Dear Colleagues,

Natural toxins have been identified for centuries and have been widely studied. Phycotoxins produced by phytoplankton are composed of allopathic chemicals, most often produced as secondary metabolites. As part of their blooms, phytoplankton species are subject to competition among other things for access to nutrients, but also by the grazing action of micro and macro zooplankton as well as by planktivore species. To promote their development and minimize the impact of this competition, many species of marine or fresh water phytoplankton produce these biologically active metabolites, most often called phycotoxins. Flagellates and mainly dinoflagellates are known to be the main producers of these toxins. Other genera (e.g., diatoms, cyanobacteria) are also producers of toxins.

Beyond the described wide-ranging effects of these toxins on the human beings during the consumption of seafood or the practice of recreational activities, these phycotoxins generally have little or no impact on the producers, but do have a deleterious effect on many other microalgae and zooplankton species. In addition, these toxins are most often recognized as having the capacity to accumulate in organisms, and therefore to be transferred in the food chain causing ecological impacts on plankton and more broadly on ecosystems.

The aim of this Special Issue is to enable the publication of articles related to phycotoxins in marine and freshwater. The field of these studies also concerns producers and their ecophysiology, as well as the production mechanisms of these phycotoxins. The transfer and accumulation of these chemical substances in the food chain will also be an important aspect of this Special Issue. Articles dealing with new tools for monitoring these phycotoxins and their producers in ecosystems will be appreciated.

Dr. Eric Abadie
Guest Editor

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• Marine and freshwater biotoxins
• H.A.B. ecophysiology
• Toxin's production mechanisms
• Food chain transfer
• Ecosystem impacts
• New tools for monitoring