Marine mammal mortality during a harmful algal bloom in the Southwestern Atlantic reveals trophic phycotoxin transfer and fetal exposure in sea lions

Autores
D'agostino, Valeria Carina; Degrati, Mariana; Arregui, Marina; Nocera, Ariadna Celina; Guinder, Valeria Ana; Ferronato, Carola; Krock, Bernd
Año de publicación
2026
Idioma
inglés
Tipo de recurso
artículo
Estado
versión publicada
Descripción
In spring 2022, a harmful algal bloom in Golfo Nuevo, Argentina, coincided with widespread exposure to phycotoxins. Here we examined trophic transfer of toxins spanning from phytoplankton to higher trophic levels to quantify toxin transfer and bioaccumulation. High toxin levels were detected in phytoplankton, and elevated levels in mesozooplankton, mussels, and fish confirmed trophic transfer. The highest toxin levels in mesozooplankton occurred in southern right whale feeding areas, and fecal samples confirmed toxin uptake by whales. We also documented a mass mortality event in sea lions associated with algal-derived toxins, including evidence for maternal toxin transfer. During this period, ~10% of the local population was treated for gastrointestinal symptoms potentially linked to the bloom. These findings provide field-based evidence of harmful algal bloom-derived toxin dynamics in the Southwestern Atlantic, highlighting the need for sustained interdisciplinary monitoring and environmental risk assessment.
Fil: D'agostino, Valeria Carina. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Centro Nacional Patagónico. Centro para el Estudio de Sistemas Marinos; Argentina
Fil: Degrati, Mariana. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Centro Nacional Patagónico. Centro para el Estudio de Sistemas Marinos; Argentina. Universidad Nacional de la Patagonia "San Juan Bosco"; Argentina
Fil: Arregui, Marina. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Centro Nacional Patagónico. Centro para el Estudio de Sistemas Marinos; Argentina
Fil: Nocera, Ariadna Celina. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Centro Nacional Patagónico. Centro para el Estudio de Sistemas Marinos; Argentina
Fil: Guinder, Valeria Ana. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Bahía Blanca. Instituto Argentino de Oceanografía. Universidad Nacional del Sur. Instituto Argentino de Oceanografía; Argentina
Fil: Ferronato, Carola. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Bahía Blanca. Instituto Argentino de Oceanografía. Universidad Nacional del Sur. Instituto Argentino de Oceanografía; Argentina
Fil: Krock, Bernd. Alfred-Wegener-Institut. Helmholtz-Zentrum für Polar und Meeresforschung; Alemania
Materia
biotoxins
Harmful Algal Blooms
North Patagonian Gulfs
Massive biota mortality
Nivel de accesibilidad
acceso abierto
Condiciones de uso
https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.5/ar/
Repositorio
CONICET Digital (CONICET)
Institución
Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas
OAI Identificador
oai:ri.conicet.gov.ar:11336/291990
Acceder
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oai_identifier_str oai:ri.conicet.gov.ar:11336/291990
network_acronym_str CONICETDig
repository_id_str 3498
network_name_str CONICET Digital (CONICET)
spelling Marine mammal mortality during a harmful algal bloom in the Southwestern Atlantic reveals trophic phycotoxin transfer and fetal exposure in sea lionsD'agostino, Valeria CarinaDegrati, MarianaArregui, MarinaNocera, Ariadna CelinaGuinder, Valeria AnaFerronato, CarolaKrock, BerndbiotoxinsHarmful Algal BloomsNorth Patagonian GulfsMassive biota mortalityhttps://purl.org/becyt/ford/1.5https://purl.org/becyt/ford/1In spring 2022, a harmful algal bloom in Golfo Nuevo, Argentina, coincided with widespread exposure to phycotoxins. Here we examined trophic transfer of toxins spanning from phytoplankton to higher trophic levels to quantify toxin transfer and bioaccumulation. High toxin levels were detected in phytoplankton, and elevated levels in mesozooplankton, mussels, and fish confirmed trophic transfer. The highest toxin levels in mesozooplankton occurred in southern right whale feeding areas, and fecal samples confirmed toxin uptake by whales. We also documented a mass mortality event in sea lions associated with algal-derived toxins, including evidence for maternal toxin transfer. During this period, ~10% of the local population was treated for gastrointestinal symptoms potentially linked to the bloom. These findings provide field-based evidence of harmful algal bloom-derived toxin dynamics in the Southwestern Atlantic, highlighting the need for sustained interdisciplinary monitoring and environmental risk assessment.Fil: D'agostino, Valeria Carina. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Centro Nacional Patagónico. Centro para el Estudio de Sistemas Marinos; ArgentinaFil: Degrati, Mariana. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Centro Nacional Patagónico. Centro para el Estudio de Sistemas Marinos; Argentina. Universidad Nacional de la Patagonia "San Juan Bosco"; ArgentinaFil: Arregui, Marina. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Centro Nacional Patagónico. Centro para el Estudio de Sistemas Marinos; ArgentinaFil: Nocera, Ariadna Celina. