Date of Award

2023

Document Type

Thesis

Degree Name

Bachelors

Department

Natural Sciences

First Advisor

Jiang, Lin

Area of Concentration

Biology

Abstract

Algal blooms are a worldwide issue. They are normally influenced by excess nutrients in the environment, but can have many causes. One algal bloom on the Gulf Coast of Florida is Red Tide, caused by the dinoflagellate Karenia brevis. This algal bloom produces toxins called brevetoxins, which can kill marine organisms, and cause respiratory irritation and other symptoms in mammals. The Northern Hardshell Clam (Mercenaria mercenaria) is one marine species that is affected by brevetoxins and can be an affective bioindicator in an ecosystem. However, there is limited research on the chemical impact that brevetoxins have on clams, especially utilizing metabolomics. Based on this, 70 Northern Hardshell Clams were exposed to varying levels of the brevetoxin PbTx-2 from 0.1 ppb to 10 ppb over a period of 24 hours. 1H NMR spectroscopy was used to analyze the metabolites in the clams digestive gland that were affected by the toxins. The results showed that, in the digestive gland five metabolites were significantly changed, though most in only one test group. Comparatively, the gill sample data had 14 metabolites significantly changed, with five of them being significant in four or more groups. Based on this, a longer PbTx-2 testing period is needed to see a larger difference in the digestive gland metabolites.

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