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Introduction:
Red tides are the common name for toxic algal blooms that have become more and more prevalent in the coasts of Florida and the Gulf. They are named "red tides" because the blooms turn a bright red when developing. Once they spread within coastlines, it appears that the water is red due to their accumulation (Kirkpatrick, B. & et. al., 2010).
Taxonomy (Reikowski, K., 2013)
Domain: Eukarya
Kingdom: Protozoa
Phylum: Dinophyta
Class: Dinophyceae
Order: Gymnodiniales
Family: Kareniaceae
Genus: Karenia
Species: Karenia brevis/K.brevis
Background Information:
Kingdom: Protozoa-single celled; dinofalgellate (Reikowski, K., 2013).
Means of Reproduction: Asexual fission (Burton, R., 2019).
Primary Producer (Burton, R., 2019).
Powerful in several areas within an environment. Is able compete with and exclude other phytoplankton in its habitat (Burton, R., 2019).
Ability to kill aquatic organisms, but can also kill humans directly and indirectly. Exposure to this brevetoxin can cause impairment of the immune system, neurological problems, and asthmatic issues as well; no way ways to treat this as of now (Burton, R., 2019).
Humans are encouraged to stay at least one to two miles away from the oceans when these algal red tides are blooming (Burton, R., 2019).
General Information:
K.brevis requires three things to grow and survive (Burton, R., 2019):
Optimal light
Temperature
Nutrients, specifically nitrogen and phosphorus.
Karenia is an dinoflagellate genus. This genus does not have any “protection” like other harmful algal blooms. These cells are fragile as they lack cellulose which makes the cell become easily broken- especially during wave action (Steindinger, K., n.d.).
Where are they found?
Coastal waters of Florida and Texas.
Can accumulate in shellfish, leading to poisoning in humans when consuming contaminated shellfish.
Karenia blooms discolor the coastal waters, hence the red water tides. These are also referred to algal blooms, which produce the potent toxins (Steindinger, K., n.d.).
K. brevis species:
Produce brevetoxins that cannot be smelled or tasted, stable in both heat and acid, which demonstrates the difficulty to detect them.
Can also impact other organisms as an aerosol. Beaches are windy, therefore the transportation of these blooms in the is very crucial (Steindinger, K., n.d.).
Primary Literature: "Inland Transport of Aerosolized Florida Red Tide Toxins"
This literature article studied how K.brevis release brevetoxins into the ocean. Water samples were taken over 5 day periods, where temperature, humidity percentage, wind speed, wind direction, and air toxin levels were measured (Kirkpatrick, B. & et. al., 2010). This study found that brevetoxins from K.brevis during a Florida red tide bloom, travels from the beach to inland areas contrary to prior belief. Previously, researchers and the public thought that these toxins were not able to be transported through air, therefore they were believed to only be located on the beach (Kirkpatrick, B. & et. al., 2010). However, this study was one of the first documentations of how these toxins are traveling inland, contributing to health symptoms and increase mortality of specific species. (Kirkpatrick, B. & et. al., 2010).
Specific Information for Primary Literature:
Red tide blooms in Flordia begin 10-40 miles offshore in the bottom waters of the Gulf of Mexico, where K.brevis is almost always present at low and harmless concentrations.
K.brevis cells that hang out at the bottom are brought to the surface by a phenomenon known as upwelling, a process in which deep, cold and nutrient-rich water rises to the surface.
While offshore, a small bloom of K.brevis can begin by using the nitrogen produced the nitrogen-fixing algae, Trichodesmium.
This algae can "fix" nitrogen or obtain it from the atmosphere and convert it to a form that is usable by K.brevis.
Winds and ocean currents can bring these blooms inshore where it has an impact on our coasts. These currents dictate which parts of the coastline will be affected.
Once the blooms get closer to shore, nutrients from the red tides that are starting to die off and the fishkill that occurred as a result, are some of the best significant nutrient sources for blooms.
Data Analysis:
Summary: The samples taken for this study were part of a bigger research project, both with the goal of investigating the exposures and health effects in humans and animals from aerosolized brevetoxins. Air and water samples were taken in order to see if K.brevis was present in the water and air.
Explanation: Total brevetoxin concentrations in the aerosol samples collected during the this study showed that K.brevis was detected. As predicted, the highest level of K.brevis were at the beach site itself, however K.brevis was detected as far as 6.4 km inland.
Evidence Linked with a Conclusion:
The evidence found within this study demonstrated that brevetoxins/K.brevis were able to be transported up to 6.4km inland from the coastal waters. In addition, the other factors that were accounted and measured for (such as wind speed and direction) which revealed the variability of K.brevis presence on each day.
Conclusion:
K.brevis was found to be at higher levels in the water and traveled further inland than previously thought. These findings were incredibly important because with this new information (farther air and land travel), the severity of health effects and mortality rates of aquatic animals increased. For those with asthma or other respiratory illnesses, K.brevis increased their symptoms and decreased lung function after only 1 hour of exposure (Kirkpatrick, B. & et. al., 2010).
Current public health messages are targeted towards leaving the beach area when red tides are present. While this is true, further factors need to be addressed to improve health outcomes and increase awareness (Steindinger, K., n.d., 2013). Inland environmental exposure needs to be made aware of in the population, especially those at higher risk.
References
Burton, R. (2019, August 19). Red Tide: Karenia brevis. Florida Museum. Retrieved February 13, 2023, from https://www.floridamuseum.ufl.edu/earth-systems/blog/red-tide-karenia-brevis/
Kirkpatrick B, Pierce R, Cheng YS, Henry MS, Blum P, Osborn S, Nierenberg K, Pederson BA, Fleming LE, Reich A, Naar J, Kirkpatrick G, Backer LC, Baden D. Inland Transport of Aerosolized Florida Red Tide Toxins. Harmful Algae. 2010 Feb 1;9(2):186-189. doi: 10.1016/j.hal.2009.09.003. PMID: 20161504; PMCID: PMC2796838.
Reikowski, K. (2013). Red Tide. Red Tide K. Reikowski BIO 203. Retrieved February 5, 2023, from http://bioweb.uwlax.edu/bio203/s2013/reikowsk_kyli/classification.htm
Steindinger, K. (n.d.). Karenia. U.S. National Office for Harmful Algal Blooms. Retrieved February 6, 2023, from https://hab.whoi.edu/species/species-by-name/karenia/
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