The marine dinoflagellate Cochlodinium polykrikoides is a harmful algal bloom (HAB) species that severely impacts the environment and causes huge economic losses. Yellow clay (YC), considered to be a non-toxic and naturally-occurring material, represents an important step towards the direct control of HABs. In the present study, we evaluated the physiological and biochemical effects of YC on C. polykrikoides after exposures of up to 72 h. We observed little physiological changes in growth rate, chlorophyll a, lipid peroxidation, antioxidant enzymatic activities of superoxide dismutase and catalase, and activity of alkaline phosphatase after exposure to YC. Interestingly, YC significantly increased total carbohydrate and glutathione levels, affecting the physiology of the cells. These results indicate that total carbohydrate content may play an important role in cell–clay aggregation and it could be the main underlying mechanism that mitigates HAB cells via sedimentation.

海洋藻类鞭毛甲藻（Cochlodinium polykrikoides）是有害藻华（HAB）物种，严重影响环境并造成巨大的经济损失。黄色粘土（YC）被认为是无毒且天然存在的材料，代表着直接控制HAB的重要一步。在本研究中，我们评估了YC暴露达72 h后对多角衣藻的生理和生化作用。我们观察到生长速率，叶绿素a的生理变化很小暴露于YC后，脂质过氧化，超氧化物歧化酶和过氧化氢酶的抗氧化酶活性以及碱性磷酸酶的活性。有趣的是，YC显着增加了总碳水化合物和谷胱甘肽的水平，影响了细胞的生理。这些结果表明，总碳水化合物含量可能在细胞-粘土聚集中起重要作用，并且可能是通过沉淀减轻HAB细胞的主要潜在机制。