Toxigenic phytoplankton and concomitant toxicity in the mussel Choromytilus meridionalis off the west coast of South Africa in the autumn of 2007

Harmful algal blooms are prevalent off the west coast of South Africa in the summer and autumn months, and have a detrimental impact on human activities along the coast. Some harmful algal blooms are dominated by phytoplankton which produce toxins that can cause shellfish poisoning syndromes. The relationship between the abundance and toxicity of toxigenic phytoplankton, and the concentrations and composition of toxins in the filter-feeding mussel Choromytilus meridionalis, was investigated. Several different methods were used to determine toxin concentations in the mussel.

Grantor dc:publisher.institution

Department of Biological Sciences

Year dc:date.issued

2010

Author dc:creator

• Hubbart, Bernadette

Advisors dc:contributor.advisor

• Pitcher, Grant C
• Bolton, John J

Language dc:language.iso

eng

Handle dc:identifier.uri

http://hdl.handle.net/11427/11405

OAI identifier oai:identifier

oai:open.uct.ac.za:11427/11405