Cochlodinium polykrikoides
| Cochlodinium polykrikoides | |
|---|---|
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| A Cochlodinium polykrikoides bloom in Narragansett Bay, RI. | |
| Scientific classification | |
| Domain: | Eukaryota |
| (unranked): | SAR |
| (unranked): | Alveolata |
| Phylum: | Dinoflagellata |
| Class: | Dinophyceae |
| Order: | Gymnodiniales |
| Family: | Gymnodiniaceae |
| Genus: | Cochlodinium |
| Species: | C. polykrikoides |
| Binomial name | |
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Cochlodinium polykrikoides Margalef, 1961 |
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Cochlodinium polykrikoides is a species of red tide producing marine dinoflagellates known for causing fish kills around the world, and well known for fish kills in marine waters of Southeast Asia.
Cochlodinium polykrikoides is a highly motile organism. They are generally found in aggregations of 4 or 8 cell zooids. Cochlodinium polykrikoides is capable of mixotrophy, which makes them extremely persistent during a large algal bloom. Cochlodinium is thought to have a cyst-type overwintering stage in their life cycle. This process allows C. polykrikoides to produce a specialized cell that is non-motile. These cells aggregate and rest in certain basins until conditions allow for reproduction and colonies to form.
In late 2008 and early 2009 (November–February) there was a massive bloom of Cochlodinium polykrikoides in the Sea of Oman, off the coast of Oman in the Arabian Sea. It was notable for being based on Cochlodinium polykrikoides rather than the Noctiluca scintillans (Noctiluca miliaris) that had been more usual in the immediately previous years. The bloom resulted in massive dying off of fish, damage to coral reefs, and interference with desalinization plants.
While only minimal research has been done on C. polykrikoides, there have been signs of ideal conditions for these toxic blooms to occur.
Climate change has been contributing to the increased incidence of harmful algal blooms. Across the oceans SST has been on the rise and coastal upwelling events have been more and more common. As climate change continues to affect the oceans, it is predicted that harmful algal blooms (such as red tides caused by Cochlodinium polykrikoides) will be more frequent in the upcoming years.
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Wikipedia