A comparison of toxic dinoflagellate densities along a gradient of human disturbance in the North Line Islands

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Abstract/Contents

Abstract: Understanding the ecology influencing the toxic dinoflagellate populations implicated in ciguatera or ciguatera-like sea-food poisoning in humans is a problem of great importance to small-scale fisheries and island communities in the tropical Pacific and Caribbean waters. This study attempted to ascertain the effects of long term human disturbance on the densities of toxic dinoflagellates of the genera Gambierdiscus, Ostreopsis, and Prorocentrum and the corresponding percent algal coverage in reef environments in the North Line Islands. Toxic dinoflagellate densities measured in cells/g macroalgae and the total percent algal cover were recorded at three sites of varying levels of human impact. The most heavily impacted site was a lagoonal area near the town London at Christmas Island, and this site was found to have both the highest densities of toxic dinoflagellates as well as the highest macroalgal cover. The second most impacted site was located at Cook Island, a protected area on Christmas Island. The least impacted site was located on the back reef at Palmyra Atoll, a National Wildlife Preserve, and was found to have the lowest densities of toxic dinoflagellates. Statistically significant dinoflagellate preference for areas of higher human disturbance was found for Ostreopsis between the first and second sites (p= 0.007) and for Prorocentrum between the second and third sites (p= 0.003).

Type of resource	text
Date created	June 7, 2007

Author	Briggs, Amy
Author	Leff, Maija

Subject	Stanford@SEA
Subject	S-211
Subject	Hopkins Marine Station
Subject	Department of Biology
Subject	Department of Earth System Science
Subject	BIOHOPK 182H
Subject	BIOHOPK 323H
Subject	EARTHSYS 323
Subject	ESS 323
Subject	dinoflagellate
Subject	ciguatera
Subject	toxic
Subject	poison
Subject	fishing
Subject	tropical Pacific
Subject	Caribbean
Subject	human impact
Subject	Gambierdiscus
Subject	Ostreopsis
Subject	Prorocentrum
Subject	algal coverage
Subject	reef
Subject	North Line Islands
Subject	Line Islands
Subject	macroalgae
Subject	lagoon
Subject	Christmas Island
Subject	Kiribati Island
Subject	toxic dinoflagellates
Subject	Cook Island
Subject	Palmyura
Genre	Student project report

Location	https://purl.stanford.edu/qh633mt1707

Use and reproduction: User agrees that, where applicable, content will not be used to identify or to otherwise infringe the privacy or confidentiality rights of individuals. Content distributed via the Stanford Digital Repository may be subject to additional license and use restrictions applied by the depositor.
License: This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 Unported license (CC BY).

Preferred Citation: Briggs, Amy; Leff, Maija. 2007. A comparison of toxic dinoflagellate densities along a gradient of human disturbance in the North Line Islands. Unpublished Student Work, S-211, Stanford@SEA, Stanford Digital Repository. https://purl.stanford.edu/qh633mt1707.

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