Adaptive Ecology, Growth Strategies and the Global Bloom Expansion of Dinoflagellates

Journal of Oceanography, Vol. 58, pp. 281 to 294, 2002

DOI: 10.1023/A:1015861725470

First, I must say that Dr. Smayda (d.2017) was apparently “The Man” when it came to study of harmful algae blooms.  I wish I had bumped into him sooner.

Read anything you can find by him.  Read anything that cites his work.

This work is a review article….click through and read the whole thing!!

Dinoflagellates behave as annual species, bloom soloists, are ecophysiologically diverse and habitat specialists, whereas diatoms behave as peren- nial species, guild members and are habitat cosmopolites. Diatoms have a relatively uniform bloom strategy based on species-rich pools and exhibit limited habitat specialization. Dinoflagellates have multiple life-form strategies consistent with their diverse habitat specializations, but rely on impoverished bloom species pools.

Diatoms and flagellates, for example, generally have similar nutrient requirements (excluding the need for silica), but diatoms, when nutrient-limited, seek to alleviate limitation through a sink-strategy, while flagellates use a swim-strategy (Smayda, 1997a).

Diatom blooms (independent of species composition) have five major features: coastal (including upwelling systems) diatom blooms are annually recurrent, predictable, prolonged, of high species diversity, and a species succession occurs (Guillard and Kilham, 1977; Smayda, 1980). Dinoflagellate blooms, in contrast, usually are unpredictable, ephemeral, of low species diversity, and exhibit a rudimentary species succession, if any.

That’s only the tip of the iceberg….click and read!!!