attention has been paid the to the identities of the smaller flagellates observed growing in the sea and their possible contribution to the fish and bird population mortality. Using freshly collected field samples as well as enrichment culture techniques, we report the occurrence of several genera of cryptomonads in the Salton Sea, including representatives from the genera Chroomonas , Hemiselmis , Leucocryptos , Plagioselmis , Storeatula and Teleaulax.