Inter and intra-specific growth and domoic acid production in relation to nutrient ratios and concentrations in Pseudo-nitzschia: phosphate an important factor

The factors responsible for inducing the synthesis of toxins and responses from toxic phytoplankton blooms remain unclear. In this study we compare the influence of genotypic (at both the intra and interspecific levels) and environmental factors (nutrient concentration and ratio) on growth (in terms of cell densities) and domoic acid (DA) production in three Pseudo-nitzschia species: P. australis, P.pungens and P.fradulenta. A strong phosphate effect was detected. More precisely, a low initial concentration in phosphate, even at high initial nitrogen and silicate concentrations, induced the highest DA concentrations and the lowest cell densities in all strains/species studied. In contrast, a low initial concentration of nitrogen and silicate combined, with a higher phosphate concentration resulted in low cell densities, but without high DA production. Inter-species effects were also observed in DA production, where P. australis represented the most toxigenic species of all. Intra-specific variations were only moderate, except for a recently isolated P. australis strain, suggesting the influence of time since isolation on the physiology and DA production of Pseudo-nitzschia species. Overall, the lack of strong interaction between environmental and genotypic factors showed that the various genotypes investigated did not extensively diverge in their ability to respond (in terms of DA production and cell densities) to contrasting nutrient supply.