Welcome to my Alexandrium tamarense Webpage!
Woods Hole Science Center-USGS
On this website you will be able to find tons of information about the poisonous organism, Alexandrium tamarense. This species is a microscopic organism that contains toxins that are hazardous to marine habitats. It produces a toxin that poisons causes paralytic shellfish poisoning (also known as PSP). This illness can be caught by us just by eating poisoned shellfish. If the concentrations of the poison are high enough it can cause muscle paralysis, extreme illness, or even death in humans. Red Tide is the major reason why PSP is spread. Red Tides are algal blooms that are also potentially hazardous to zooplankton communities. To learn more about this fascinating organism head on over to my other pages on it's classification, habitat, adaptations, nutrition, reproduction, or to learn even more about PSP and Red Tide head on over to interactions!
Fisheries and Oceans Canada: Gregory Doucet
Enjoy learning all about the incredible features of Alexandrium tamarense!
Next Stop: Classification!
This website has been created for the
Spring 2013 Organismal Biology class offered at the
University of Wisconsin-La Crosse.
A special thanks to
Dr. Thomas Volk,
Dr. Gregory Sandland, and
Dr. Gretchen Gerrish, who are all instructors of the
course, for being so helpful and patient with my classmates
and I.
To learn about more interesting organisms click here!