Bloom Material Research Articles

Polychaete invader enhances resource utilization in a species-poor system

Ecosystem consequences of biodiversity change are often studied from a species loss perspective, while the effects of invasive species on ecosystem functions are rarely quantified. In this experimental study, we used isotope tracers to measure the incorporation and burial of carbon and nitrogen from a simulated spring phytoplankton bloom by communities of one to four species of deposit-feeding macrofauna found in the species-poor Baltic Sea. The recently invading polychaete Marenzelleria arctia, which has spread throughout the Baltic Sea, grows more rapidly than the native species Monoporeia affinis, Pontoporeia femorata (both amphipods) and Macoma balthica (a bivalve), resulting in higher biomass increase (biomass production) in treatments including the polychaete. Marenzelleria incorporated and buried bloom material at rates similar to the native species. Multi-species treatments generally had higher isotope incorporation, indicative of utilization of bloom material, than expected from monoculture yields of the respective species. The mechanism behind this observed over-yielding was mainly niche complementarity in utilization of the bloom input, and was more evident in communities including the invader. In contrast, multi-species treatments had generally lower biomass increase than expected. This contrasting pattern suggests that there is little overlap in resource use of freshly deposited bloom material between Marenzelleria and the native species but it is likely that interference competition acts to dampen resulting community biomass. In conclusion, an invasive species can enhance incorporation and burial of organic matter from settled phytoplankton blooms, two processes fundamental for marine productivity.

Diversity of larger consumers enhances interference competition effects on smaller competitors

Competition between large and small species for the same food is common in a number of ecosystems including aquatic ones. How diversity of larger consumers affects the access of smaller competitors to a limiting resource is not well understood. We tested experimentally how species richness (0–3 spp.) of benthic deposit-feeding macrofauna changes meiofaunal ostracods’ incorporation of fresh organic matter from a stable-isotope-labeled cyanobacterial bloom, using fauna from the species-poor Baltic Sea. Presence of macrofauna mostly decreased meiofaunal incorporation of bloom material, depending on the macrofauna species present. As expected, the species identity of macrofauna influenced the incorporation of organic matter by meiofauna. Interestingly, our results show that, in addition, species richness of the macrofauna significantly reduced meiofauna incorporation of freshly settled nitrogen and carbon. With more than one macrofauna species, the reduction was always greater than expected from the single-species treatments. Field data from the Baltic Sea showed a negative correlation between macrofauna diversity and meiofaunal ostracod abundance, as expected from the experimental results. We argue that this is caused by interference competition, due to spatial niche differentiation between macrofauna species reducing the sediment volume in which ostracods can feed undisturbed by larger competitors. Interference from macrofauna significantly reduces organic matter incorporation by meiofauna, indicating that diversity of larger consumers is an important factor controlling the access of smaller competitors to a limiting food resource.

Lyngbya majuscula blooms and the diet of small subtropical benthivorous fishes

Increasing concerns about the ecological impacts of ongoing and possibly worsening blooms of the toxic, carcinogenic cyanobacteria Lyngbya majuscula in Moreton Bay, Australia, led us to assess differences in meiofaunal prey assemblages between bloom and non-bloom substrates and the potential dietary impacts of dense L. majuscula blooms on the omnivorous benthivore, the Eastern Long-finned Goby, Favonigobius lentiginosus and the obligate meiobenthivorous juveniles of Trumpeter Whiting, Sillago maculata. Marked differences in invertebrate communities were found between sandy and L. majuscula bloom foraging substrates, with copepods significantly more abundant (18.49% vs. 70.44% numerical abundance) and nematodes significantly less abundant (55.91% vs. 1.21% numerical abundance) within bloom material. Gut analyses showed that bentho-planktivorous fishes exposed to L. majuscula in captivity had consumed a significantly greater quantity of prey by both total number (P < 0.0019) and volume (P < 0.0006) than fish exposed to sand treatments. Thus, it is likely for such fishes that L. majuscula blooms increase rates of prey encounter and consumption, with consequent changes in trophic relationships through shifts in predator–prey interactions between small benthivorous fishes and their meiofaunal prey.

