Mass entrapment and lysis of Mesodinium rubrum cells in mucus threads observed in cultures with Dinophysis.

The entrapment and death of the ciliate Mesodinium rubrum in the mucus threads in cultures with Dinophysis is described and quantified. Feeding experiments with different concentrations and predator-prey ratios of Dinophysis acuta, Dinophysis acuminata and M. rubrum to study the motility loss and aggregate formation of the ciliates and the feeding behaviour of Dinophysis were carried out. In cultures of either Dinophysis species, the ciliates became entrapped in the mucus, which led to the formation of immobile aggregates of M. rubrum and subsequent cell lysis. The proportion of entrapped ciliates was influenced by the concentration of Dinophysis and the ratio of predator and prey in the cultures. At high cell concentrations of prey (136 cells mL) and predator (100 cells mL), a maximum of 17% of M. rubrum cells became immobile and went through cell lysis. Ciliates were observed trapped in the mucus even when a single D. acuminata cell was present in a 3.4mL growth medium. Both Dinophysis species were able to detect immobile or partly immobile ciliates at a distance and circled around the prey prior to the capture with a stretched out peduncle. Relatively high entrapment and lysis of M. rubrum cells in the mucus threads indicates that under certain conditions Dinophysis might have a considerable impact on the population of M. rubrum.