Environmental factors and seasonal occurrence of the dinoflagellate Alexandrium minutum, a PSP potential producer, in a Mediterranean lagoon

Seasonal fluctuations of hydrobiological parameters were studied, throughout 1992, in a shallow Mediterranean area (Ganzirri lagoon), affected by the dinoflagellate Alexandrium minutum, a potential producer of saxitoxins. Concentrations of dissolved inorganic nitrogen (DIN) and N:P ratios were high in autumn and winter, when the waters were well mixed and free from A. minutum cells. The spring appearance of this species coincided with enhanced rainfall and freshwater runoff and with stabilization of the water column, whereas cell dispersion was observed in summer. Although A. minutum never dominated the algal community, cell densities were maximal in May, when values of salinity did not exceed 30; during this month, there were reduced amounts of DIN, N:P atomic ratios close to 16:1 and a minor competitive pressure by other phytoplankters. Subsequent increases in values of the above parameters-in particular, of the ammonium nitrogen-were associated with a decline in cell numbers, and final disappearance of A. minutum cells. (C) 1996 Academic Press Limited