Scientists at North Carolina State University have confirmed the existence of a second species of Pfiesteria, a toxic microbe linked to fish kills - and, in some cases, to human health problems - along the mid-Atlantic coast.
Researchers from NC State's Aquatic Botany Laboratory will present their findings, including a description of the new species, Pfiesteria shumwayae, on Saturday, March 11, at the Southeastern Estuarine Research Society (SEERS) conference in Wilmington, N.C.
Dr. JoAnn M. Burkholder, NC State professor of aquatic botany and marine sciences, says P. shumwayae is the second species identified from "the toxic Pfiesteria complex," a group of closely related dinoflagellate marine organisms believed responsible for killing millions of fish from the Chesapeake Bay to the Gulf of Mexico.
"As our knowledge of these organisms grows and improved techniques become available to detect them, we'll probably identify a dozen separate species," said Burkholder, the world's leading Pfiesteria expert. "We're still just knocking on the door with this discovery."
Burkholder co-discovered the first Pfiesteria species, Pfiesteria piscicida, in 1989. "Piscicida" in Latin means "fish killer."
Research under Burkholder's direction at the NC State Aquatic Botany Lab found that P. shumwayae - pronounced "shum-way-eye" - is genetically and structurally different from its better-known cousin, P. piscicida. Additionally, the two species appear to respond somewhat differently to the enrichment of nutrients that are often overabundant in coastal waters: P. shumwayae appears to thrive best in waters with high levels of nitrogen, while P. piscicida seems to prefer increased phosphorus levels, although both nitrogen and phosphorus can stimulate it to grow.
Scientists first detected P. shumwayae which they suspected to be a new species - during a 1995 fish kill in North Carolina's New River estuary, following a major spill of effluent from a hog
Contact: Kevin Potter
North Carolina State University