Density-dependent inhibition among four major dinoflagellate species causing red tides in Korean waters

• Published in: Marine biology Vol. 170; no. 12; p. 170
• Main Authors: Ok, Jin Hee, Jeong, Hae Jin, Lee, Kyung Ha, Kang, Hee Chang, You, Ji Hyun, Park, Sang Ah, Eom, Se Hee, Seong, Kyeong Ah
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Berlin/Heidelberg Springer Berlin Heidelberg 01-12-2023; Springer Nature B.V
• Subjects: Abundance; Alexandrium; Algae; Biomedical and Life Sciences; Cells; Density; Dinoflagellates; Economic impact; Fish; Freshwater & Marine Ecology; Growth; Hypoxia; Life Sciences; Marine & Freshwater Sciences; Marine biology; Mass mortality; Microbiology; Microorganisms; Oceanography; Original Paper; Prorocentrum donghaiense; Red tide; Red tides; Shellfish; Species; Thyone fusus; Water quality; Zoology; Competition; Biological interaction; Phytoplankton; Harmful algal bloom; Marine ecosystem
• ISSN: 0025-3162; 1432-1793
• DOI: 10.1007/s00227-023-04319-9

In red-tide dynamics, one species often predominates microalgal communities after severe competition among several species. In Korean waters,
Prorocentrum donghaiense
,
Tripos fusus
,
Alexandrium fraterculus
, and
Margalefidinium polykrikoides
form red tides, which sometimes cause massive fish kills and economic losses. When two of these species were cultivated together,
M. polykrikoides
inhibited the growth of
A. fraterculus
,
P. donghaiense
, and
T. fusus
at a
M. polykrikoides
abundance of 610, 2230, and 410 cells mL
−1
, respectively.
Alexandrium fraterculus
inhibited the growth of
P. donghaiense
and
T. fusus
at a
A. fraterculus
abundance of 840 and 10 cells mL
−1
, respectively.
Prorocentrum donghaiense
inhibited the growth of
T. fusus
at a
P. donghaiense
abundance of 2020 cells mL
−1
. Our field data on the abundance of these species in 2014 show that the abundances of
A. fraterculus
,
P. donghaiense
, and
T. fusus
were less than 10 cells mL
−1
when that of
M. polykrikoides
exceeded 500 cells mL
−1
. Therefore, the red-tide formation of one of these four species can be affected by the high abundance of the others, which is an example of density-dependent inhibition.