Survey of dinoflagellate cysts in Barkley Sound, Vancouver Island, Canada

Abstract

[author abstract] The objective of this study was to examine how groups of dormant, spore-like structures produced by dinoflagellates called ‘cysts’ are distributed in the sediments of an estuary known as Barkley Sound, Vancouver Island, Canada. Samples were collected between 22 January and 3 February 2013 aboard the University of Washington R/V Thomas G. Thompson. Barkley Sound was divided into three areas of interest: Effingham Inlet, Imperial Eagle Channel, and Uchucklesit Inlet. The three regions differed greatly in the number of cysts observed, their diversity, and other characteristics. The number of cysts in Effingham Inlet and Imperial Eagle Channel was greater in less restricted areas and lower in confined areas. The total abundance within Uchucklesit Inlet was greatest in the head and least near the entrance; opposite of the other two regions. Cysts of toxic dinoflagellate genera were found at almost every station in varying concentrations. These differences are related to the unique bathymetry and current patterns of each region.