Eutrophication is occurring in waters around the world and can have serious effects on marine life and humans. Excess nutrients cause the algae to "bloom," which affects aquatic life by depleting oxygen; some algae species also emit neurotoxins that impact marine species directly. The first is an article from New Scientist about the recent occurrence of thousands of dead fish on Kenyan shores....
The focus of this week's In The News is Pfiesteria piscicida, a tiny marine organism that has received wide, national attention related to last year's massive fish kill in the Chesapeake Bay. The nine resources listed provide an overview of Pfiesteria piscicida, from basic biology to environmental, political, and economic impacts. Neither plant nor animal, this protist is a type of dinoflagellate,...
Produced by the National Office of Marine Biotoxins and Harmful Algal Blooms and housed at the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution, this site covers the dark side of the organisms that provide the foundation for almost all marine life. The site focuses on the small number of algae that produce potent neurotoxins that "can be transferred through the food web where they affect and even kill the...