Gracilaria Tenuistipitata Var Research Articles

Biostimulant red seaweed (Gracilaria tenuistipitata var. liui) extracts spray improves yield and drought tolerance in soybean.

Drought has a deleterious impact on the growth, physiology, and yield of various plants, including soybean. Seaweed extracts are rich in various bioactive compounds, including antioxidants, and can be used as biostimulants for improving yield and alleviating the adverse effect of drought stress. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effect of soybean growth and yield with different concentrations (0.0%, 5.0%, and 10.0% v/v) of water extracts of the red seaweed Gracilaria tenuistipitata var. liui under well-watered (80% of field capacity (FC) and drought (40% of FC)) conditions. Drought stress decreased soybean grain yield by 45.58% compared to well-watered circumstances but increased the water saturation deficit by 37.87%. It also decreased leaf water, chlorophyll content, plant height, and the fresh weight of the leaf, stem, and petiole. Drought stress decreased soybean grain yield by 45.58% compared to well-watered circumstances but increased the water saturation deficit by 37.87%. It also decreased leaf water, chlorophyll content, plant height, and the fresh weight of the leaf, stem, and petiole. Under both drought and well-watered situations, foliar application of seaweed extracts dramatically improved soybean growth and production. Under drought and well-watered situations, 10.0% seaweed extract increased grain yield by 54.87% and 23.97%, respectively in comparison to untreated plants. The results of this study suggest that red seaweed extracts from Gracilaria tenuistipitata var. liui may be used as a biostimulant to improve soybean yield and drought tolerance in the presence of insufficient water. However, the actual mechanisms behind these improvements need to be further investigated in field conditions.

Potential Use of Seaweed (Gracilaria Tenuistipitata Var. Liui) for Reduction of Enteric Methane Emissions from Crossbred Dairy Cattle in Bangladesh

Gracilaria tenuistipitata var. Liui is a red seaweed, artificially cultivated in Nuniachara sea beach at Cox's Bazar, mostly utilized as a human diet and nutritional supplement in Bangladesh. It has certain industrial applications as well. To explore the diversified application of this seaweed in livestock feed industries to reduce enteric methane production from ruminant, a feeding trial was done at the Pranisheba R and D cattle farm, Savar, Dhaka. An ambient methane amount was measured with and without application of seaweed in concentrate feed by a sensor based IoT device of remote cowshed monitoring system. Other clinical parameters like feeding amount, body temperature, consistency of faeces was physically monitored. After proximate analysis, the composition of total crude protein, crude fiber and moisture of Gracilaria tenuistipitata var. Liui were 24.09%, 0.18%, 21.31%. The quantity of total energy was 2615 Kcal/kg. Addition of 1% seaweed to the cattle concentrated diet on a dry matter basis lowered the average ambient methane concentration from 48.30 ± 4.45 to 41.02 ± 3.41ppm, the differences were statistically significant (p<0.05). Average Body temperature, amount of daily feed intake and consistency of faeces remain unchanged. However, precise assessment of methane reduction potentiality requires a respiration chamber with an air control facility, but this observation might provide a first concept of this species as potential natural methane emissions reducer in Bangladesh.

Possible use of seaweed (Gracilaria tenuistipitata Var. Liui) to the reduction of enteric methane emissions from dairy cattle

Objective: Gracilaria tenuistipitata var. Liui is a red seaweed, artificially cultivated in Nuniachara sea beach at Cox’s Bazar, primarily utilized as a human diet and nutritional supplement in Bangladesh. It has specific industrial applications as well. The study sought to assess the potential for enteric methane (CH4) reduction of this seaweed from the cattle industries. Materials and Methods: To explore the diversified application of this seaweed in livestock feed industries to reduce enteric CH4 production from ruminants, a feeding trial was done at the Pranisheba research and development cattle farm, Savar, Dhaka. An ambient CH4 amount was measured with and without the application of seaweed in concentrate feed by a sensor-based Internet of Things device of the remote cowshed monitoring system. Other clinical parameters, like feeding amount, body temperature, and consistency of feces, were physically monitored. Results: After proximate analysis, the composition of total crude protein, crude fiber, and moisture of G. tenuistipitata var. Liui was 24.09%, 0.18%, and 21.31%, respectively. The quantity of total energy was 2,615 kcal/kg. Adding 1% seaweed to the cattle-concentrated diet on a dry matter basis lowered the average ambient CH4 concentration from 48.30 ± 4.45 to 41.02 ± 3.41 ppm; the differences were statistically significant (p < 0.05). Average body temperature, amount of daily feed intake, and consistency of feces remain unchanged. Conclusion: The results show that there is a chance that G. tenuistipitata var. Liui could be used to stop cattle from making enteric CH4.

