Lesley Rhodes
Research Scientist – Marine Microalgae and Harmful Algal Blooms
Qualifications
- PhD. Massey University, 1995
- MAppSc. Lincoln University, 1988
- BSc, DipPlSci. Massey University, 1984
Role at Cawthron
Lesley is co-leader of the CAW Nationally Significant Database (NSD) programme funded by MBIE.
The NSD programme funds the Cawthron Culture Collection of Microalgae, which supports research in New Zealand and overseas, including underpinning Cawthron’s Safe New Zealand Seafood programme, for which Lesley was formerly programme leader. Cryopreservation of nearly half of this nationally-significant collection is underway.
Technical skills, experience and interests
- Taxonomy, physiology and ecology of marine microalgae, particularly toxic bloom formers and benthic and epiphytic genera
- Tech transfer of DNA probe technologies for phytoplankton monitoring
- Cryopreservation of microalgae
- Mass cultures for biotoxin production and extraction
- 90 published papers and 45 reports and popular publications
Professional affiliations
- International Society for the Study of Harmful Algae (ISSHA)
- The Royal Society of New Zealand
- Australasian Society for Phycology and Aquatic Botany
View Lesley's ResearchGate profile
Publication links
- Smith KF, Biessy L, Argyle P, Trnski T, Halafihi T and Rhodes L 2017. Molecular identification of Gambierdiscus and Fukuyoa (Dinophyceae) from environmental samples. Marine Drugs. Volume 15, Issue 8. Pages 243-255.
- Rhodes L, Smith KF, Murray JS, Harwood DT, Trnski T and Munday R 2017. The epiphytic genus Gambierdiscus (Dinophyceae) in the Kermadec Islands and Zealandia regions of the Southwestern Pacific and the associated risk of Ciguatera Fish Poisoning. Marine Drugs. Volume 15, Issue 7. Page 219.
- Munday R, Murray JS, Rhodes L, Larsson ME and Harwood DT 2017. Ciguatoxins and maitotoxins in extracts of sixteen Gambierdiscus isolates and one Fukuyoa isolate from the South Pacific and their toxicity to mice by intraperitoneal and oral administration. Marine Drugs. Volume 15, Issue 7. Page 208.
- Rhodes L, Smith KF, Verma A, Curley BG, Harwood DT, Murray JS and Kohli GS, Solomona D, Rongo T, Munday R, Murray SA 2017. A new species of Gambierdiscus (Dinophyceae) from the south-west Pacific: Gambierdiscus honu sp. nov. . Harmful Algae. Volume 65. Pages 61-70.
- Smith KF, Kohli GS, Murray SA and Rhodes L 2017. Assessment of the metabarcoding approach for community analysis of benthic-epiphytic dinoflagellates using mock communities. New Zealand Journal of Marine and Freshwater Research. Volume 51, Issue 4. Pages 555-576.
- Rhodes L, Smith KF, Harwood DT, Murray JS and Biessy L 2017. Is Gambierdiscus expanding its geographic range in the Pacific region. Harmful Algae News. Issue 56. Pages 1-4.
- Selwood AI, Waugh C, Harwood DT, Rhodes L and Reeve J, Sim J, Munday R 2017. Acute toxicities of the saxitoxin congeners gonyautoxin 5, gonyautoxin 6, decarbamoyl gonyautoxin 2&3, decarbamoyl neosaxitoxin, C-1&2 and C-3&4 to mice by various routes of administration. Toxins. Volume 9, Issue 2. Page 73.
- Kohli GS, Campbell K, Uwe J, Smith KF, Fraga S, Rhodes L and Murray SA 2017. Role of modular polyketide synthases in the production of polyether ladder compounds in ciguatoxin-producing Gambierdiscus polynesiensis and G. excentricus (Dinophyceae). Eukaryotic Microbiology, published online.
- Rhodes L, Smith KF, Verma A, Murray JS, Harwood DT and Trnski T 2017. The dinoflagellate genera Gambierdiscus and Ostreopsis from subtropical Raoul Island and North Meyer Island, Kermadec Islands. New Zealand Journal of Marine and Freshwater Research. Pages 1-15. Published online.
- Wood SA, Rhodes L, Lengline F, Ponikla K and Pochon X 2017. Phylogenetic characterisation of marine Chroococcus-like (Cyanobacteria) strains from the Pacific region. New Zealand Journal of Botany. Volume 55, Issue 1. Pages 5-13.
- Rhodes L, Smith K, Harwood T and Bedford C 2014. Novel and toxin-producing epiphytic dinoflagellates isolated from sub-tropical Raoul Island, Kermadec Islands group. New Zealand Journal of Marine and Freshwater Research 48: Pages 594-599.
- Kohli GS, Papiol GG, Rhodes L, Harwood DT, Selwood AI, Jerrett A, Murray SA and Neilan BA 2014. A feeding study to probe the uptake of Maitotoxin by snapper (Pagrus auratus). Harmful Algae. Volume 37, July 2014. Pages 125–132. doi:10.1016/j.hal.2014.05.018 .
- Rhodes L, Gimenez Papiol G, Smith K and Harwood T 2014. Gambierdiscus cf. yasumotoi (Dinophyceae) isolated from New Zealand's sub-tropical northern coastal waters. New Zealand Journal of Marine and Freshwater Research 48: Pages 303-310.
- Smith KF, de Salas M, Adamson J and Rhodes L 2014. Rapid and accurate identification by real-time PCR of biotoxin-producing dinoflagellates from the family gymnodiniaceae. Marine Drugs 12(3): 1361-1376.
- Rhodes L and Wood S 2014. Micro-algal and cyanobacterial producers of biotoxins. Toxins and Biologically Active Compounds from Microalgae. Rossini, G.P. (ed.), Science Publishers, Enfield, New Hampshire, USA.
- Rhodes L, Smith KF, Papiol GG, Adamson J, Harwood DT and Munday R 2014. Epiphytic dinoflagellates in sub-tropical New Zealand, in particular the genus Coolia Meunier. Harmful Algae 34: 36-41.
- Rhodes L, Harwood T, Smith K, Adamson J, Argyle P and Munday P 2014. Production of ciguatoxin and maitotoxin by strains of Gambierdiscus australes, G. pacificus and G. polynesiensis (Dinophyceae) isolated from Rarotonga, Cook Islands. Harmful Algae 39: Pages 185–190.
- Hellyer S, Selwood A, Rhodes L and Kerr DS 2013. Neuromuscular blocking activity of pinnatoxins E, F and G. Toxicon 768: Pages 214-220.
- Selwood AI, Wilkins AL, Munday R, Shi F, Rhodes L and Holland PT 2013. Portimine: a bioactive metabolite from the benthic dinoflagellate Vulcanodinium rugosum. Tetrahedron Letters 54(35): Pages 4705-4707.
- Rhodes L, Smith K, Selwood A, McNabb P, Munday R, Suda S, Molenaar S and Hallegraeff G 2011. Dinoflagellate Vulcanodinium rugosum Nézan et Chomérat newly identified as the causative organism of pinnatoxins in Australia, New Zealand and Japan. Phycologia 50: Pages 624-628.
View more publications
+64 3 548 2319 ext 239
lesley.rhodes@cawthron.org.nz