Chemical environment for red tides due toChattonella antiqua

Abstract

Environmental parameters that affect the growth ofChattonella antiqua were monitored throughout the outbreak period of this species around the Ie-shima Islands, the Seto Inland Sea, in the summer of 1987 (20 July–13 August). Averaged cell concentration ofC. antiqua over the water column (21 m) was below 10 cells· ml−1 on 20 July, gradually increased to reach the maximum of 250 cells·ml−1 on 7 August, and then rapidly decreased to the value of 30 cells·ml−1 on 13 August. Thermal stratifications were prominent from 20 July to 3 August and were destroyed after 4 August. Temperature and salinity were optimum for the growth ofC. antiqua throughout the survey period. At the bloom initiation period (20–21 July), concentrations of N- and P-nutrients (S N andS P ) were high throughout the water column. From 22 July to 3 August, whenC. antiqua increased its populations,S N andS P at the depth of 0–5m were low but those at the depth of 10–20m kept a high value. After 4 August,S n andS P at the depth of 10–20m decreased rapidly due to wind mixing coupled with the nutrient uptake byC. antiqua. When the populations ofC. antiqua reached the maximum (7–9 August), N-nutrients were depleted throughout the water column but P-nutrients were not. Concentrations of vitamin B12 were almost in the same range as those of the previous years and were optimum for the growth ofC. antiqua. GP- value (growth potential of the seawater with respect to nitrogen and phos-phorus) was higher than 0.6 even at the surface layer (0–5 m) at the bloom-initiation period. During the bloom development period (22 July–3 August), GP at the surface layer (0–5m) was low ( 0.4).In situ growth rates ofC. antiqua at the depth of 0 and 5m estimated from bottle experiments coincided well with the values expected from GP. A high value of GP at the surface layer in the initiation period and a shallow GP-cline in the development period, combined with the ability of diurnal vertical migration seemed to be at least one reason that natural populations ofC. antiqua grew at a rather high rate and formed red tides in the summer of 1987.