Karenia Brevis

Karenia Brevis (Dinoflagellate)

What is Karenia Brevis?

  

Karenia Brevis is a marine dinoflagellate (a one-celled aquatic protist that's found in both salt and fresh water)  that is common in Gulf of Mexico water. and is the organism responsible for Florida red tide, as well as red tide in Texas.

What algae bloom is caused by Karenia Brevis?

Karenia Brevis is responsible what is known as the Florida red-tide. It is also responsible for red tides in Texas.

 

What are the characteristics of the Red Tide?

• Some red tides are associated with the production of natural toxins, depletion of dissolved oxygen or other harmful effects. Most red tides are described harmful algae blooms (HAB).
• They can be very harmful to both marine animal health and human health. It has been researched and shown that in the Gulf of Mexico, Karenia Brevis has been found in red tides  in both low and high concentrations. In high concentrations, its toxin paralyzes the central nervous system of fish so they cannot breathe resulting in large numbers of dead fish that wash up along the beaches.
• Not all red tide have toxins or are harmful.
• The name "red" does not always mean the color of the tide. Many tides are not necessarily red  and some do not have any discoloration at all.
• The name red tide" has nothing to do with the movement of the tides.
•   The density of these organisms during a red tide bloom can exceed tens of millions of cells per liter of seawater, and often discolor the water a deep reddish-brown hue.

The red tide also known as Florida Red Tide, can produce toxins that can be spread through all sea life as well as humans if they come in contact with it.  A very bad case example of this would be NSP or neurotoxic shelfish poisoning.

   

NSP is caused by eating shellfish contaminated with"brevetoxins," which are produced by Karenia brevis. NSP is a short-term illness with neurologic symptoms (such as tingling fingers or toes) and gastrointestinal symptoms. There are very few cases of NSP in the United States because coastal states carefully monitor their shellfish beds and close the beds for harvesting if high concentrations of these brevetoxins are detected in the water or in the shellfish. Brevetoxins may also be in the air along the Gulf coast of Florida during Florida Red Tide events and includes symptoms such as eye irritation and a sore throat. People who have asthma may have symptoms, such as chest tightness, that last for several  days after exposure.

Sea Bass

NSP is also dangerous for marine life such as fish. Small fish that eat the algae become contaminated. If larger fish eats a lot of the smaller, contaminated fish, the poison can build up to a dangerous level inside the bigger fish's body. An example of these fish most commonly found with NSP are red snapper, grouper and sea bass. 

Grouper

Red Snapper

Although to date, there are no documented deaths due to NSP, the symptoms alone are extremely painful. Here are some more symptoms that come from NSP illness:

Ciguatera poisoning symptoms can occur anywhere from 2 to 12 hours after eating the fish. They include:

• Abdominal cramps
• Diarrhea (severe and watery)
• Nausea
• Vomiting

Shortly after these symptoms develop, you will start to have strange sensations, which may include:

• A feeling that your teeth are loose and about to fall out
• Confusing hot and cold temperatures (for instance, you will feel that an ice cube is burning you, while a match is freezing your skin)
• Headache (probably the most common)
• Low heart rate and low blood pressure (in very severe cases)
• Metallic taste in the mouth

Scombroid poisoning symptoms usually occur immediately after eating the fish. They may include:

• Breathing problems (in severe cases)
• Extremely red skin on face and body
• Flushing
• Hives and itching
• Nausea
• Vomiting

 

What Have We Learned About Plankton?

What exactly are plankton?

Plankton are microscopic organisms that drift on the oceans' currents. They include organisms such as diatoms, dinoflagillates, and cope pods. They also include the microscopic larva of crustaceans, sea urchins, and fish. Due to its diversity, plankton may be primitive unicellular organisms such as algae or fungi or they can become complex multicellular plants and animals such as sponges and fish.

Plankton are also found in numerous numbers of "photosynthetic" organisms that are very productive. These types of plankton are mostly responsible for generating the earth's oxygen (80%).

THEY PRODUCE MORE OXYGEN THAN ANY OTHER PLANT KNOWN TO EARTH!












 

Plankton are divided into two different groups; plant (phytoplankton) and animal (zooplankton).

Phytoplankton

Zooplankton

Phytoplankton need light like normal plants do so they are found near the surface where light is available for photosynthesis. Zooplankton, need to be near the the surface of the water too however this is so they can feed on the phytoplankton.

Because they need to be near the surface, plankton have developed several ways of floating or controlling their position in the sea. These include:

• Spikes= Help distribute the organism's weight over a large surface area, slowing its sinking.
• Examples= Zoea and the Brachiolaria Larvae both have spikes.

• Oil distribution= Oil is lighter than water, in turn allows the organism to float.
• Examples= Copepods and Diatoms produce oil to help them float.

• Air-filled floats= The float acts as a balancing agent to help keep the organism "floating" freely as they move across the ocean.
• Examples= Portuguese man-o-war uses its air-filled float to help keep it afloat. 

• 

  Portuguese man-o-war

  

  Diatoms

  

  Zoea

Plankton can also divided into two groups: Holoplankton and Meroplankton.

