Synechococcus dominance induced after hydrogen peroxide treatment of Microcystis bloom in the Caloosahatchee River, Florida

Abstract

Few field trials examining hydrogen peroxide as a cyanobacterial harmful algal bloom (cHAB) treatment have been conducted in subtropical and tropical regions. None have been tested in Florida, home to Lake Okeechobee and downstream waterways which periodically experience Microcystis bloom events. To investigate treatment effects in Florida, we applied a 490 μM (16.7 mg/L; 0.0015%) hydrogen peroxide spray to a minor bloom of Microcystis aeruginosa on the downstream side of Franklin Lock and Dam in the Caloosahatchee River. Although hydrogen peroxide decreased to background level one day post-treatment, succession was observed in phytoplankton community amplicon sequencing. The relative abundance of Microcystis decreased on day 3 by 86%, whereas the picocyanobacteria Synechococcus became dominant, increasing by 77% on day 3 and by 173% on day 14 to 57% of the phytoplankton community. Metatranscriptomics revealed Synechococcus likely benefitted from the antioxidant defense of upregulated peroxiredoxin, peroxidase/catalase, and rubrerythrin expressions immediately after treatment, and upregulated nitrate transport and urease to take advantage of available nitrogen. Our results indicated hydrogen peroxide induces succession of the phytoplankton community from Microcystis to non-toxic picocyanobacteria and could be used for selective suppression of harmful cyanobacteria.