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MARE-Marine ressurser,miljø og forv

Chattonella - A new bloom forming harmful algal species in Scandinavian Waters, Post.dr.stip.

Awarded: NOK 2.8 mill.

Project summary: Several blooms of Chattonella have been observed along the coast of the Netherlands, Germany, Denmark, Sweden, and Norway since 1998. The blooms in 1998 and 2001 caused large mortality among encaged salon along the southern coast of Norway, where 350 and 1100 tonnes respectively, were lost during exposure to Chattonella. The main objectives of this project are to learn more about the autcology of the speces occurring in the 2001 bloom. The identity and taxonomy of the Chattonella species will be clarify t hrough morphological studies and by using molecular techniques. Life cycle studes will be performed with emphasis on possible cyst formation and excystments, and we will also look for Chattonella cysts in the field. Incubation experiments will be set up t o examine the effects of different salinities, temperatures, irradiances and nutrients on growth. The interactions between Chattonella and potential grazers will be studied in experiments with cultures of Chattonella Environmental data was collected during the blooms in 1998 and 2001. These data in addition to the data from the life cycle, autecology, and interaction experiments will be important in analyses for a better understanding of the factors controlling bloom development and dynamics of Chattonella in Scandinavian waters.

Funding scheme:

MARE-Marine ressurser,miljø og forv

Thematic Areas and Topics

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