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Centro Nacional Patagónico. Centro para el Estudio de Sistemas Marinos; ArgentinaFil: Guinder, Valeria Ana. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Bahía Blanca. Instituto Argentino de Oceanografía. Universidad Nacional del Sur. Instituto Argentino de Oceanografía; ArgentinaFil: Ferronato, Carola. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Bahía Blanca. Instituto Argentino de Oceanografía. Universidad Nacional del Sur. Instituto Argentino de Oceanografía; ArgentinaFil: Krock, Bernd. Alfred-Wegener-Institut. Helmholtz-Zentrum für Polar und Meeresforschung; AlemaniaNature2026-04-13info:eu-repo/semantics/articleinfo:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersionhttp://purl.org/coar/resource_type/c_6501info:ar-repo/semantics/articuloapplication/pdfapplication/pdfapplication/pdfapplication/pdfapplication/pdfhttp://hdl.handle.net/11336/291990D'agostino, Valeria Carina; Degrati, Mariana; Arregui, Marina; Nocera, Ariadna Celina; Guinder, Valeria Ana; et al.; Marine mammal mortality during a harmful algal bloom in the Southwestern Atlantic reveals trophic phycotoxin transfer and fetal exposure in sea lions; Nature; Communications Earth & Environment; 7; 512; 13-4-2026; 1 - 162662-4435CONICET DigitalCONICETenginfo:eu-repo/semantics/altIdentifier/url/https://www.nature.com/articles/s43247-026-03493-0info:eu-repo/semantics/altIdentifier/doi/10.1038/s43247-026-03493-0info:eu-repo/semantics/openAccesshttps://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.5/ar/reponame:CONICET Digital (CONICET)instname:Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas2026-08-25T15:37:12Zoai:ri.conicet.gov.ar:11336/291990instacron:CONICETInstitucionalhttp://ri.conicet.gov.ar/Organismo científico-tecnológicoNo correspondehttp://ri.conicet.gov.ar/oai/requestdasensio@conicet.gov.ar; lcarlino@conicet.gov.arArgentinaNo correspondeNo correspondeNo correspondeopendoar:34982026-08-25 15:37:12.437CONICET Digital (CONICET) - Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicasfalse
dc.title.none.fl_str_mv Marine mammal mortality during a harmful algal bloom in the Southwestern Atlantic reveals trophic phycotoxin transfer and fetal exposure in sea lions
title Marine mammal mortality during a harmful algal bloom in the Southwestern Atlantic reveals trophic phycotoxin transfer and fetal exposure in sea lions
spellingShingle Marine mammal mortality during a harmful algal bloom in the Southwestern Atlantic reveals trophic phycotoxin transfer and fetal exposure in sea lions
D'agostino, Valeria Carina
biotoxins
Harmful Algal Blooms
North Patagonian Gulfs
Massive biota mortality
title_short Marine mammal mortality during a harmful algal bloom in the Southwestern Atlantic reveals trophic phycotoxin transfer and fetal exposure in sea lions
title_full Marine mammal mortality during a harmful algal bloom in the Southwestern Atlantic reveals trophic phycotoxin transfer and fetal exposure in sea lions
title_fullStr Marine mammal mortality during a harmful algal bloom in the Southwestern Atlantic reveals trophic phycotoxin transfer and fetal exposure in sea lions
title_full_unstemmed Marine mammal mortality during a harmful algal bloom in the Southwestern Atlantic reveals trophic phycotoxin transfer and fetal exposure in sea lions
title_sort Marine mammal mortality during a harmful algal bloom in the Southwestern Atlantic reveals trophic phycotoxin transfer and fetal exposure in sea lions
dc.creator.none.fl_str_mv D'agostino, Valeria Carina
Degrati, Mariana
Arregui, Marina
Nocera, Ariadna Celina
Guinder, Valeria Ana
Ferronato, Carola
Krock, Bernd
author D'agostino, Valeria Carina
author_facet D'agostino, Valeria Carina
Degrati, Mariana
Arregui, Marina
Nocera, Ariadna Celina
Guinder, Valeria Ana
Ferronato, Carola
Krock, Bernd
author_role author
author2 Degrati, Mariana
Arregui, Marina
Nocera, Ariadna Celina
Guinder, Valeria Ana
Ferronato, Carola
Krock, Bernd
author2_role author
author
author
author
author
author
dc.subject.none.fl_str_mv biotoxins
Harmful Algal Blooms
North Patagonian Gulfs
Massive biota mortality
topic biotoxins
Harmful Algal Blooms
North Patagonian Gulfs
Massive biota mortality
purl_subject.fl_str_mv https://purl.org/becyt/ford/1.5
https://purl.org/becyt/ford/1
dc.description.none.fl_txt_mv In spring 2022, a harmful algal bloom in Golfo Nuevo, Argentina, coincided with widespread exposure to phycotoxins. Here we examined trophic transfer of toxins spanning from phytoplankton to higher trophic levels to quantify toxin transfer and bioaccumulation. High toxin levels were detected in phytoplankton, and elevated levels in mesozooplankton, mussels, and fish confirmed trophic transfer. The highest toxin levels in mesozooplankton occurred in southern right whale feeding areas, and fecal samples confirmed toxin uptake by whales. We also documented a mass mortality event in sea lions associated with algal-derived toxins, including evidence for maternal toxin transfer. During this period, ~10% of the local population was treated for gastrointestinal symptoms potentially linked to the bloom. These findings provide field-based evidence of harmful algal bloom-derived toxin dynamics in the Southwestern Atlantic, highlighting the need for sustained interdisciplinary monitoring and environmental risk assessment.