Potential of Gracilaria tenuistipitata var. liui grown in Nuniachara, Cox’s Bazar, Bangladesh

During selection of Gracilaria tenuistipitata var. liui (red seaweed) growing naturally at Nuniachara sand-flat south-east of Moheshkhali channel, Cox’s Bazar local fishermen informed that Rakhaine and Chakma tribes of Cox’s Bazar and Bandarbon consume the seaweed. To ascertain the quality of the organism as “Seafood” analysis of its nutritional status was carried out using three replicates in many cases. Percentage composition of total crude protein, crude fiber, crude lipid, carbohydrates, ash and moisture were 25.55 ± 0.18, 5.65 ± 0.13, 0.16 ± 0.03, 45.93 ± 1.53, 10.61 ± 0.69 and 12.10 ± 0.25%, respectively. Mineral contents such as phosphorus, calcium, magnesium, iron and copper were 596.90 ± 10.4, 132.75 ± 3.4, 3.90 ± 1.2, 80.13 ± 2.45 and3.99 ± 1.2mg/100gdry wt., respectively. Heavy metals such as Pb, As, Cr and Cd were 0.031, 0.01, 0.06 and 0.02 mg/kg dry wt. respectively, which are below tolerance level. The seaweed contained 9.03% nine essential amino acids and 7.52% five non-essential amino acids. The quantity of total energy, β-carotene and vitamin C were 294.56 Kcal/100g, 11.54 ± 1.20 and 2.5 mg/100g, respectively. Presence of high crude protein, amino acid profiles, β-carotene, phosphorus and low crude lipid and heavy metals made Gracilaria tenuistipitata var. liui to be considered as a good human food supplement.
 Bangladesh J. Sci. Ind. Res.56(1), 39-46, 2021

New records of seaweeds from southeastern coasts of Cox’s Bazar district, Bangladesh

Gracilaria tenuistipitata var. liui Zhang et Xia 1988 from sand-flat at Nuniachara, Cox’s Bazar, Ulva linza Lin. from west coast of Naf R. at Noapara, Teknaf and Fishary Ghat in River Bakkhali, at Cox’s Bazar, and Caulerpa fergusonii Murray from St. Martin’s Island (SMI), have been newly recorded and illustrated from Bangladesh. C. chemnitzschi (Esper) Weber-van Bosse var. irregulare Aziz & Alfasane var. nov. and C. sertularioides (S.G. Gmelin) M. Howe var. robusta Aziz & Alfasane var. nov. from SMI, Cox’s Bazar District, Bangladesh are new to science. Total number of marine algal taxa so far recorded from Bangladesh coasts is now 210.
 Bangladesh J. Plant Taxon. 27(2): 335-343, 2020 (December)

The complete plastid genome and phylogenetic analysis of Gracilaria chilensis

Gracilaria chilensis is an economically important species of macroalgae. The plastid genome sequence of G. chilensis is 185,640 bp with a GC content of 29.34%. A total of 236 genes were determined, containing 203 protein-encoding genes, three rRNA genes, 30 tRNA genes, and one intron (with intronic ORF) inserted into the trnM gene. The gene content and structure of Gracilariaceae species were relatively well conserved. The phylogenetic analysis, based on the red algal plastid genomes, suggested that G. chilensis had a closer relationship with Gracilaria tenuistipitata var. liui in Gracilaria.

The complete plastid genome and phylogenetic analysis of Gracilaria edulis

Gracilaria edulis, a marine red macroalgae, is a rich source of sulfated polysaccharides, carbohydrate, vitamins, and minerals, and showed multiple bioactivities such as antibacterial, antitumour, and cholinesterase inhibitory activity. The plastid genome sequence of G. edulis is 179,410 bp. A total of 235 genes were determined, including 201 protein-encoding genes, 30 tRNA genes, 3 rRNA genes, 1 ribonuclease gene, and 1 intron inserted into the trnM gene. Phylogenetic analysis showed that G. edulis clustered together with Gracilaria salicornia, Gracilaria tenuistipitata var. liui and Gracilaria chilensis. The plastid genome analysis will help in the understanding of Gracilaria evolution.

