Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in

The First Observation of Domoic Acid in Plankton Net Samples from the Sea of Marmara, Turkey

  • Published:
Bulletin of Environmental Contamination and Toxicology Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

This study reports the first evidence of domoic acid (DA), an algal neurotoxin produced by the genus Pseudo-nitzschia, from plankton net samples collected in the Sea of Marmara in December, 2010 and February, 2011. DA concentrations of plankton net samples were analyzed by high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC), using the fluorenylmethoxycarbonyl fluorescence derivatization technique (detection limit 0.2 ng DA). The biotoxin concentrations in samples from coastal waters varied between 0.96 and 5.25 µg DA/mL. We also investigated possible correlations between physicochemical parameters and DA concentration. The DA levels appear to be correlated negatively with silica and nitrite concentrations for both sampling periods. These data may be used to evaluate the probability of finding similar conditions in coastal waters of the Sea of Marmara in order to determine the potential risks to local aquaculture and fisheries.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Log in via an institution

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Fig. 1
Fig. 2
Fig. 3

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  • Alvarez G, Uribe E, Scheggia QS, Rivera LA, Marino C, Blanco A (2009) Domoic acid production by Pseudo-nitzschia australis and Pseudo-nitzschia calliantha isolated from North Chile. Harmful Algae 8:938–945

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • American Public Health Association (APHA) (1999) Standard methods for the examination of water and wastewater. 20th edition, Washington DC, USA

  • Bargu S, Powell CL, Wang Z, Doucette GJ, Silver MW (2008) Note on the occurence of Pseudo-nitzschia australis and domoic acid in squid from Monterrey Bay, CA (USA). Harmful Algae 7:45–51

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Bates SS, Bird CJ, Defreitas ASW, Foxall R, Gilgan M, Hanic LA, Johnson GR, Mcculloch AW, Odensep P, Pocklington R, Quilliam MA, Sim PG, Smith JC, Rao DVS, Todd ECD, Walter JA, Wright JLC (1989) Pennate diatom Nitzschia-pungens as the primary source of domoic acid, a toxin in shellfish from eastern Prince Edward Island, Canada. Can J Fish Aquat Sci 46(7):1203–1215

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Bates SS, De Freitas ASW, Milley JE, Pocklington R, Quilliam MA, Smith JC, Worms J (1991) Controls on domoic acid production by the diatom Nitzschia-pungens f multiseries in culture—nutrients and irradiance. Can J Fish Aquat Sci 48(7):1136–1144

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Besiktepe S, Sur HI, Ozsoy E, Abdul Latif MA, Oguz T, Unluata U (1994) The circulation and hydrography of the Marmara Sea. Prog Oceanog 34:285–334

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Besiktepe S, Ryabushko L, Ediger D, Yilmaz D, Zenginer A, Ryabushko V, Lee R (2008) Domoic acid production by Pseudo-nitzschia calliantha Lundholm, Moestrup et Hasle (Bacillariophyta) isolated from the black Sea. Harmful Algae 7:438–442

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Daigo K, Takemoto T (1958) Constituents of Chondria armata. Chem Pharm Bull 6:578–580

    Google Scholar 

  • Deniz N, Tas S (2009) Seasonal variations in the phytoplankton community in the north-eastern Sea of Marmara and a species list. J Mar Biol Assoc UK 89(2):269–276

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Granéli E, Turner TJ (2006) Chemical and physical factors influencing toxin content. In: Ecological studies. Ecology of harmful algae. Springer: Berlin 189:229–241

  • Kudela R, Roberts A, Armstrong M (2003) Laboratory analyses of nutrient stress and toxin production in Pseudo-nitzschia spp. from Monterey Bay, California. In: Steidinger KA, Landsberg JH, Tomas CR, Vargo GA (Eds.) Harmful Algae 2002. Florida and wildlife conservation commission, Florida institute of Oceanography, and Intergovernmental Oceanographic Commission of UNESCO

  • Kudela RM, Lane JQ, Cochlan WP (2008) The potential role of anthropogenically derived nitrogen in the growth of harmful algae in California, USA. Harmful Algae 8:103–110

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Lefebvre KA, Robertson A (2010) Domoic acid and human exposure risks: a review. Toxicon 56:218–230

