Document Type

Article

Department/Program

Virginia Institute of Marine Science

Publication Date

1993

Journal

Journal Of Shellfish Research

Volume

12

Issue

2

First Page

411

Last Page

415

Abstract

Laboratory experiments were conducted to investigate the effects of the dinoflagellates Prorocentrum minimum and Gyrodinium uncatenum on the growth and survival of juvenile eastern oysters, Crassostrea virginica. In separate experiments lasting 30 d and 18 d for P. minimum and G. uncatenum, respectively, the dinoflagellates were offered to the oysters in both unialgal and mixed diets (with the diatom Thalassiosira weisflogii). Eight diets were used in each experiment: (i) the dinoflagellate at bloom density, (ii) the dinoflagellate at 33% bloom density, (iii) the dinoflagellate at 5% bloom density, (iv-vi) the diatom at the above densities, (vii) 50% dinoflagellate bloom density + 50% diatom bloom density, and (viii) 5% dinoflagellate bloom density + 95% diatom bloom density. P. minimum at bloom density resulted in 100% mortality of juvenile oysters within 14 d and at 33% bloom density it resulted in 43% mortality within 22 d. Diets containing 5% P. minimum density did not cause mortality and supported good shell growth. No mortality was observed among oysters fed G. uncatenum and diets which included this dinoflagellate resulted in significantly greater growth than diets of the diatom T. weisflogii.

Keywords

Dinoflagellates; Oysters; Crassostrea-Virginica; Prorocentrum-Minimum; Gyrodinium-Uncatenum; Growth; Survival

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