Impact of a <i>Dinophysis acuminata</i> Bloom on the Copepod <i>Acartia clausi</i>: First Indications
2022
Constantin Frangoulis | Epaminondas D. Christou | Ioanna Varkitzi | Soultana Zervoudaki | Isabel Maneiro | Camilla Svensen | Kalliopi Pagou | Georgia Assimakopoulou | Ioannis Hatzianestis | Edna Granéli
Faecal pellet production and content along with egg production of the dominant copepod species <i>Acartia clausi</i> were studied in the Thermaikos Gulf (NW Aegean Sea) during a pre-bloom and a bloom of the toxic dinoflagellate <i>Dinophysis acuminata</i>. Both faecal pellet production (6.8–8.6 ind<sup>−1</sup> d<sup>−1</sup>) and egg production (15.8–47.6 ind<sup>−1</sup> d<sup>−1</sup>) appeared unrelated to the <i>D. acuminata</i> bloom. Less than 11% of the copepod faecal pellets contained one or two <i>D. acuminata</i> cells, almost intact, whereas the other material in the pellets was broken into small pieces or amorphous shapes. The toxin outflux seemed to be insignificant when compared to the mean toxin concentration from the whole <i>D. acuminata</i> population. Finally, the potential grazing impact of <i>A. clausi</i> on <i>D. acuminata</i> during the study period was low.
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