Open AccessBloom of Gonyaulax spinifera (Dinophyceae: Gonyaulacales) in Ensenada de La Paz lagoon, Gulf of California.
Author(s) -
Ismael Gárate Lizárraga,
Ma. S. Muñetón Gómez,
Beatriz Pérez Cruz,
Jesús Antonio Díaz Ortiz
Publication year - 2014
Publication title -
cicimar oceánides
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
eISSN - 2448-9123
pISSN - 1870-0713
DOI - 10.37543/oceanides.v29i1.130
Subject(s) - oceanography , bloom , dinophyceae , benthic zone , dinoflagellate , phytoplankton , pelagic zone , salinity , plankton , red tide , abundance (ecology) , algal bloom , environmental science , species richness , biology , ecology , geology , nutrient
During a sampling on 24 September 2012 in the coastal lagoon, Ensenada de La Paz, a smallbloom of the dinoflagellate Gonyaulax spinifera was detected. Its abundance varied from 401 to 1342 × 103 cells L–1. Cells of G. spinifera ranged from 34 to 50 µm in length and 22 to 35 µm in width (n = 30). Seawater temperature and salinity were 29 °C and 35.5, respectively. The species composition of the bloom was recorded. The phytoplankton community had high species richness, resulting from a mix of benthic and pelagic diatoms anddinoflagellates, as well as cyanobacteria that occurred with low frequency. This brief proliferation lasted around three hours and may have been caused by tidal water accumulation along the shore. Although G. spinifera is a producer of yessotoxin, no fish or invertebrates were apparently killed by this bloom, which was rapidly dispersed by tides and wind-forcing.