U.S.-Malaysia Cooperative Research: Bloom Dynamics and Physiology of the Toxic Red Tide Dinoflagellate Pyrodinium Bahamensa from Malaysia.

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9224474 Anderson This proposal requests funds to permit dissertation improvement research, in Malaysia, by Mr. Gires Usup, a Ph.D. student in the Boston University Marine Program, Woods Hole, MA, under the direction of Dr. Donald M. Anderson, Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution, within a 24-month period, on the bloom dynamics and physiology of the toxic red tide dinoflagellate Pyrodinium bahamensa. Recurring outbreaks of toxic red tides on the west coast of Sabah, Malaysia, have caused serious public health and economic problems in that region. Physiological and toxicity studies are currently underway on a laboratory culture of an isolate from Sabah. The present study is the field component of the dissertation project aimed at understanding the bloom dynamics of red tide outbreaks on the west coast of Sabah. Sampling cruises and monitoring programs will be used to quantitatively characterize the spatial and temporal distribution of this toxic dinoflagellate, the movement of its populations, and the biological events that take place during bloom development. The relationship between bloom occurrence, the physical characteristics of the water column, and meteorological conditions also will be quantitatively analyzed. Harmful or noxious algal blooms are becoming increasingly common in many coastal regions of the world. When the causative dinoflagellate is a toxic species, suspension-feeding bivalves concentrate the potent neurotoxins in their tissues. Consumption of these shellfish leads to paralytic shellfish poisoning which can be fatal to human beings, especially, children. Dr. Anderson is a recognized authority on red tide dinoflagellates. Mr. Usup, on leave from his position as Lecturer, Marine Sciences Department, University Kebangsaan Malaysia, Sabah Campus, also has research publications in this field. Mr. Norhadi Ismail, a co-author with Mr. Usup in these studies at Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia, will collaborate in the present research. Th is project is relevant to the objectives of the East Asia and Pacific Program which encourages proposals for activities in regions such as Southeast Asia where interactions between U.S. and foreign investigators have been limited. ***