Complete sequence of mitochondrial DNA of Gracilaria tenuistipitata var. liui (Rhodophyta)

Here, the complete Gracilaria tenuistipitata var. liui mitogenome was determined and analyzed. The complete G. tenuistipitata var. liui mitogenome length was 25,879 bp and contained 50 genes including 24 protein-coding, 2 rRNA, and 23 tRNA genes and one unidentified open reading frame (ORF). Of the 24 protein-coding genes, 23 (95.83%) terminated with the stop codon TAA, and one (4.17%) with TAG (rps3 gene). All protein-coding genes in G. tenuistipitata var. liui started with ATG codon. Mitogenome phylogenetic analysis revealed that G. tenuistipitata var. liui firstly clustered together with Gracilaria tenuistipitata. The complete mitogenome sequence would help in understanding Gracilaria evolution.

A novel heat shock protein from Gracilariopsis lemaneiformis: gene cloning and transcription analysis in response to heat stress

In previous work, two hsp70s (hsp70-1 and hsp70-2) were cloned from Gracilariopsis lemaneiformis and were found to be important in response to heat stress. In this paper, in order to gain insight into the comparative function of HSP70s under the heat stress in algae, a novel gene of hsp70-3 was cloned from G. lemaneiformis. The DNA sequence of hsp70-3 had only one exon and the obtained 5′ flanking region was 416 nucleotides and the ORF was 1866 nucleotides encoding the protein of 621 amino acids, with a pI of 4.99. The hsp70-3s were identical in three strains of G. lemaneiformis, including the wild-type and the two heat-tolerant strains, cultivar 981and cultivar 2007. The unique signature sequences of the HSP70 family, VGIDLGTTNA, ILVFDLGGGTFV and VLVGGSTRIP, were found in HSP70-3. Protein BLAST in NCBI showed that the similarity between HSP70-1 and HSP70-3 was 48%, between HSP70-2 and HSP70-3 was 49%, and nucleotide BLAST of hsp70-3 shared more than 80% similarity with the hsp70s from Gracilaria tenuistipitata var. liui, Gracilaria salicornia and Chondrus crispus. These suggested that the HSP70-3 was a novel heat shock protein in G. lemaneiformis. The transcription levels of hsp70s under heat shock at 32 °C were tested by real-time quantitative PCR. Compared with hsp70-1 and hsp70-2, the transcription level of hsp70-3 was lower in the strain of the wild-type and 2007 under heat stress. In 981, hsp70-3 has a similar transcription profile with hsp70-1 and hsp70-2, and with the stress time extended, the gene transcription was increased and remained at a constantly high level. These results indicate that the novel heat shock protein probably plays a supportive role or may play a greater function in other stress resistance in G. lemaneiformis.

Standardization of a protocol to extract and analyze chlorophyll a and carotenoids in Gracilaria tenuistipitata Var. Liui. Zhang and Xia (Rhodophyta)

Chlorophyll a and carotenoids are important pigments in photosynthesis. Several studies have been published describing extraction and analysis protocols of these pigments, mainly in vascular plant species. This study standardizes an extraction and analysis protocol of these substances in Gracilaria tenuistipitata var. liui, a red seaweed. Apical portions grown in vitro were triturated in liquid nitrogen. Extracts were prepared in 1.5 mL solvent and centrifuged. Quantitative and qualitative analyses of pigments were performed by UV/visible light spectrophotometry and high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) and HPLC coupled to mass spectrometry (HPLC-MS). The parameters assessed were: minimum biomass, best extraction solvent, and number of extraction steps. Methanol was the most efficient solvent, and 50 mg fresh biomass was the amount of sample indicated, submitted to one single extraction step. No significant differences were observed in levels of these pigments by UV-visible light spectrophotometry and HPLC. However, HPLC or HPLC-MS are required to identify the different carotenoids present in this seaweed species.

