algal blooms (HABs) are rapidly growing algae populations that have
toxic effects on people and marine animals. Due to increased human
activities in our waterways, HABs are occurring more frequently. Most
studies have focused on what triggers them, but few have looked at
natural ways of controlling and stopping these blooms. The ParaDinoInt
project is studying the interactions between dinoflagellates,
single-celled motile algae, and parasitoids, smaller single-celled
protists which parasitise dinoflagellates and kill their hosts.
Scientists are comparing natural HAB-causing dinoflagellate and
parasitoid populations during bloom and non-bloom conditions,
investigating the cell-cell interactions between dinoflagellates and
parasitoids in the lab, and modelling these interactions in order to
harness nature and battle HABs in an environmentally friendly way.