Sublethal effects of Texas brown tide on Streblospio benedicti (Polychaeta) larvae

The Texas brown tide bloom is noted for a concordant decline in benthic biomass and species diversity. However, the link between harmful effects induced by Texas brown tide and benthos has not been demonstrated. It has been proposed there may be a larval bottleneck, where larvae, but not adults, suffer adverse effects. This study was performed to test the effect of brown tide alga, Aureoumbra lagunensis, on mortality, growth and behavior of Streblospio benedicti larvae. Growth rates and swimming speeds, but not mortality rates, of polychaete larvae were reduced in cultures with brown tide relative to Isochrysis galbana, which is about the same size as brown tide. Results from this research indicate that brown tide does have harmful sublethal effects for one dominant species of meroplanktonic larvae, which could help explain reduced adult population size.