Preprint volume - SIBM

Pre-print Volume – Posters
Topic 3: INTEGRATED COASTAL ZONE MANAGEMENT
N. UNGARO, A.M. PASTORELLI, T. DI FESTA, I. GALISE, C. ROMANO,
G. ASSENNATO, M. BLONDA, V. PERRINO
ARPA Puglia, Corso Trieste, 27 - 70126 Bari, Italia.
n.ungaro@arpa.puglia.it
ANNUAL TREND OF THE DINOFLAGELLATE OSTREOPSIS OVATA
IN TWO SITES ALONG THE SOUTHERN ADRIATIC COAST
ANDAMENTO ANNUALE DEL DINOFLAGELLATO OSTREOPSIS OVATA
IN DUE SITI LUNGO LA COSTA ADRIATICA MERIDIONALE
Abstract – The annual trend of the benthic and potentially toxic dinoflagellate Ostreopsis ovata was studied
in two sites along the Apulian Adriatic coast. The monthly monitoring highlighted a well defined annual
trend of the O. ovata population and the potential relationships among the dinoflagellate occurrence and
the seasonal variation of some physical-chemical parameters in the sea waters.
Key-words: benthic microalgae, Ostreopsis ovata, HABs, marine coastal area, Adriatic Sea.
Introduction – The benthic dinoflagellate Ostreopsis ovata Fukujo is mainly
distributed in tropical and sub-tropical geographical areas where it is considered as
potentially toxic (Yasumoto et al., 1987). Blooms of the species, as well as palytoxinlike
compounds in the O. ovata cells, have been recorded in the last years in different
Italian locations (Congestri et al., 2006) (Ciminiello et al., 2008). O. ovata has been
reported since the year 2000 along the Apulian coasts (Ungaro et al., 2008), where it
was supposed the main cause of syndromes affecting people on the sea-shore during
summer (Gallitelli et al., 2005).
Materials and methods – Two coastal sites characterised by rocky bottoms and
located at north and south of the town of Bari (Fig. 1) were monitored each month from
October 2007 to September 2008 to follow the annual trend of the O. ovata population.
Fig. 1 – Location of the sampling stations (grey squares) for the annual monitoring of Ostreopsis
ovata.
Localizzazione delle stazioni (quadrati grigi) per il monitoraggio annuale di Ostreopsis ovata.
In the two sites some chemical-physical parameters as water surface temperature,
conductivity, pH, macronutrients and a-chlorophyll were also measured. Water
samples were collected close to the coast (0.5-1 m bathymetry), sampling by means of
a bottle in the sub-surface layer (-0.4/-0.8 m depths). Moreover, a bottom water sample
was collected close to the seabed using a 50 ml syringe (three replicates) for the
quantification of O. ovata. The results from the analysis were elaborated in order to
investigate about the potential relationships among O. ovata and abiotic parameters.
41 st S.I.B.M. CONGRESS Rapallo (GE), 7-11 June 2010
190