ECOHAB: Zooplankton Grazing of Toxic Alexandrium spp.as a Mechanism in the Control of Bloom Formation and Toxin Transfer

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Toxic Alexandrium spp. dinoflagellates cause paralytic shellfish poison (PSP) outbreaks in the Gulf of Maine each year, posing a public health threat and resulting in economic loss. The population dynamics of Alexandrium spp. are at present poorly understood; in order to understand and model these dynamics basic information on the mechanisms that allow blooms to form must be obtained. This study will determine the role of grazing by the dominant zooplankton (copepods) in the population dynamics of toxic Alexandrium spp. The study will conduct laboratory experiments to elucidate the mechanisms responsible for specific grazing behavior of dominant zooplankton species. Coordinated in situ field studies focusing on the spring period of bloom initiation will also be conducted, at sites where high PSP levels occur early and regularly.