Abstract
Periphyton comprises a broad range of autotrophic and heterotrophic organisms that grow on submerged surfaces in aquatic environments. To investigate the ecological roles of periphyton and their symbiotic bacterial assemblages related to the control of cyanobacterial blooms, mesocosm experiments were performed in a eutrophic lake that is usually infested with harmful cyanobacterial blooms. Our results showed that periphyton, together with their symbionts, reduced Chl-a concentrations (up to 94%), improved water clarity and effectively controlled cyanobacterial blooms in the treatment mesocosm. Planktonic bacterial compositions varied greatly in the pre-bloom/bloom/post-bloom periods in both mesocosms and were mainly influenced by total dissolved nitrogen (TDN) concentrations. The phylum Cyanobacteria was the major component in the water samples until bloom peak, but it was replaced by Actinobacteria in the post-bloom period. However, periphyton niches were dominated by Alphaproteobacteria throughout the experiments, Cyanobacteria proportion being lower. Overall, the results indicated that periphyton and their unique bacterial partners could effectively compete with cyanobacteria and improve water quality. Their underlying interaction mechanism was also suggested to explain how periphyton and their symbionts can reduce cyanobacterial blooms in eutrophic water.
Highlights
Cyanobacterial blooms occur more often in freshwater because of eutrophication and global warming
Compositions differed from free-living bacterial communities living in the same aquatic ecosystem
Gammaproteobacteria dominated in the Microcystis-attached fraction when the bloom was declining[14]
Summary
Cyanobacterial blooms occur more often in freshwater because of eutrophication and global warming. Gammaproteobacteria dominated in the Microcystis-attached fraction when the bloom was declining[14] These findings are important from ecological and biogeochemical points of view, because they provide the basis for understanding the algae-microbe interaction processes in nutrient cycles in aquatic ecosystems. It could be expected that periphyton growth and the dominance of different species of algae and bacteria in the periphyton would influence the growth and metabolism of planktonic cyanobacteria and bacteria Understanding these microbial interactions could provide new insights and clues to the development of novel control strategies, which could suppress cyanobacterial growth by manipulating the bacterial community in an environmentally friendly manner. The purposes of this study were as follows: 1) to explore the effect of attached periphyton on cyanobacterial blooms, 2) to uncover the changes in the planktonic/periphytic bacterial community compositions and 3) to investigate the potential roles of bacteria in the pre-bloom/bloom/post-bloom periods
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