Highly conserved organellar genomes in the Gracilariales as inferred using new data from the Hawaiian invasive alga Gracilaria salicornia (Rhodophyta)

Absrtact:The phylum Rhodophyta contains of a wide range of ecologically and economically important species distributed worldwide. One taxon, Gracilaria salicornia, was an introduced and invasive species in the Hawaiian Islands that had displaced native flora and fauna, and caused widespread ecological damage. We presented the chloroplast and mitochondrial genomic sequences of G. salicornia from Hawaiian material and compared them to sequences of closely related species. We found that the gene content and synteny of both organellar genomes were very similar to the sequences of other closely related Gracilariales (Gracilaria tenuistipitata var. liui for the chloroplast and Gracilariopsis andersonii and Gracilariophila oryzoides for the mitochondrion). Minor changes included the absence of the horizontally transferred leuC/D operon in the G. salicornia chloroplast genome and the absence in the G. salicornia mitochondrial genome of an approximately 2Kb region found in Gp. andersonii. Overall, this study indicated that organellar genome structures in the order Gracilariales were remarkably well maintained.

The Plastid Genome of the Red Macroalga Grateloupia taiwanensis (Halymeniaceae)

The complete plastid genome sequence of the red macroalga Grateloupia taiwanensis S.-M.Lin & H.-Y.Liang (Halymeniaceae, Rhodophyta) is presented here. Comprising 191,270 bp, the circular DNA contains 233 protein-coding genes and 29 tRNA sequences. In addition, several genes previously unknown to red algal plastids are present in the genome of G. taiwanensis. The plastid genomes from G. taiwanensis and another florideophyte, Gracilaria tenuistipitata var. liui, are very similar in sequence and share significant synteny. In contrast, less synteny is shared between G. taiwanensis and the plastid genome representatives of Bangiophyceae and Cyanidiophyceae. Nevertheless, the gene content of all six red algal plastid genomes here studied is highly conserved, and a large core repertoire of plastid genes can be discerned in Rhodophyta.

啃食性端足类强壮藻钩虾对筼筜湖三种大型海藻的摄食选择性

Marine algae vary considerably in their nutritional,chemical,and structural composition,thus providing a heterogeneous and variable food resource for marine herbivores. However,Due to seasonal fluctuation in species composition and abundance of marine algae,herbivores usually encounter the environments with little tasty,highly nutritional food. Because herbivores eat foods that are much lower in nutrients than their own tissues,they display a diversity of behavioral and physiological adaptations to cope with the low nutritional value of their foods. Selective feeding on more nutritious plants,increasing consumption of lower quality foods( compensatory feeding) have all been proposed as important behaviors allowing herbivores to obtain adequate nourishment.Amphipods were common benthic species in macroalgal-based communities. They may regulate the macroalgal community structure by their selective feeding behavior. This study investigated the feeding of amphipod Ampithoe valida on three dominant macroalgae( Ulva lactuca,Gracilaria tenuistipitata var. liui and Rhizoclonium sp.) of Yundang Lagoon, and analyzed how the nutritional quality in terms of dry mass / wet mass( DM / FM),total organic carbon( TOC),total nitrogen( TN),C / N ratio and protein level may affect the food selectivity in the amphipod. The results showed that there was negative correlation between the feeding rates and the DM / FM,or TOC / FM of the macroalgae when macroalgae was separately offered to A. valida,indicating compensatory feeding behavior in the amphipod,that is,A. valida can use quantity to compensate quality when nutritional value of macroalgae was low. A. valida preferentially fed on U. lactuca and Rhizoclonium sp.,and their feeding rates negatively correlated to the TOC concentrations or protein levels in the macroalgae. However,no relationship was found between the feeding rates and TN. These results suggest there are no predictable effects of the nutritional quality on the feeding selectivity of amphipods. However,although A. valida have strong preference to green algae,Yundang Lagoon doesn' t structure a macroalgal community dominated by red algae G. tenuistipitata var. liui.

Effects of irradiance and salinity on the growth of carpospore-derived tetrasporophytes of Gracilaria edulis and Gracilaria tenuistipitata var liui (Rhodophyta)

Gracilaria edulis and Gracilaria tenuistipitata var liui are agarophytes with high commercial value which are currently cultivated in countries like India and Thailand. They have great potential for mariculture in Malaysia. Experiments were carried out to study carpospore germination and determine the effects of irradiance and salinity on the growth of these two species. Both species showed the Dumontia type of carpospore development. Both species showed increased daily growth rate (% day−1) with increasing irradiance and tolerance for a wide range of salinity with a preference for low salinity. G. edulis grew best at 100 μmol photons m−2 s−1 and 15 psu while G. tenuistipitata var liui grew best at 60–130 μmol photons m−2 s−1 and 15 psu. The highest growth rate obtained for G. edulis and G. tenuistipitata var liui was 13.57 and 19.7 % day−1 respectively. tenuistipitata var liui. ANOVA showed that both irradiance and salinity have significant effect on the growth of both species (P < 0.05). The results showed that G. tenuistipitata var liui is a good candidate for mass cultivation in Malaysian brackish waters. Besides, this study also showed the feasibility of using spore culture to provide stocks for sustainable farming of Gracilaria.

