Copepods induce paralytic shellfish toxin production in marine dinoflagellates

Abstract

Among the thousands of unicellular phytoplankton species described in the sea, some frequently occurring and bloom-forming marine dinoflagellates are known to produce the potent neurotoxins causing paralytic shellfish poisoning. The natural function of these toxins is not clear, although they have been hypothesized to act as a chemical defence towards grazers. Here, we show that waterborne cues from the copepodAcartia tonsainduce paralytic shellfish toxin (PST) production in the harmful algal bloom-forming dinoflagellateAlexandrium minutum. InducedA. minutumcontained up to 2.5 times more toxins than controls and was more resistant to further copepod grazing. Ingestion of non-toxic alternative prey was not affected by the presence of inducedA. minutum. The ability ofA. minutumto sense and respond to the presence of grazers by increased PST production and increased resistance to grazing may facilitate the formation of harmful algal blooms in the sea.