Benthic harmful microalgae and their impacts in South America

•Reports of BHAB species and related harmful events in South America (SA) were reviewed.•Greater diversity of toxigenic species found in equatorial/tropical areas of the continent.•Prorocentrum lima complex is the most frequent and widespread BHAB taxon in SA.•Ciguatera events reported in Colombia a...

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Published in:Harmful algae 2023-08, Vol.127, p.102478-102478, Article 102478
Main Authors: Mafra, Luiz L., Sunesen, Inés, Pires, Estela, Nascimento, Silvia Mattos, Álvarez, Gonzalo, Mancera-Pineda, Josè Ernesto, Torres, Gladys, Carnicer, Olga, Huamaní Galindo, José Alexis, Sanchez Ramirez, Sonia, Martínez-Goicoechea, Ana, Morales-Benavides, Dilcia, Valerio-González, Lorelys
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Benthic dinoflagellates
BHAB
Ciguatera poisoning
Gambierdiscus
Ostreopsis
Prorocentrum
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Summary:•Reports of BHAB species and related harmful events in South America (SA) were reviewed.•Greater diversity of toxigenic species found in equatorial/tropical areas of the continent.•Prorocentrum lima complex is the most frequent and widespread BHAB taxon in SA.•Ciguatera events reported in Colombia and Venezuela since the 1970s and 80s.•Enhanced analytical capacity and BHAB monitoring are necessary in most parts of SA. Public awareness about Benthic Harmful Algal Blooms (BHABs) and their negative impacts has increased substantially over the past few decades. Even so, reports of BHABs remain relatively scarce in South America (SA). This paper provides a comprehensive overview of the current state of knowledge on BHABs in the continent, by integrating data from published articles, books, and technical reports. We recorded ∼300 different occurrences of potentially toxic BHAB species over the Caribbean, Atlantic and Pacific coasts, mostly in marine (>95%) but also in estuarine areas located from 12⁰36′ N to 54⁰53′ S. Over 70% of the data was published/released within the past 10 years, and ∼85% were concentrated in Brazil, Venezuela, Ecuador and Colombia. Benthic species were mainly associated with macroalgae, seagrass and sediment. Incidental detection in the plankton was also relevant, mainly in places where studies targeting BHAB species are still rare, like Argentina, Uruguay, Chile and Peru. The study listed 31 infrageneric taxa of potentially toxic benthic dinoflagellates and eight of estuarine cyanobacteria occurring in SA, with the greatest species diversity recorded in the equatorial-tropical zone, mainly in northeastern Brazil (Atlantic), Venezuela and Colombia (Caribbean), and the Galapagos Islands, Ecuador (Pacific). Local strains of Amphidinium, Gambierdiscus, Coolia and Prorocentrum spp. produced toxic compounds of emerging concern. Prorocentrum lima species complex was the most common and widely distributed taxon, followed by Ostreopsis cf. ovata. In fact, these two dinoflagellates were associated with most BHAB events in SA. Whereas the former has caused the contamination of multiple marine organisms and cases of Diarrhetic Shellfish Poisoning in subtropical and temperate areas, the latter has been associated with faunal mortalities and is suspected of causing respiratory illness to beach users in tropical places. Ciguatera Poisoning has been reported in Colombia (∼240 cases; no deaths) and Venezuela (60 cases; two deaths), and may be also a ris
ISSN:1568-9883
1878-1470
DOI:10.1016/j.hal.2023.102478