Program

The Ostreopsis is the toxic benthic dinoflagellate genus which produce palytoxin(PLTX) and its analogs, one of the most potent toxic compounds. The species of this genus are widely distributed in tropical and subtropical seas. They are extending to the temperate waters. Harmful events associated with Ostreopsis, have been reported more frequently over the last decade including in areas where those benthic genera were hardly known. Except that of ciguatera fish poisoning (CFP) produced by Gambierdiscus, one of the most popular algal toxins in benthic ecosystem, the palytoxin produced by Ostreopsis is another important toxins in benthic ecosystem and are responsible for one of the most common algal toxin-related illnesses globally and often with significant long-term ecosystem negative effects. So far Ostreopsis have not been extensively investigated worldwide. The biodiversity of this genus have never been studied in the nearshores in the China benthic ecosystems. The phylogeny, toxicity, and degree to which various environmental factors regulating the distribution and toxicity of individual Ostreopsis populations are largely unknown and would be a major focus on the study. The China Sea and islands within the areas is a typical tropical, subtropical and temperate ecosystems with rich substrates for benthic dinoflagelles growth. Until now, we have got Ostreopsis species from ten areas. The objectives for the study are to answer the following scientific questions: The biodiversity and the distribution pattern of the species in the area, the phylogeny of Ostreopsis species and their relationship with strains from the nearby waters, the toxicity of the species and the environmental parameters that affect the local distribution and the toxin production.