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Many states have been plagued with the problem of Pfiesteria, and until recently the cause was unknown. As the climates and ecosystems change some organisms favor the change and others do not. One organism that favors the changes is the dinoflagellates. This organism creates a toxin that causes deep bleeding soars in fish. Then the dinoflagellates eat the fish's exposed flesh and blood. Pfiesteria also has an effect on humans.
It has been found to cause severe headaches, blurred vision, nausea, difficulty breathing, short- term memory loss, and cognitive impairment. In 1991 in North Carolina in the Neuse River there were found to be nearly one billion fish dead due to Pfiesteria. A mass death of fish like this one is called a fish kill. The fish die when the Pfiesteria thrives, and the Pfiesteria thrives on an increase of nitrogen and phosphorous in the water.
Animal waste from livestock, fertilizers from farms, and wastewater from mining sites are three primary cause for the increase in nitrogen and phosphorous. Pfiesteria has also taken its toll on fishermen. Being near the polluted sites has caused burning of the eyes and the throat. A recreational fisherman was given a memory test in which he was given ten items to memorizes, and he could only remember three. The dinoflagellates have at least twenty-four different looking phases.
The dinoflagellates look just like other dinoflagellates when they are in the fish attacking stage. If it is faced with a predator it becomes an amoeba and can consume the predator. The dinoflagellates also has a cyst phase where it can lay dormant and protected for years at a time until the conditions are optimal again. This makes Pfiesteria a level three biohazard.
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Research essay sample on Nitrogen And Phosphorous Pfiesteria Thrives Dinoflagellates
