Reproductive ecology of the dominant dinoflagellate, Ceratium fusus, in coastal area of Sagami Bay,Japan

The seasonal abundance of the dominant dinoflagellate, Ceratium fusus, was investigated from January 2000 to December 2003 in a coastal region of Sagami Bay, Japan. The growth of this species was also examined under laboratory conditions. In Sagami Bay, C. fusus increased significantly from April to September, and decreased from November to February, though it was found at all times through out the observation period. C. fusus increased markedly in September 2001 and August 2003 after heavy rainfalls that produced pycnoclines. Rapid growth was observed over a salinity range of 24 to 30, with the highest specific rate of 0.59 d⁻¹ measured under the following conditions: salinity 27, temperature 24°C, photon irradiance 600 μmol m⁻²s⁻¹. The growth rate of C. fusus increased with increasing irradiance from 58 to 216 μmol m⁻²s⁻¹, plateauing between 216 and 796 μmol m⁻²s⁻¹ under all temperature and salinity treatments (except at a temperature of 12°C). Both field and laboratory experiments indicated that C. fusus has the ability to grow under wide ranges of water temperatures (14–28°C), salinities (20–34), and photon irradiance (50–800 μmol m⁻²s⁻¹); it is also able to grow at low nutrient concentrations. This physiological flexibility ensures that populations persist when bloom conditions come to an end.