Ostreopsis

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Not to be confused with Osteoporosis or Ostryopsis.

Ostreopsis
A cell of Ostreopsis cf. ovata
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Domain: Eukaryota
Clade: Diaphoretickes
Clade: SAR
Clade: Alveolata
Phylum: Myzozoa
Superclass: Dinoflagellata
Class: Dinophyceae
Order: Gonyaulacales
Family: Ostreopsidaceae
Genus: Ostreopsis
J.Schmidt[1]
Species

See text

Ostreopsis is a

benthic; the planktonic species in the genus are known for the toxic algal blooms
that they sometimes cause, threatening human and animal health.

Taxonomy

The taxonomy of this genus is problematic. When in 1901, Schmidt first created the genus Ostreopsis, he described the type species O. siamensis from the phytoplankton in the waters of the Gulf of Thailand. However, there were anomalies in the original drawing made by Schmidt, and O. siamensis was redescribed by Fukuyo in 1981; at the same time, Fukuyo introduced two new species, O. lenticularis and O. ovata.[2]

Distribution and habitat

Ostreopsis spp. have been found in many marine locations around the world. Despite O. siamensis having been found in the plankton, other species are generally found in

benthic habitats. They are most noticeable in temperate seas when they cause algal blooms in summer, an event that has become more frequent in the early part of the twenty-first century. The only species identified in the Mediterranean Sea are O. ovata and O. siamensis.[2] The bloom in 2006 off Sant Andreu de Llavaneres in northeastern Spain, was described as "a conspicuous, thick, brownish mucilage layer covering benthic macroalgae".[3]

Toxicity

Under certain conditions, dinoflagellates can become very numerous and cause algal blooms. These can lower the oxygen concentration of the water and can clog the gills of filter feeding organisms. Some of these dinoflagellates contain toxic chemicals which may be sequestered by animals that eat them, and can threaten public health and cause economic damage to fisheries.[4]

Some species of Ostreopsis contain the

zoanthid Palythoa toxica and proved to be an unusually long chain polyether-type phytotoxin.[6] It is now postulated that the substance is synthesized by the dinoflagellates and is subsequently incorporated into the zoanthid tissues; it may be a symbiotic arrangement, and it is possible that bacteria are involved in the transfer.[7]

Species of Ostreopsis have been implicated in outbreaks of ill health in countries to the immediate north of the

Evechinus chloroticus occurred in New Zealand in 2004, associated with a bloom of O. siamensis, although in this instance there were no human casualties.[4][10]

Species

The World Register of Marine Species includes the following species in the genus :[1]

References

  1. ^ a b c Guiry, Michael D. (2016). "Ostreopsis J.Schmidt, 1901". WoRMS. World Register of Marine Species. Retrieved 4 August 2017.
  2. ^
    doi:10.4081/aiol.2016.5591
    .
  3. ^ Isabel Bravo; Magda Vila; Susana Magadán; Pilar Rial; Francisco Rodriguez; Santiago Fraga; José M. Franco; Pilar Riobó1and; M. Montserrat Sala (2010). "A progress in Ostreopsis physiological ecology, phylogeny and toxicology" (PDF). 14th International Conference on Harmful Algae. Archived from the original (PDF) on 9 October 2015. Retrieved 4 August 2017.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
  4. ^
    PMID 22164222
    .
  5. S2CID 1617358
    .
  6. S2CID 10098874
    .
  7. ISBN 978-3-7643-8338-1
    .
  8. PMID 17075142
    .
  9. ISBN 978-1-4822-3147-2
    .
  10. doi:10.1016/j.hal.2009.05.003
    .
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