Acquired Phototrophy and Its Implications for Bloom Dynamics of the Teleaulax-Mesodinium-Dinophysis-Complex

The dinoflagellate Dinophysis is responsible for causing diarrhetic shellfish poisoning impacting aquaculture globally. species are invariably plastidic specialist non-constitutive mixoplankton (pSNCM), combining phagotrophy with acquired phototrophy. acquires phototrophy from another pSNCM, the ciliate Mesodinium , which in turn cryptophytes within Teleaulax-Plagioselmis-Geminigera clade. Despite this trophic linkage, temporal dynamics of cryptophyte- Mesodinium-Dinophysis remain poorly understood. In study, we present first Teleaulax-Mesodinium-Dinophysis (TMD)-complex system model. Using this, explored TMD interactions under different ecological settings. Temperature, nutrient load, mixed layer depth, and irradiance all greatly influenced timing magnitude TMD-complex and, as a result, bloom duration peak. Availability matching its growth to that also key biotic factors; availability impacts potential up 3 months. Integrating our model suitable hydrodynamic could improve understanding formation aid forecasting harmful algal (HAB) events. Future monitoring would be enhanced by precursor prey species, Teleaulax rarely accorded same effort HAB forming dinoflagellate.