At least three distinct varieties of toxins from microscopic algae have been discovered by a federal researcher who had been studying the condition of the Indian River Lagoon. He claimed that the algae had been the culprit for last year’s marine animal deaths in the area such as the pelicans, dolphins, and manatees.
The most affected among the three mentioned marine animals were the manatees. According to scientists, these animals would normally feed on the sea grass but had to change their diet after the latter is killed by algae blooms. Feeding instead on seaweed led to the animal’s bigger exposure to danger as the seaweed has been found to contain a huge amount of toxins.
Peter Moeller, research chemist from Charleston’s National Ocean Service, admitted that at this point, there’s no way to identify the type of algae that had been producing the toxins. Moreover, they are still figuring out how to get rid of this manatee-killer.
In May, several samples of the algae were collected from the same area where a number of manatees had been dying. So far, the record shows that there were more than 100 manatees, 300 pelicans, and 51 dolphins that have died in the lagoon last year. The causes of all casualties are still difficult to determine and explain.
Moeller had outlined the steps needed in his lab in order to study the algae and its content. Initially, the algae toxins had been tested on human breast cancer cells and the neurological cells that from mice. The next step is studying the molecular framework of the three types of toxins. The last one involves finding out the possible existence of the same studied toxins in the tissues of the pelican, dolphin, and manatee.
The Indian River Lagoon, considered as one of the biggest estuaries sprawled along the East Coast, has been plagued with a thick brownish sludge during the past few years. Sometimes, the sludge has been too much while other times, it has been too little. This has resulted to having excess nutrients such as phosphorus and nitrogen which eventually led to an excessive amount of algae. The lingering presence of the brown tide had somehow caused the disappearance of the fish and sea grass.
