Isodomoic acid C, an unusual amnesic shellfish poisoning toxin from Pseudo-nitzschia australis.

An unusual isomer of domoic acid (1), isodomoic acid C (2), has been found in New Zealand shellfish contaminated by amnesic shellfish poisoning (ASP) toxins and was shown to be produced by a local strain of the pennate diatom Pseudo-nitzschia australis. A bulk culture of this strain was used to isolate 2. The structure was determined from spectroscopic data and was shown to correspond to that of 2 from a Japanese red seaweed, the only other reported occurrence of this compound.

Method for detecting classes of microcystins by combination of protein phosphatase inhibition assay and ELISA: comparison with LC-MS.

Depending on the class of microcystin the protein phosphatase inhibition assay shows different sensitivities to different classes of toxin. We have determined that the IC50 values obtained from dose-response curves for the inhibition of the enzyme by micro-cystin LR, nodularin, YR, and RR were 2.2, 1.

Influences of pond geochemistry, temperature, and freeze-thaw on terminal anaerobic processes occurring in sediments of six ponds of the McMurdo Ice Shelf, near Bratina Island, Antarctica.

The effects of freeze-thaw, freezing and sediment geochemistry on terminal anaerobic processes occurring in sediments taken from below cyanobacterial mats in meltwater ponds of the McMurdo Ice Shelf in Antarctica were investigated. Depending on the geochemical and physical status of the sediments (i.e.

Hindgut fermentation in three species of marine herbivorous fish.

Symbioses with gut microorganisms provides a means by which terrestrial herbivores are able to obtain energy. These microorganisms ferment cell wall materials of plants to short-chain fatty acids (SCFA), which are then absorbed and used by the host animal. Many marine herbivorous fishes contain SCFA (predominantly acetate) in their hindgut, indicative of gut microbial activity, but rates of SCFA production have not been measured.