Culture techniques and growth characteristics of Dinophysis acuminata and its prey

The dinoflagellate Dinophysis acuminata Claparede & Lachmann is a toxic alga that causes diarrhetic shellfish poisoning No Dinophysis species were maintained in culture for a long period of time until 2006 when Park successfully established D acuminata in culture using a three-step feeding protocol in which the cryptophyte, Geminigera cryophila, is fed to Myrizonecta rubra (=Mesodinium rubrum), a ciliate that is m turn fed to D acuminata In this paper, we present the details of culturing D acuminata from the Northeastern United States The protocols described herein can be adopted for laboratory studies of this species The effects of temperature on the growth and ingestion rates of D acuminata were also examined The results show that D acuminata growth rate was 0 23 /d at 10 degrees C and 0 11 /d at 4 degrees C when fed M rubra prey The maximum prey ingestion rate was 2 80 Dinophysis cell/d at 10 degrees C, although the rate decreased slightly at 4 degrees C In overall, temperature showed a greater influence on growth rate of D acuminata than on the ingestion rate under the study conditions, and the quantity of available food was also an important regulator to D acuminata growth