Callum Whyte

Background

About Callum Whyte

Callum Whyte is a Phytoplankton ecologist and Deputy Manager of the monitoring programme for the presence of toxin producing plankton in Scottish shellfish production areas. His research interests lie in phytoplankton ecology; specifically those few species that produce bio-toxins. These can easily enter the food chain causing serious illness or death in fish, seabirds, marine mammals and ultimately humans, and may have serious economic implications for the shellfish industry. He is trying to understand the drivers that lead to blooms of harmful algae, with the eventual goal of developing tools and methods that help to identify and predict their occurrence. My research interests lie in phytoplankton ecology. These beautiful microscopic organisms (protists), commonly referred to as algae, form the basis of most marine food chains and account for around half of the primary production on the planet. Some, but not all, can reproduce or accumulate to form large blooms. My work concentrates on those few species that produce bio toxins. These can easily enter the food chain causing serious illness or death to a wide variety of organisms, including us and may have serious economic implications for the shellfish industry. My research focuses on trying to understand the drivers that can lead to blooms of harmful algae with the eventual goal of developing tools and methods that can help to identify and predict their occurrence.