Evaluation of the effects of light intensity on growth of the benthic dinoflagellate Ostreopsis sp. 1 using a newly developed photoirradiation-culture system and a novel regression analytical method

Benthic dinoflagellates of the genus Ostreopsis are found all over the world in temperate, subtropical, and tropical coastal regions. Our recent studies revealed that a putative “cryptic” species of Ostreopsis ovata is present widely along Japanese coasts. This organism, Ostreopsis sp. 1, possesses palytoxin analogs and thus its toxic blooms may be responsible for potential toxification of marine organisms. To evaluate the bloom dynamics of Ostreopsis sp. 1, the present study examined the growth responses of Ostreopsis sp. 1 strain s0716 to various light intensities (photon flux densities: μmol photons m −2 s −1 ) using a newly devised photoirradiation-culture system. This novel system has white light-emitting diodes (LEDs) capable of more closely simulating the wavelength spectrum of light entering the oceanic water column than do fluorescent tubes and halogen lamps. In this system, the light intensity of the white LEDs was reduced through two polarizing filters by varying the rotation angles of the filters. Thereby, the new system was capable of culturing microalgae under well-controlled light intensity conditions. Ostreopsis sp. 1 grew proportionally when light intensity was increased from 49.5 to 199 μmol photons m −2 s −1 , but its growth appeared to be inhibited slightly at ≥263 μmol photons m −2 s −1 . The relationship between observed growth rates and light intensity was calculated at R > 0.99 ( P Ostreopsis sp. 1 and the organism's growth potential as follows: (1) the threshold light intensity for growth: 29.8 μmol photons m −2 s −1 ; (2) the optimum light intensity ( L m ) giving the maximum growth rate ( μ max = 0.659 divisions day −1 ): 196 μmol photons m −2 s −1 ; (3) the optimum light intensity range ( L opt ) giving ≥95% μ max : 130–330 μmol photons m −2 s −1 ; (4) the semi-optimum range ( L sopt ) giving ≥80% μ max : 90 to over 460 μmol photons m −2 s −1 . The L sopt represents 4.5–23% ambient light intensity present in surface waters off of a temperate region of the Japanese coast, Tosa Bay; putatively, this semi-optimum range of light intensity appears at depth of 12.9–27.8 m. Considering these issues, our data indicate that Ostreopsis sp. 1 in coastal environments may form blooms at ca. ∼28 m depth in regions along Japanese coasts.