City University of New York (CUNY) CUNY Academic Works School of Arts & Sciences Theses Hunter College Summer 8-10-2015 Suitability of Great South Bay, New York to Blooms of Pfiesteria piscicida and P. shumwayae Prior to Superstorm Sandy, October 29, 2012 Pawel Tomasz Zablocki CUNY Hunter College How does access to this work benefit ou?y Let us know! More information about this work at: https://academicworks.cuny.edu/hc_sas_etds/6 Discover additional works at: https://academicworks.cuny.edu This work is made publicly available by the City University of New York (CUNY). Contact: [email protected] Suitability of Great South Bay, New York, to Blooms of Pfiesteria piscicida and P. shumwayae Prior to Superstorm Sandy, October 29, 2012. By Pawel Zablocki Submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Arts Hunter College of the City of New York 2015 Thesis sponsor: __25 July 2015 Peter X. Marcotullio Date First Reader _2 August 2015 Karl H. Szekielda Date Second Reader i Acknowledgements I would like to thank my advisor, Professor H. Gong and two of my excellent readers—Professor Peter Marcotullio and Professor Karl Szekielda who provided their invaluable advice, alleviated my concerns, and weathered the avalanche of my questions. ii Abstract of the Thesis Pfiesteria piscicida and P. shumwayae are toxic dinoflagellates implicated in massive fish kills in North Carolina and Maryland during 1990s. A set of physical, chemical, and biological factors influence population dynamics of these organisms. This study employs information gathered from relevant literature on temperature, salinity, dissolved oxygen, pH, turbulent mixing, and dissolved nutrients, bacteria, algae, microzooplankton, mesozooplankton, bivalve mollusks, finfish, and other toxic dinoflagellates, which influence Pfiesteria population dynamics. The research focused on whether conditions in the Great South Bay, Long Island, New York were suitable to blooms of Pfiesteria species prior to the passage of superstorm Sandy in October 2012. The Great South Bay is a coastal lagoon under intensive physicochemical and biological study. A comparison of conditions between areas where Pfiesteria blooms emerged and that of the Great South Bay proved inconclusive. The simply inventory-like analysis was, therefore, insufficient to be employed in answering the research question. Seemingly, residence time plays an important role in coastal marine environments characterized by high degree of separation from coastal ocean. Suitability of Great South Bay to Pfiesteria blooms could not be established based on simple comparative analysis which did not stress the importance of residence time; it proved inconclusive with respect to two determinants of Pfiesteria population dynamics— turbulent mixing and potential interactions of Pfiesteria with zooplankton. However, based on analysis that recognized lagoonal character of Great South Bay and the importance of residence time, prior to the passage of Sandy, the confined areas of Great South Bay’s easternmost reaches constitute environments where Pfiesteria blooms appear to have been feasible. Blooms have never occurred, though. Some of the reasons as to why this might be the case include general iii complexity of HAB development and persistence as well as interactions with viruses and abundant populations of brown tide species Aureococcus anophagefferens . iv Table of Contents Acknowledgements………………………………………………………………...………….......ii List of Figures…………………………………………………………………………………...viii List of Tables……………………………………………………………………….……….…... ix List of Terms……………………………………………………………………………………....x List of Acronyms………………………………………………………………………………...xii 1. Introduction……………………………………………………………………………………..1 2. Background 2.1. Study Site Description……………………………………………………………………..2 2.2. Analytical Procedures…………………………………………………………...............…4 2.3. Dinoflagellates, HABs, and Pfiesteria Species: an Overview………………………..…....4 2.4. Physicochemical and Biological Determinants of Pfiesteria Population Dynamics 2.4.1. Effective Cell Concentration ……..…………………………………………………...…8 2.4.2. Temperature…………………………………………….…………….…………...….8 2.4.3. Salinity…………………………………………………………………….………….9 2.4.4. Dissolved Oxygen Concentration …….…………….…………………...............….10 2.4.5. pH …….…………………………………………………………………………..…11 2.4.6. Turbulent Mixing……...……………………………………………...……………..13 2.4.7. Availability of Dissolved Nutrients………………………...……………………….14 2.4.8. Availability of Finfish Prey……….…………………………………...………….….14 2.4.9. Availability of Algal Prey…………………………………………..……………….17 2.4.10. Interactions with Bacteria…………………...……………………………………..18 v 2.4.11. Interactions with Microzooplankton ……………………………..