Influence of temperature on growth, toxicity and carbohydrate production of a Japanese Ostreopsis ovata strain, a toxic-bloom-forming dinoflagellate
Ostreopsis ovata is a benthic dinoflagellate that produces palytoxin and its analogues. Since the end of the 1990s, toxic blooms of O. ovata have been recorded in many tropical and temperate marine waters. These blooms often kill benthic invertebrates and cause health problems for humans. We hypothesize that increases in seawater temperature might induce these blooms. A strain of O. ovata isolated