Diversity and dynamics of a widespread bloom of the toxic dinoflagellate Alexandrium fundyense.

ABSTRACT: Historically, cosmopolitan phytoplankton species were presumed to represent largely unstructured populations. However, the recent development of molecular tools to examine genetic diversity have revealed differences in phytoplankton taxa across geographic scales and provided insight into the physiology and ecology of blooms. Here we describe the genetic analysis of an extensive bloom of the toxic dinoflagellate Alexandrium fundyense that occurred in the Gulf of Maine in 2005. This bloom was notable for its intensity and duration, covering hundreds of kilometers and persisting for almost two months. Genotypic analyses based on microsatellite marker data indicate that the open waters of the northeastern U.S. harbor a single regional population of A. fundyense comprising two genetically disti

SUBMITTER: Erdner DL 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC3146535 | biostudies-literature | 2011

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature