Among the natural phenomena that occur on coastal areas are red tides, which are the result of algal blooms, large quantities of microalgae that may be toxic or not. This microalgae growth occurs due to favorable conditions in pH level, salinity, wind, nutrients, among others. Harmful algal blooms (HAB) affect both the health conditions and the economy of the area where they occur. Mollusks such as grooved carpet shell clams and round clams, cockles, wedge clams, mussels, razor clams, oysters, and scallops are species that feed mainly on phytoplankton, which are a type of microalgae. If mollusks feed on microalgae of the toxic type, they can accumulate toxins, which may be ingested by people and marine animals that consume these mollusks, developing harmful symptoms that impair their health and may even cause death (depending on the type of toxin and dose).
References
Carreto, J. L.; Lasta, M. L.; Negri, R. y Benavides, H. (1981). Los Fenómenos de Marea Roja y Toxicidad de Moluscos Bivalvos en el Mar Argentino. Instituto Nacional de Investigación y Desarrollo Pesquero, p. 93.
Herrera, J. (1999). Las Mareas Rojas. Biodiversitas, (CONABIO), 1-5.
Palacios Moreno, F. (2012). Marea Roja.
SENASA. (2015). ¿Qué es la marea roja? (pp. 1-2).
Sierra-Beltrán, A. P.; Lluch-Cota, D. B.; Lluch-Cota, S. E.; Cortés-Altamirano, R.; Cortés-Lara, M. C.; Castillo-Chávez, M.; … García-Hansen, I. (2004). Dinámica espacio-temporal de organismos precursores de marea roja en la costa Pacífica de América del Norte y Centroamérica. Revista de Biologia Tropical, 52(SUPPL. 1), 99-107.
Suárez, B. y Guzmán, L. (1994). Mareas rojas y toxinas marinas. Editorial Universitaria, 1-56. Recuperado de https://bit.ly/2XpkYL5
Links de noticias:
Flores, I. (31 de julio de 2018). Detectan la presencia de marea roja en el puerto de Acapulco. Noticieros televisa. Recuperado de https://bit.ly/2YSHJHG
