Skip to main content

Advertisement

SpringerLink
Log in

Acute toxicity of live and decomposing green alga Ulva (Enteromorpha) prolifera to abalone Haliotis discus hannai

  • Published:
Chinese Journal of Oceanology and Limnology Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

From 2007 to 2009, large-scale blooms of green algae (the so-called “green tides”) occurred every summer in the Yellow Sea, China. In June 2008, huge amounts of floating green algae accumulated along the coast of Qingdao and led to mass mortality of cultured abalone and sea cucumber. However, the mechanism for the mass mortality of cultured animals remains undetermined. This study examined the toxic effects of Ulva (Enteromorpha) prolifera, the causative species of green tides in the Yellow Sea during the last three years. The acute toxicity of fresh culture medium and decomposing algal effluent of U. prolifera to the cultured abalone Haliotis discus hannai were tested. It was found that both fresh culture medium and decomposing algal effluent had toxic effects to abalone, and decomposing algal effluent was more toxic than fresh culture medium. The acute toxicity of decomposing algal effluent could be attributed to the ammonia and sulfide presented in the effluent, as well as the hypoxia caused by the decomposition process.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Log in via an institution

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  • Abdalla A A, MacNabb C D. 1998. Acute and sublethal growth effects of un-ionized ammonia to nile tilapia Oreochromis niloticus. The Progressive Fish-Culturist, 58: 117–123.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Adelman I R, Smith L L Jr. 1970. Effect of hydrogen sulfide on northern pike eggs and sac fry. Trans. Am. Fish. Soc., 99: 501–509.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Aneer G. 1987. High natural mortality of Baltic herring (Clupea harengus) eggs caused by algal effluents? Mar. Biol., 94: 163–169.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Chen Y, Shao M H, Lin X Y. 2007. Study on the analysis in field of ammonia nitrogen in seawater with indophenol blue. Journal of Dalian Maritime University, 33: 142–145. (in Chinese with English abstract)

    Google Scholar 

  • De Lara-Isassi G, Álvarez-Hernández S, Collado-Vides L. 2000. Ichtyotoxic activity of extracts from Mexican marine macroalgae. J. Appl. Phycol., 12: 45–52.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Durborow R M, Crosby D M, Branson M W. 1997. Nitrite in fish pounds. Southern Regional Aquaculture Center, Fact sheet No.462, p.4.

  • Eklund B, Svensson A P, Jonsson C. 2004. Toxic effects of decomposing red algae on littoral organism. Est. Coast. Shelf Sci., 62(4): 621–626.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Fallu R. 1991. Abalone Farming. Fishing News Books, Oxford, England, p.195.

    Google Scholar 

  • Fletcher R L. 1996. The occurrence of “green tides”-a review. In: Schramm W, Nienhuis P H, ed. Marine Benthic Vegetation—Recent Changes and the Effects of Eutrophication. Springer Verlag, Heidelberg. p.7–43.

    Google Scholar 

  • Fusetani N, Ozawa C, Hashimoto Y. 1976. Fatty acids as ichthyotoxic constituents of a green alga Chaetomorpha minima. Bull. Jpn. Soc. Sci. Fish., 42: 941.

    Google Scholar 

  • GB 17378.4. 2007. The specification for marine monitoring: part 4. Seawater analysis. Marine Press, Beijing, p.60. (in Chinese)

    Google Scholar 

  • Gribble G W. 1998. Naturally occurring organohalogen compounds. Accounts Chem. Res., 31: 141–152.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Hayward P J. 1980. Invertebrate epiphytes of coastal marine algae. In: Price J H, Irvine D E G, Famham W F, ed. The Shore Environment. 2. Ecosystems. Academic Press, London, p.761–787.

    Google Scholar 

  • Johnson D A. 1980. Effects of phytoplankton and macroalgae on larval and juvenile winter flounder (Pseudopleuronectes americanus Walbaum) cultures. M.S. Thesis, University of Rhode Island, Kingston, p.61.

    Google Scholar 

  • Johnson D A, Welsh B L. 1985. Detrimental effects of Ulva lactuca (L.) exudates and low oxygen on estuarine crab larvae. J. Exp. Mar. Biol. Ecol., 86: 73–83.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Larson F. 1997. Survival and growth of plaice (Pleuronectes platessa) larvae and juveniles in mats of Ulva sp. M. S. Thesis, Göteborg University, p. 12.

  • Li J, Jiang L X, Wang W Q. 2007. The toxic effect of ammonia nitrogen and sulfurated hyfrogen on the larvae of Penaeus japonicus. Journal of Shanghai Fisheries University, 16(1): 22–27. (in Chinese with English abstract)

    Google Scholar 

  • Morand P, Briand X. 1996. Excessive growth of macroalgae: a symptom of environmental disturbance. Bot. Mar., 39: 491–516.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Nedzarek A, Rakusa-Suszczewski S. 2004. Decomposition of macroalgae and the release of nutrient in Admiralty Bay, King George Island, Antarctica. Polar Biosci., 17: 26–35.