……………......20 2.4.12. Interactions with Mesozooplankton ……………………………………………….21 2.4.13. Interactions with Bivalve Mollusks 2.4.13a. Eastern Oyster ( Crassostrea virginica)…………………………….……….22 2.4.13b. Hard Clam ( Mercenaria mercenaria )…………………………………..….24 2.4.13c. Bay Scallop ( Aequipecten irradians )………………………………………25 2.4.14. Interactions with Other Toxic Dinoflagellates…………………………………..…27 3. Status of Physicochemical and Biological Determinants of Pfiesteria Population Dynamics in Great South Bay Prior to Superstorm Sandy 3.1. Temperature……………………………………………………………………...............28 3.2. Salinity…………………………………………………………………………………...30 3.3. Dissolved Oxygen Concentration …….…………………………………………………31 3.4. pH………………………………………………………………….……………………..33 3.5. Turbulent Mixing ……………….……………………………………………………….34 3.6. Availability of Dissolved Nutrients……………………………………………………...36 3.7. Availability of Finfish Prey……………………………………………………………...39 3.8. Availability of Algal Prey…………………...…………………………………………...42 3.9. Interactions with Bacteria………………………………………………………………..43 3.10. Interactions with Microzooplankton ………………………………………………...…44 3.11. Interactions with Mesozooplankton.……………………………………………………45 3.12. Interactions with Eastern Oysters ( Crassostrea virginica ) …………………………….45 3.13. Interactions with Hard Clams ( Mercenaria mercenaria ) ……………….……………..47 3.14. Interactions with Bay Scallops ( Aequipecten irradians ) ………………………………49 vi 4. Discussion……………………………………………………………………………………..51 5. Conclusion…………………………………………………………………………………….94 References……………………………………………………………………………….….......99 vii List of Figures Figure 2.1. Constituent Embayments of GSB …………………………………………………….4 Figure 3.1. Average July Sea Surface Temperature Readings along the Eastern Coast of the United States……………………………………………………………………….30 Figure 3.2. Temperature Measurements at Bellport and Blue Point, Great South Bay……….....31 Figure 3.3. Great South Bay Salinity…………………………………..….……………..…........32 Figure 3.4. Great South Bay Dissolved Oxygen Concentrations……...……………………..…..34 Figure 3.5. Great South Bay pH Profile………………………………….…….………………...35 Figure 3.6. Great South Bay Tidal Range…………………….…………………….……………36 Figure 3.7. Great South Bay Tidal Current Velocities………………………..…….................…36 Figure 3.8. Recreational Catches of Black Sea Bass in Great South Bay ………………………42 Figure 3.9. Commercial and Recreational Northern Kingfish Catches in Great South Bay…….42 Figure 3.10. Commercial and Recreational Great South Bay Bluefish Catches.…...…………...42 Figure 3.11. General Decline of Bivalve Mollusk Fisheries in Great South Bay……………......45 Figure 3.12. Decline of Commercial Hard Clam Yield in Great South Bay …………………....49 Figure 3.13. Decline of Commercial Bay Scallop Catch in Great South Bay………………..….50 Figure 4.1. Spatial Variability of Dissolved Nitrogen Concentrations in a Typical Coastal Lagoon (Great South Bay)…….................................................................................................68 Figure 4.2. Potential Ingestion of Pfiesteria by Microzooplankton according to Salinity………84 viii List of Tables Table 2.1. Occurrence of Pfiesteria in Water and Sediment Samples Collected in Coastal Marine Systems along the Eastern and Southeastern United States (1998-2000)……………...6 Table 3.1. Eutrophication Status of Great South Bay and Other Coastal Marine Systems in the United States………………………………………………………….. ………….…37 Table 3.2. Respective Contribution of Main Nitrogen Sources to of Great South Bay.................38 Table 4.1. Some Differences between Estuaries and Coastal Lagoons………….........................60 Table 4.2. Status of Some Physicochemical Factors in Celestún Lagoon, Mexico….…………..67 ix List of Terms: Advection – horizontal movement of particles in the atmosphere or the sea Anoxia – a state in which an aquatic/marine waterbody is completely devoid of dissolved oxygen Axenic – containing no bacteria and other normally co-occurring microorganisms Autotrophy – an ability of organisms to synthetize their nutritional requirements Bacterivore – an organism that feeds on bacteria Benthic – relating to the lowest level of a waterbody Bloom – large concentration of a single phytoplankton species Chlorophyll – pigment used by plants to conduct photosynthesis Chloroplasts – chlorophyll-containing organella algae and other plants use to photosynthesize Cilia (singular: cilium) – thin elongated outgrowths ciliated protozoa use to move through water column Culture – cultivation of organisms in laboratory setting Cyst – thick-walled spherical formations which a number of dinoflagellate species turn into to survive unhospitable environmental conditions. Diatoms – the most abundant marine algae group Denitrification – biologically mediated transformation of nitrate to gaseous nitrogen, nitric oxide or nitrous oxide Encystment – a process by which an organism