Anderson Donald M, Alpermann Tilman J, Cembella Allan D, Collos Yves, Masseret Estelle, Montresor Marina
Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution, MS # 32, 266 Woods Hole Road, Woods Hole MA 02543; 508 289 2351.
Harmful Algae. 2012 Feb;14:10-35. doi: 10.1016/j.hal.2011.10.012.
The dinoflagellate genus Alexandrium is one of the major harmful algal bloom (HAB) genera with respect to the diversity, magnitude and consequences of blooms. The ability of Alexandrium to colonize multiple habitats and to persist over large regions through time is testimony to the adaptability and resilience of this group of species. Three different families of toxins, as well as an as yet incompletely characterized suite of allelochemicals are produced among Alexandrium species. Nutritional strategies are equally diverse, including the ability to utilize a range of inorganic and organic nutrient sources, and feeding by ingestion of other organisms. Many Alexandrium species have complex life histories that include sexuality and often, but not always, cyst formation, which is characteristic of a meroplanktonic life strategy and offers considerable ecological advantages. Due to the public health and ecosystem impacts of Alexandrium blooms, the genus has been extensively studied, and there exists a broad knowledge base that ranges from taxonomy and phylogeny through genomics and toxin biosynthesis to bloom dynamics and modeling. Here we present a review of the genus Alexandrium, focusing on the major toxic and otherwise harmful species.
亚历山大藻属是甲藻纲中主要的有害藻华（HAB）属之一，其藻华的多样性、规模和影响都很显著。亚历山大藻能够在多种生境中定殖，并随着时间推移在广大区域持续存在，这证明了该物种群的适应性和恢复力。亚历山大藻物种能产生三种不同的毒素家族，以及一套尚未完全表征的化感物质。其营养策略同样多样，包括利用一系列无机和有机营养源的能力，以及通过摄食其他生物进行取食。许多亚历山大藻物种具有复杂的生活史，包括有性生殖，且常常（但并非总是）形成孢囊，这是海洋浮游幼体生活策略的特征，并具有相当大的生态优势。由于亚历山大藻藻华对公众健康和生态系统产生影响，该属已得到广泛研究，并且存在从分类学和系统发育学到基因组学、毒素生物合成，再到藻华动态和建模的广泛知识基础。在此，我们对亚历山大藻属进行综述，重点关注主要的有毒及其他有害物种。
