RESUMEN
The development of the Grijalva-Usumacinta river basin exerts modifications on its discharge area. A sediment core was studied to reconstruct environmental changes and trace element contamination status during the past 45 years. 210Pb-derived mass accumulation rates indicate higher sediment input to the area since 1995, related to increased precipitation and floodings in the catchment area. Sediments show finer particles from the late 1970s on, likely related to dams construction upriver and/or land use changes. Heavy metal enrichment factors (EF < 2) suggest minimum contamination. Benthic foraminifera and redox-sensitive - elements (As, Ba, Co, Cr, Cu, Ni, Pb, V and Zn) indicate the sediments before 2000 were deposited under oxygenated conditions. Afterwards, environmental conditions changed and benthic foraminifera and dinocysts assemblages changed suggesting eutrophication and lower oxygen conditions during the last 20 years. Monitoring should be continued to assess eutrophication/hypoxic/pollution trends that could become deleterious to the marine biota.
Asunto(s)
Metales Pesados/análisis , Contaminantes Químicos del Agua/análisis , Monitoreo del Ambiente , Sedimentos Geológicos , Golfo de México , RíosRESUMEN
Algunos dinoflagelados de hábitos bénticos están relacionados con la ciguatera, por consumo de pescado, en áreas tropicales. En el Caribe mexicano la ciguatera es un padecimiento relativamente común, sin embargo solo existe un trabajo sobre este tema y muy pocos antecedentes publicados sobre fitoplancton y microalgas bénticas. En este estudio se analizó material recolectado en varios puntos a lo largo de las costas del Estado de Quintana Roo, tanto con red de fitoplancton (54 mm), como de sedimento y epífitas de plantas macroscópicas, para estudiar los dinoflagelados tóxicos y asociados. Se registra la presencia de tres especies del género Gambierdiscus, asociadas con la producción de toxinas causantes de la ciguatera: G. belizeanus, G. toxicus y G. yasumotoi, todas distribuídas en áreas costeras poco profundas, incluyendo lagunas costeras. Las especies han sido estudiadas con microscopía de luz y electrónica de barrido. Para el reconocimiento de las especies se emplearon los caracteres morfológicos usuales, pero eventualmente se pueden usar caracteres fisiológicos, ecológicos y moleculares. La llamada "comunidad ciguatoxigénica" también está formada por especies de los géneros Prorocentrum, Ostreopsis y Coolia, cuyo estudio florístico y taxonómico se recomienda ampliamente, así como investigaciones complementarias de aspectos biológicos, ecológicos, fisiológicos y epidemiológicos de esta comunidad
Some dinoflagellates with benthic habits are related to ciguatera intoxication by fish consumption, especially in tropical areas. In the Mexican Caribbean, ciguatera is relatively common, but only one paper seems to have been published on the subject, and there are very few publicactions on phytoplankton and benthic microalgae. Material collected along the coast of the State of Quintana Roo with phytoplankton net (54 mm) and directly from sediment and epiphytes of macroscopic plants, was searched for toxic and other associated dinoflagellates. Samples were studied by light and scanning electron microscopy. Morphological characters were useful for species identification, but eventually physiological, ecological and molecular characters could also be used. Three species of Gambierdiscus, related to the production of ciguatera toxins, were identified: G. belizeanus, G. toxicus and G. yasumotoi. They are distributed in shallow coastal areas, including coastal lagoons
Asunto(s)
Animales , Intoxicación por Ciguatera , Ciguatoxinas/metabolismo , Dinoflagelados/clasificación , Recuento de Células , Región del Caribe/epidemiología , Intoxicación por Ciguatera/epidemiología , Ciguatoxinas/toxicidad , Dinoflagelados/metabolismo , Dinoflagelados/ultraestructura , Ecosistema , México/epidemiología , Fitoplancton/clasificación , Fitoplancton/metabolismo , Fitoplancton/ultraestructuraRESUMEN
Some dinoflagellates with benthic habits are related to ciguatera intoxication by fish consumption, especially in tropical areas. In the Mexican Caribbean, ciguatera is relatively common, but only one paper seems to have been published on the subject, and there are very few publicactions on phytoplankton and benthic microalgae. Material collected along the coast of the State of Quintana Roo with phytoplankton net (54 mm) and directly from sediment and epiphytes of macroscopic plants, was searched for toxic and other associated dinoflagellates. Samples were studied by light and scanning electron microscopy. Morphological characters were useful for species identification, but eventually physiological, ecological and molecular characters could also be used. Three species of Gambierdiscus, related to the production of ciguatera toxins, were identified: G. belizeanus, G. toxicus and G. yasumotoi. They are distributed in shallow coastal areas, including coastal lagoons.
Asunto(s)
Ciguatoxinas/metabolismo , Dinoflagelados/clasificación , Animales , Región del Caribe , Recuento de Células , Ciguatoxinas/toxicidad , Dinoflagelados/metabolismo , Dinoflagelados/ultraestructura , Ecosistema , México , Fitoplancton/clasificación , Fitoplancton/metabolismo , Fitoplancton/ultraestructuraRESUMEN
With the purpose to make a review on the red tides occurence at mexican coasts, previous studies were analyzed. Dinoflagellates seem to be the main cause of toxic events mainly Gonyaulax polygramma, Gymnodinium catenatum, Pyrodinium bahamense var. compressum and Ptychodiscus brevis. There are other species which cause red tides but are not toxic. They are: Mesodinium rubrum, Gonyaulax triacantha, Noctiluca scintillans, Prorocentrum dentatum, Gymnodinium splendens, G. sanguineum, Ceratium tripos var. ponticum, C. furca, Scrippsiella trocoidea and Oscillatoria erythraea. The first of these is the most common cilliate of the Pacific coastlines and the last one is the most common cyanophyceae during the strong events of "El Niño". The magnitude is quite variable, from small stains of a hundred square meters to several square kilometers and its density ranges from 0.5 to 36 million cells/l. Their residence time goes from 1 or 2 days to as long as 5 months. The great densities are due to Prorocentrum dentatum and P. minimum, the latter is only observed in estuarine ponds for shrimp cultivation, they have not been related to poisoning episodes. New areas of the red tide occurrence have been recorded during the last decades, such as Acapulco Bay, Huatulco, Salinacruz and Puerto Madero. These localities and also Mazatlán, are the only regions in which paralytic shellfish poisoning (PSP) have registered fatal cases and in the Gulf of Mexico a great mortality of fishes has been noted due to ictiotoxin produced by Ptychodiscus brevis. On the other hand, at Yucatan and west coast of the Peninsula of California red tide events are little known.