Association between red tide exposure and detection of corresponding neurotoxins in bottlenose dolphins from Texas waters during 2007-2017.

Harmful algal blooms produced by the phytoplankton species Karenia brevis and its associated neurotoxin, brevetoxin (PbTx), occur throughout the Gulf of Mexico and have had devastating impacts on co-occurring populations of bottlenose dolphins (Tursiops truncatus), an important marine sentinel species. The majority of documented impacts, however, are from the eastern Gulf of Mexico, with a critical lack of information on the degree and frequency of PbTx exposure in bottlenose dolphins from Texas coastal waters. This study documents PbTx exposure in Texas bottlenose dolphins between 2007 and 2017 and their association with co-occurring K.