destroyed through the virtual elimination of 

 the benthic algae coincident with the increas- 

 ing disposal of wastes into the marine environ- 

 ment? What is the biological role of the forma- 

 tion of artificial sedimentation basins (also 

 used in harbors) which appear to favor the 

 accumulation of red-tide organisms? How and 

 why are conditions becoming more suitable for 



a specific group of phytoplankton, the dino- 

 flagellates, at the expense of the normally 

 highly diversified biota of the inshore area? 

 Can red tides be expected to become more 

 frequent, of longer duration, and greater in- 

 tensity in the inshore waters of southern 

 California? 



CONCLUSIONS 



After the presentations and discussions. 

 Symposium participants submitted independent 

 views on the manner in which red-tide re- 

 search should be pursued in the future. Their 

 ideas are combined in the following list: 



1. Studies of the growth requirennents of 

 Gymnodinium breve and related plamk- 

 ters under controlled conditions. 



a. Trace metals and growth factors 

 (vitamins and tcuinic and hum ic acid). 



b. Physical factors --temperature and 

 light. 



c. Unique nnetabolic pathways. 



d. Evaluation of biological potential of 

 water. 



2. Development of newtechniques for iden- 

 tification and estimation of abundance 

 of plankters by water coloration, etc. 



a. Characterization of the specific ab- 

 sorption spectrum in the field and 

 laboratory. 



b. Toxin levels. 



c. Pigmentation. 



3. Studies of plankton succession under 

 field and laboratory conditions and the 

 role of predation, competitors, and 

 metabolites. 



a. Qualitative composition of plankton 

 over long periods. 



b. Quantitative composition of plankton 

 over long periods. 



c. Relation of (a) and (b) to productivity 

 of the sea. 



4. Standardization of sampling and report- 

 ing methods. 



a. Communication of methods and ex. 

 change of information. 



b. Fixation methods. 



5. Definitive life history studies of the 

 organisnn. 



a. Morphological variability--seasonal 

 and geographic. 



GPO i93. 316 



b. Encystment and conjugation. 



6. Motility of G. breve and its relation to 

 water movements. 



a. Diurnal migration (vertical and lat- 

 eral). 



b. Rates of movement. 



c. Aggregation and distribution (geo- 

 graphic). 



7. Characterization of toxin of G. breve , 

 toxicity to biota, and public health 

 aspects. 



8. Study of water movements and meteor- 

 ological conditions in the eastern Gulf 

 of Mexico. 



9. Biological and physical influence of 

 river water amd its constituents on 

 growth of plankters. 



10. Evaluation of potential control methods 

 in pilot studies. 



11. Biochemistry (pigments and metabo- 

 lites) of G. breve . 



The Bureau of Commercial Fisheries, the 

 Florida Board of Conservation, and their in- 

 stitutional contractors are now conducting 

 some of the proposed research. It is recog- 

 nized, nevertheless, that much is left to be 

 accomplished in field and laboratory studies 

 before red tides can be understood fully. 

 These studies can best be accomplished by 

 connmon effort of specialists in ecology, tax- 

 onomy, physiology, hydrography, and biochem- 

 istry. Exchzuige of infornnation among the 

 specialists should be active and uninhibited. 

 Above all, the continuity aind quality of re- 

 search should not be affected by pressures 

 generated when red tides occur. Research 

 programs should be adequately financed and 

 not conducted only sporadically during 

 crises. The problems are deep and complex, 

 comparable to medical mysteries which appear 

 almost insoluble but which are often overcome 

 by careful investigation. 



MS. #1480 



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