Raspberry waters of Avacha Bay

 

This happens due to accumulations of photosynthetic ciliates Myrionecta rubra, which was previously called Mesodinium rubrum, near the surface.

 

As Ekaterina Lepskaya, head of the laboratory of fisheries ecology of the Kamchatka branch of the State Research Center of the Russian Federation "All-Russian Research Institute of Fisheries and Oceanography" (VNIRO), said, this type of ciliates is usually colorless. However, when cryptophyte microalgae develop en masse in the bay, they become the main food for myrionecta, from which photosynthetic elements - plastids - are not digested by the ciliates, but are stored on the periphery of the cell, being included in the cellular metabolism. This phenomenon, widespread in the world of protozoa, is called kleptoplasty. This bloom is not dangerous for aquatic organisms and humans.

 

Myrionecta clusters in the form of swirling red swarms made up of small dots can be seen with the naked eye. Those who want to take a closer look at this interesting and harmless creature can conduct a small experiment. To do this, you need to scoop up water from a red spot with a wide-necked light container, such as a bucket. Colored clusters will begin to form in the container. On a sunny day, such clusters last no more than 2 minutes, then the myrionecta is evenly distributed throughout the entire volume and again becomes invisible.

 

Press service of VNIRO