    Google Scholar 

  • Nelson T A, Lee D J, Smith B C. 2003. Are “green tides” harmful algal blooms? Toxic properties of water-soluble extracts from two bloom-forming macroalgae, Ulva fenestrata and Ulvaria obscura (Ulvophyceae). J. Phycol.2, 39: 874–879.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Newell R C, Field J G, Giuffiths C L. 1982. Energy balance and significance of macro-organisms in a kelp bed community. Mar. Ecol. Prog. Ser., 8: 103–113.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Newman M C. 1995. Quantitative Methods in Aquatic Toxicology. CRC Press, Boca Raton. 426p.

    Google Scholar 

  • Norkko A, Bonsdorff E. 1996. Altered benthic prey-availability due to episodic oxygen deficiency caused by drifting algal mats. Mar. Ecol., 17: 355–372.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Pihl L, Isaksson I, Wennhage H. 1995. Recent increase of filamentous algae in shallow Swedish bays: effects on the community structure of epibenthic fauna and fish. Neth. J. Aquat. Ecol., 29: 349–358.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Quiñoa E, Castedo L, Riguera R. 1989. The halogenated monoterpenes of Aplysia punctata. A comparative study. Comp. Biochem. Physiol, Part B: Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, 92: 99–101.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Rosenberg R, Elmgren R, Fleischer S. 1990. Marine eutrophication case studies in Sweden. Ambio, 3: 102–108.

    Google Scholar 

  • Seed R, O’Connor R J. 1981. Community organization in marine algal epifaunas. Amu. Rev. Ecol. Syst., 12: 49–74.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Smit A J, Robertson-Andersson D V, Peall S, Bolton J J. 2007. Dimethylsulfoniopropionate (DMSP) accumulation in abalone Haliotis midae (Mollusca: Prosobranchia) after consumption of various diets, and consequences for aquaculture. Aquaculture, 269: 377–389.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Smith L L, Oseid D M, Kimball G L. 1976. Toxicity of hydrogen sulfide to various life history stages of bluegill (Lepomismacrochirus). Trans. Am. Fish. Soc., 105: 442–449.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Van Alstyne K L. 2008. The distribution of DMSP in green macroalgae from northern New Zealand, eastern Australia and southern Tasmania. J. Mar. Biol. Assoc. U. K., 88(4): 799–805.

    Google Scholar 

  • Van Alstyne K L, Koellermeier L, Nelson T A. 2007. Spatial variation in dimethylsulfoniopropionate PMSP) production in Ulva lactuca (Chlorophyta) from the Northeast Pacific. Mar. Biol., 150(6): 1127–1 135.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Welsh B L. 1973. The grass shrimp, Palaemonetes pugio, as a major component of a salt marsh ecosystem. Ph.D. Thesis, Univeristy of Rhode Island, Kingston, p.90.

    Google Scholar 

  • Xu L W, Liao C R, Liu G F. 2005. Acute toxicity and histological toxicology of florfenicol to abalone Haliotis diversicolor Reeve. Journal of Dalian Fisheries University, 20(4): 295–299. (in Chinese with English abstract)

    Google Scholar 

  • Yang B J, Zheng L, Chen J H. 2009. Cluster analysis on fatty acid composition of Ulva prolifera off northern China coast. Oceano. Limnol Sin., 40(5): 627–632. (in Chinese with English abstract)

    Google Scholar 

  • Yang H S, Ting Y Y. 1989. Land-based culture of small abalone. Tainan Branch. Taiwan Fisheries Research Institute, Tainan, Taiwan, p.43. (in Chinese)

    Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Key Laboratory of Marine Ecology and Environmental Sciences, Institute of Oceanology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Qingdao, 266071, China

    Chao Wang  (王超), Rencheng Yu  (于仁成) & Mingjiang Zhou  (周名江)

  2. Graduate University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100049, China

    Chao Wang  (王超)

  3. Graduate School of Tsinghua University, Shenzhen, 518055, China

    Chao Wang  (王超)

Authors
  1. Chao Wang  (王超)
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Rencheng Yu  (于仁成)
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  3. Mingjiang Zhou  (周名江)
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Rencheng Yu  (于仁成).

Additional information

Supported by the National Key Technology R&D Program (No. 2008BAC49B01), the National Basic Research Program of China (973 Program) (No. 2010CB428705), and the Foundation for Innovative Research Groups of the National Natural Science Foundation of China (No. 40821004)

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Cite this article

Wang, C., Yu, R. & Zhou, M. Acute toxicity of live and decomposing green alga Ulva (Enteromorpha) prolifera to abalone Haliotis discus hannai . Chin. J. Ocean. Limnol. 29, 541–546 (2011). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00343-011-0126-3

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Accepted:

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00343-011-0126-3

Keyword

Search

Navigation