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • MacIntyre HL, Stutes AL, Smith WL, Dorsey CP, Abraham A, Dickey RW (2011) Environmental correlates of community composition and toxicity during a bloom of Pseudo-nitzschia spp. in the northern Gulf of Mexico. J Plankton Res 33(2):273–295

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Pan YL, Rao DVS, Mann KH (1996) Changes in domoic acid production and cellular chemical composition of the toxigenic diatom Pseudo-nitzschia multiseries under phosphate limitation. J Phycol 32(3):371–381

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Parsons TR, Maita Y, Lalli CM (1984) A manual of chemical biological methods for seawater analysis. Pergamon Press, Oxford

    Google Scholar 

  • Pocklington R, Milley JE, Bates SS, Bird CJ, Defreitas ASW, Quilliam MA (1990) Trace determination of domoic acid in sea water and phytoplankton by high-performance liquid chromatography of the fluorenylmethoxycarbonyl (FMOC) derivative. Int J Environ Anal Chem 38(3):351–368

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Quilliam MA, Sim PG, Mcculloch AW, McInnes AG (1989) High-performance liquid chromatography of domoic acid, a marine neurotoxin, with application to shelfish and plankton. Int J Environ Anal Chem 36(3):139–154

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Schnetzer A, Miller PE, Schaffner RA, Stauffer BA, Jones BH, Weisberg SB, Digiacomo PM, Berelson WM, Caron DA (2007) Blooms of Pseudo-nitzschia and domoic acid in the San Pedro channel and los Angeles harbor areas of the Southern California Bight 2003–2004. Harmful Algae 6:372–387

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Sur HI, Yüksek A, Sur M, Altıok H, Ünlü S, Tas S, Yılmaz N, Demirel N (2010) Pollution monitoring project in the Sea of Marmara. Final Report (in Turkish). Institute of Marine Sciences and Management, University of Istanbul, Turkey

  • Tas S, Okus E, Ünlü S, Altıok H (2011) A study on phytoplankton following ‘Volgoneft-248’ oil spill on the north-eastern coast of the Sea of Marmara. J Mar Biol Assoc UK 91:715–725

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Trainer VL, Adams NG, Bill BD, Anulacion BF, Wekell JC (1998) Concentration and dispersal of a Pseudo-nitzschia bloom in Penn Cove, Washington, USA. Nat Toxins 6:113–125

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Trainer VL, Adams NG, Bill BD, Stehr CM, Wekell JC, Moeller P, Busman M, Woodruff D (2000) Domoic acid production near California coastal upwelling zones, June 1998. Limnol Oceanogr 45(8):1818–1833

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Trainer VL, Hickey BM, Horner RA (2002) Biological and physical dynamics of domoic acid production off the Washington coast. Limnol Oceanogr 47:1438–1446

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Vera-Avila LE, Marín-Pérez DY, Herrera RC (2011) Trace level determination of domoic acid in seawater by off-line/on-line solid-phase extraction coupled to HPLC-UV. J Mex Chem Soc 55(2):65–71

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Vrieling EG, Koeman RPT, Scholin CA, Scheerman P, Peperzak L, Veenhuis M, Gieskes WWC (1996) Identification of a domoic acid-producing Pseudo-nitzschia species (Bacillariophyceae) in the Dutch Wadden Sea with electron microscopy and molecular probes. Eur J Phycol 31:333–340

    Article  Google Scholar 

Download references

Acknowledgments

We thank the R/V ARAR staff for help in sampling.

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Physical Oceanography and Marine Biology, Institute of Marine Sciences and Management, Istanbul University, 34134, Vefa, Istanbul, Turkey

    Fuat Dursun & Selma Ünlü

  2. Department of Pharmaceutical Toxicology, Faculty of Pharmacy, Marmara University, Haydarpaşa, Istanbul, Turkey

    Türkan Yurdun

Authors
  1. Fuat Dursun
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Türkan Yurdun
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  3. Selma Ünlü
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Fuat Dursun.

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Check for updates. Verify currency and authenticity via CrossMark

Cite this article

Dursun, F., Yurdun, T. & Ünlü, S. The First Observation of Domoic Acid in Plankton Net Samples from the Sea of Marmara, Turkey. Bull Environ Contam Toxicol 96, 70–75 (2016). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00128-015-1704-4

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Accepted:

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00128-015-1704-4

Keywords

Search

Navigation