DEFENSE EVOLUTION IN THE GRACILARIACEAE (RHODOPHYTA): SUBSTRATE-REGULATED OXIDATION OF AGAR OLIGOSACCHARIDES IS MORE ANCIENT THAN THE OLIGOAGAR-ACTIVATED OXIDATIVE BURST1

Combined phylogenetic, physiological, and biochemical approaches revealed that differences in defense-related responses among 17 species belonging to the Gracilariaceae were consistent with their evolutionary history. An oxidative burst response resulting from activation of NADPH oxidase was always observed in two of the subgenera of Gracilaria sensu lato (Gracilaria, Hydropuntia), but not in Gracilariopsis and in species related to Gracilaria chilensis (“chilensis” clade). On the other hand, all species examined except Gracilaria tenuistipitata var. liui and Gracilariopsis longissima responded with up-regulation of agar oligosaccharide oxidase to an challenge with agar oligosaccharides. As indicated by pharmacological experiments conducted with Gracilaria chilensis and Gracilaria sp. “dura,” the up-regulation of agar oligosaccharide oxidase involved an NAD(P)H-dependent signaling pathway, but not kinase activity. By contrast, the activation of NADPH oxidase requires protein phosphorylation. Both responses are therefore independent, and the agar oligosaccharide-activated oxidative burst evolved after the capacity to oxidize agar oligosaccharide, probably providing additional defensive capacity to the most recently differentiated clades of Gracilariaceae. As demonstrated with Gracilaria gracilis, Gracilaria dura, and Gracilariopsis longissima, the different responses to agar oligosaccharides allow for a fast and nondestructive distinction among different clades of gracilarioids that are morphologically convergent. Based upon sequences of the chloroplast-encoded rbcL gene, this study suggests that at least some of the samples from NW America recorded as Gs. lemanaeiformis are probably Gs. chorda. Moreover, previous records of Gracilaria conferta from Israel are shown to be based upon misidentification of Gracilaria sp. “dura,” a species that belongs to the Hydropuntia subgenus.

Antioxidant Activities of Four Edible Seaweeds from the Southern Coast of Thailand

The aqueous extracts of four marine algae, Caulerpa racemosa var. macrophysa, Gracilaria tenuistipitata var. tenuistipitata, Sargassum sp., and Ulva lactuca, from the coastal areas in Southern Thailand, were prepared by boiling dried seaweed powder in water for 3 h, and by autoclaving each sample at 120 degrees C for 3 h. They were then freeze-dried and evaluated for their antioxidant activities using DPPH (1, 1-diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazyl), hydroxyl radical (OH(*)) and superoxide anion (O(2)(*-) ) scavenging assays. Boiling extracts of the seaweeds, except C. racemosa, were found to have higher total phenolic contents (TPC) than those obtained from the autoclave method. The antioxidant results also showed that O(2)(*-) scavenging activity existed only in the boiling extracts of C. racemosa, G. tenuistipitata, and U. lactuca. In DPPH and OH(*) assays, however, almost all the boiling extracts were less active than the autoclave ones. Among the four alga species, Sargassum sp. was the most active. Both extracts of this seaweed had the highest TPC and also displayed the strongest DPPH(*) and OH(*) inhibitory activities. A strong positive-correlation between the antioxidant potency and TPC of the autoclave extracts was found, while for the boiling extracts such relation was very weak. This result thus reflected that in addition to the phenolic compounds, there might be some other active components present in these extracts involved in the antioxidant activity.