Fil: D'agostino, Valeria Carina. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Centro Nacional Patagónico. Centro para el Estudio de Sistemas Marinos; Argentina
Fil: Degrati, Mariana. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Centro Nacional Patagónico. Centro para el Estudio de Sistemas Marinos; Argentina. Universidad Nacional de la Patagonia "San Juan Bosco"; Argentina
Fil: Arregui, Marina. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Centro Nacional Patagónico. Centro para el Estudio de Sistemas Marinos; Argentina
Fil: Nocera, Ariadna Celina. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Centro Nacional Patagónico. Centro para el Estudio de Sistemas Marinos; Argentina
Fil: Guinder, Valeria Ana. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Bahía Blanca. Instituto Argentino de Oceanografía. Universidad Nacional del Sur. Instituto Argentino de Oceanografía; Argentina
Fil: Ferronato, Carola. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Bahía Blanca. Instituto Argentino de Oceanografía. Universidad Nacional del Sur. Instituto Argentino de Oceanografía; Argentina
Fil: Krock, Bernd. Alfred-Wegener-Institut. Helmholtz-Zentrum für Polar und Meeresforschung; Alemania
description In spring 2022, a harmful algal bloom in Golfo Nuevo, Argentina, coincided with widespread exposure to phycotoxins. Here we examined trophic transfer of toxins spanning from phytoplankton to higher trophic levels to quantify toxin transfer and bioaccumulation. High toxin levels were detected in phytoplankton, and elevated levels in mesozooplankton, mussels, and fish confirmed trophic transfer. The highest toxin levels in mesozooplankton occurred in southern right whale feeding areas, and fecal samples confirmed toxin uptake by whales. We also documented a mass mortality event in sea lions associated with algal-derived toxins, including evidence for maternal toxin transfer. During this period, ~10% of the local population was treated for gastrointestinal symptoms potentially linked to the bloom. These findings provide field-based evidence of harmful algal bloom-derived toxin dynamics in the Southwestern Atlantic, highlighting the need for sustained interdisciplinary monitoring and environmental risk assessment.
publishDate 2026
dc.date.none.fl_str_mv 2026-04-13
dc.type.none.fl_str_mv info:eu-repo/semantics/article
info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersion
http://purl.org/coar/resource_type/c_6501
info:ar-repo/semantics/articulo
format article
status_str publishedVersion
dc.identifier.none.fl_str_mv http://hdl.handle.net/11336/291990
D'agostino, Valeria Carina; Degrati, Mariana; Arregui, Marina; Nocera, Ariadna Celina; Guinder, Valeria Ana; et al.; Marine mammal mortality during a harmful algal bloom in the Southwestern Atlantic reveals trophic phycotoxin transfer and fetal exposure in sea lions; Nature; Communications Earth & Environment; 7; 512; 13-4-2026; 1 - 16
2662-4435
CONICET Digital
CONICET
url http://hdl.handle.net/11336/291990
identifier_str_mv D'agostino, Valeria Carina; Degrati, Mariana; Arregui, Marina; Nocera, Ariadna Celina; Guinder, Valeria Ana; et al.; Marine mammal mortality during a harmful algal bloom in the Southwestern Atlantic reveals trophic phycotoxin transfer and fetal exposure in sea lions; Nature; Communications Earth & Environment; 7; 512; 13-4-2026; 1 - 16
2662-4435
CONICET Digital
CONICET
dc.language.none.fl_str_mv eng
language eng
dc.relation.none.fl_str_mv info:eu-repo/semantics/altIdentifier/url/https://www.nature.com/articles/s43247-026-03493-0
info:eu-repo/semantics/altIdentifier/doi/10.1038/s43247-026-03493-0
dc.rights.none.fl_str_mv info:eu-repo/semantics/openAccess
https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.5/ar/
eu_rights_str_mv openAccess
rights_invalid_str_mv https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.5/ar/
dc.format.none.fl_str_mv application/pdf
application/pdf
application/pdf
application/pdf
application/pdf
dc.publisher.none.fl_str_mv Nature
publisher.none.fl_str_mv Nature
dc.source.none.fl_str_mv reponame:CONICET Digital (CONICET)
instname:Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas
reponame_str CONICET Digital (CONICET)
collection CONICET Digital (CONICET)
instname_str Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas
repository.name.fl_str_mv CONICET Digital (CONICET) - Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas
repository.mail.fl_str_mv dasensio@conicet.gov.ar; lcarlino@conicet.gov.ar
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