• Meroplankton= Found in coastal waters, they stay as plankton for their larval or early stages of life and then they either become nekton or benthos. (Example of nekton= flounder, tuna, shark. Example of benthos= worms, barnacles, algae.)
• Holoplankton= Found in open water, predominant in floating state, remain planktonic state their entire life cycle.

Killer Whales

KILLER WHALE (Orcinus Orca)


 

The Killer Whale is a member of the Cetacea family which are mammals with

• forelimbs modified into flippers
• a horizontally flattened tail
• one opr two nostrils at the top of the head for breathing 
• no hind limbs
• includes whales, dolphins and porpoises

       Killer Whales inhabit all of the earth's oceans. Next to humans, killer whales are the most widely distributed mammal. They are mostly found in the open ocean but are abundant in coastal waters. 
       Infant born (baby) killer whales are called calves. The pregnancy of an average killer whale ranges from 15 to 18 months and they are born all throughout the year but some specific regions may peak birth months. The northeast Pacific Ocean for example, have had occasions where calves are born between October and March.

INTERESTING FACTS ABOUT THE KILLER WHALE:

1. The average life span of the Killer Whale in the wild is 50-80 years old.
2. The average Killer Whale is around 5.2 tons but they cn weigh up to 6 tons.
3. Killer Whales have 40-50 teeth that grow up to 4 inches long.
4. Killer Whales live in family groups called "pods" and each pod has a number of 30-40 Killer Whales.
5. Baby Killer Whales or "Orca/Calves" are born up to 8 feet long and can weigh up to 400 pounds.  
6.  Female killer whales appear to become "reproductively active" between the ages of 10 to 16 years old
7. Killer Whales prefer to hunt "cooperatively" like wolves do. 
8. Killer Whales use "echolocation" to find food sources just like bats do.

MAJOR ISSUES FACING THE KILLER WHALE:

1.  New research shows that Killer Whales are inhaling bacteria, fungi and viruses once believed to be only found on land. Some of the pathogens are highly deadly and some are immune to most antibiotics. 
2.  There have been several cases where a large vessel or fishing boat, has gotten to close to a Killer Whale in the water. As a result, there have been reported collisions which have either seriously injured the whale or even killed it.
3.  Toxic substance ingested by Killer Whales that is due to fish being eaten by them. Because Killer Whales are top predators on the food chain, they eat nearly everything that comes to them as food. Fish that have been "contaminated" by toxins from landfills, man-made reservoirs, or human waste have become a big concern.
4. Commercial fishing has in some parts of the world lowered the food standard quantity for Killer Whales. Killer Whales rely on heavy quantity of fish for food resources. A shortage of fish for them could cause Killer Whales to either starve due to a food shortage or make them find a different food source; one not nature to them.

 The reason why I choose the killer whale  is because it is one of the few creatures that humans bond with physically. Like dolphins, they can and are used to perform shows with spectacular tricks at places like Sea World. However, unlike dolphins the killer whale is much more dangerous. Their enormous size and strength pale in comparison to that of the dolphins. Accidents can and do happen when humans choose to be around animals like that of these. Sometimes these "accidents" can result in a much greater tragedy than what people choose to think.  A fine example:

 https://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_detailpage&v=oyZqq_1hXus

Harmful Algae Bloom

      When environmental conditions are just right for algae, the cells may multiply rapidly and become much higher in number and this is called an algal bloom. HAB's or harmful algae bloom is the production of toxic troublesome algae that (can) cause a negative impact to natural resources or to humans. A bloom often results in a color change in the water. HAB's can be any color, but the most common ones are red or brown. These blooms are often called red or brown tides. Most HAB's are not harmful but some do affect fish and humans, as well as other animals like birds and marine mammals.
     

There are several things that can cause the growth of HAB. Common causes are nutrient enrichment and warm waters. Nutrient enrichment of water (phosphates and nitrogen) is often the result of pollution from dirty sources. Warm water temperature has also been related to the growth of algal blooms.
 

 Although we as humans are not 100% responsible for HAB's, there are still things we can do to prevent the horrid distribution of them. The Department of Environmental Quality and the Department of Health, including the Division of Shellfish Sanitation, are working together to regularly monitor the water and shellfish growing areas for the presence of HAB's and are also conducting surveillance for any human health effects.
as of today, 2013 there are currently 85 toxic micro algal species that have been documented.Of these 85, 37 are currently thriving in Gulf of Mexico waters.

NOT SO FUN FACT ABOUT HARMFUL ALGAE BLOOMS: Algae blooms are capable of producing various illnesses such as Ciguartera Fish Poisoning, Diarrhetic Shellfish Poisoning, and Neurotic Shellfish Poisoning. All of  these nasty illnesses have very eerie, nasty symptoms such as vomiting, diarrhea, and serious abdominal pain. These illnesses can be transferred from various types of seafood that might have been in contact with the algae including shrimp, lobster, and various fish. Be sure to check where your seafood came from before consuming it!