RNA Isolation method for polysaccharide rich algae: agar producing Gracilaria tenuistipitata (Rhodophyta)

RNA isolation is essential to study gene expression at the molecular level. However, RNA isolation is difficult in organisms (plants and algae) that contain large amounts of polysaccharides, which co-precipitate with RNA. Currently, there is no commercial kit available, specifically for the isolation of high-quality RNA from these organisms. Furthermore, because of the large amounts of polysaccharides, the common protocols for RNA isolation usually result in poor yields when applied to algae. Here we describe a simple method for RNA isolation from the marine red macroalga Gracilaria tenuistipitata var. liui Zhang et Xia (Rhodophyta), which can be applied to other plants and algae.

Comparative Analysis of the Complete Plastid Genome Sequence of the Red Alga Gracilaria tenuistipitata var. liui Provides Insights into the Evolution of Rhodoplasts and Their Relationship to Other Plastids

We sequenced to completion the circular plastid genome of the red alga Gracilaria tenuistipitata var. liui. This is the first plastid genome sequence from the subclass Florideophycidae (Rhodophyta). The genome is composed of 183,883 bp and contains 238 predicted genes, including a single copy of the ribosomal RNA operon. Comparisons with the plastid genome of Porphyra pupurea reveal strong conservation of gene content and order, but we found major genomic rearrangements and the presence of coding regions that are specific to Gracilaria. Phylogenetic analysis of a data set of 41 concatenated proteins from 23 plastid and two cyanobacterial genomes support red algal plastid monophyly and a specific evolutionary relationship between the Florideophycidae and the Bangiales. Gracilaria maintains a surprisingly ancient gene content in its plastid genome and, together with other Rhodophyta, contains the most complete repertoire of plastid genes known in photosynthetic eukaryotes.

A parsimonious AUC-based biokinetic method to estimate relative bioavailable zinc to abalone Haliotis diversicolor supertexta

We developed a mechanistic model based on the pharmacological area-under-curve (AUC) concept associated with a biokinetic rate model to predict relative bioavailable zinc (Zn) to abalone Haliotis diversicolor supertexta. We conducted a laboratory 14-day exposure experiment to obtain biokinetic parameters for soft tissue and shell of abalone and their food source, red alga Gracilaria tenuistipitata var. liui. The physiological parameters in terms of growth rate constants for abalone and algae were derived from literature. The present AUC-based model demonstrates that depuration rate constants and growth rate constants of abalone and algae are the critical parameters in predicting relative bioavailable Zn to abalone. During uptake phase of the exposure experiment, estimated relative bioavailable Zn to soft tissue and shell of H. diversicolor supertexta were 71.04±9.71% (mean±standard deviation) and 68.44±8.29%, respectively. Sensitivity analysis indicates that relative bioavailable Zn to abalone is greatly affected by growth rate and depuration rate constants of abalone and is less dependent on algae growth rate. We also applied a Monte Carlo approach to estimate the impact of parameter uncertainty on relative bioavailable Zn predictions. Our results suggest that the probabilistic approach allows a range of possible outcomes and their likelihood; it better informs both aquacultural risk assessors and risk managers. Our study suggests that we have to take into account both biokinetic and physiological processes in predicting the relative bioavailable metals to aquatic animals.

Appraising zinc bioaccumulation in abalone Haliotis diversicolor supertexta and alga Gracilaria tenuistipitata var. liui by probabilistic analysis

We appraise a first-order two-compartment model describing zinc (Zn) bioaccumulation in abalone Haliotis diversicolor supertexta and their food source, red alga Gracilaria tenuistipitata var. liui by probabilistic analysis of the biokinetic parameter variabilities. The model was parameterized using field and laboratory data, and predictions were quantitatively compared with field-measured tissue Zn concentrations obtained from selected abalone farms. Based on the reliable information from the published literature, we assigned the lognormal distribution model to characterize model inputs. Input variables included bioconcentration factor (BCF) of abalone, biomagnification factor of abalone, BCF of algae and depuration rate constants of abalone ( k 2) for Zn from water and food. Compared with the field data, most of the measurements fall within the predicted 25th and 75th percentile range, indicating applying Monte Carlo technique to the first-order two-compartment model generated probabilistic estimates of Zn concentrations in abalone and algae that were consistent with field observations. Sensitivity analysis reveals that the input critical parameters that most influence the model output are BCF and k 2 of abalone. Our results suggest that the probabilistic approach allows a range of possible outcomes and their likelihood; it better informs both aquacultural risk assessors and risk managers. The degree of conservatism in the deterministic bioaccumulation models can also be evaluated against this distribution.