The dying Dead Sea: The microbiology of an increasingly extreme environment

The Dead Sea, on the border between Israel and Jordan, currently contains around 348 g salt L−1. Divalent cations (Mg2+, Ca2+) dominate over monovalent cations (Na+, K+), while Cl− and Br− are the main anions. The pH of the Sea is about 6. The water balance of the lake is negative, having dropped over 1 m year−1 over the past decade. The water is supersaturated with Na+, with massive quantities of halite precipitating to the bottom of the lake. Biological monitoring since 1980 has indicated that blooms of the unicellular green alga Dunaliella and halophilic Archaea of the family Halobacteriaceae only develop following significant dilution of the upper water layers in the lake after very rainy winters. Such events occurred in 1980, and even more dramatically in 1992, when up to 3.5 × 107 Archaea mL−1 in the diluted upper 5–10 m of the water column coloured the lake red. Species isolated from the lake include Haloferax volcanii, Haloarcula marismortui, Halorubrum sodomense and Halobaculum gomorrense. Dunaliella was no longer observed in the lake after 1996, with prokaryote numbers remaining low. To characterize the residual microbial community in the lake, biomass was collected in February 2007 for environmental genomic analyses. The results were compared with the metagenome of microbial bloom material collected in 1992. The 16S rRNA archaeal phylotypes recovered from the 2007 sample were diverse, with phylotypes distantly related to the genera Halorhabdus, Haloplanus, Natronomonas and others. Halorhabdus sp. also was recovered in culture. The 1992 bloom sample was very homogeneous, however, with a single cluster remotely related to Halobacterium salinarum. These results illustrate that the microbial communities are dynamic, even in one of the most extreme environments on Earth, and exhibit strong shifts in species composition as conditions for life become increasingly adverse.

Micropeptins from Microcystis aeruginosa collected in Dalton reservoir, Israel

Three new micropeptins, micropeptin DR1056, DR1060 and DR1006 and three known metabolites, micropeptin SF909, aeruginosins 298A and B were isolated from the extracts of a Microcystis aeruginosa bloom material collected in Dalton reservoir, Israel. The planar structure of the compounds was determined by homonuclear and inverse-heteronuclear 2D NMR techniques as well as high-resolution mass spectrometry. The absolute configuration of the asymmetric centers of the amino acids was studied using Marfey’s method for HPLC. The inhibitory activity of the compounds was determined for the serine proteases: trypsin, chymotrypsin, and elastase and for amino peptidase N.

ASSESSMENT OF MICROCYSTIS BLOOM TOXICITY ASSOCIATED WITH WILDLIFE MORTALITY IN THE KRUGER NATIONAL PARK, SOUTH AFRICA

Based on previous necropsy results, Microcystis blooms in constructed water impoundments in the Kruger National Park (KNP) have been identified as a cause of wildlife mortality. In response to wildlife mortality during 2007, water samples, containing algal bloom material, were collected during February 2007 and July 2007 from four dams (Nhlanganzwani, Mpanamana, Makhohlola, and Sunset) in the southeastern part of the KNP as part of the follow-up investigation. The toxicity of the Microcystis blooms was determined using the enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA), protein phosphatase inhibition (PPI) assay, mouse bioassay, and African sharptooth catfish (Clarias gariepinus) primary hepatocytes. Both the ELISA and PPI assays indicated that the water sample collected during February 2007 from the Nhlanganzwani Dam, and samples collected from the Nhlanganzwani and Sunset dams in June 2007, were toxic. These dams, exhibiting the toxic Microcystis blooms, were also associated with the wildlife mortality. Mice injected intraperitoneally with water samples from Nhlanganzwani Dam (February 2007) induced hepatotoxicity and mortality within 1 hr. Primary hepatocytes from the sharptooth catfish exposed to samples from these dams gave similar results. This laboratory investigation and results strongly incriminate the toxic Microcystis blooms as the cause of the wildlife mortality. Eutrophication and bloom formation appear to have been the consequence of the high numbers of hippopotami (Hippopotamus amphibius) in specific dams.

Occupational and environmental hazard assessments for the isolation, purification and toxicity testing of cyanobacterial toxins

Cyanobacteria can produce groups of structurally and functionally unrelated but highly potent toxins. Cyanotoxins are used in multiple research endeavours, either for direct investigation of their toxicologic properties, or as functional analogues for various biochemical and physiological processes. This paper presents occupational safety guidelines and recommendations for personnel working in field, laboratory or industrial settings to produce and use purified cyanotoxins and toxic cyanobacteria, from bulk harvesting of bloom material, mass culture of laboratory isolates, through routine extraction, isolation and purification. Oral, inhalational, dermal and parenteral routes are all potential occupational exposure pathways during the various stages of cyanotoxin production and application. Investigation of toxicologic or pharmacologic properties using in vivo models may present specific risks if radiolabelled cyanotoxins are employed, and the potential for occupational exposure via the dermal route is heightened with the use of organic solvents as vehicles. Inter- and intra-national transport of living cyanobacteria for research purposes risks establishing feral microalgal populations, so disinfection of culture equipment and destruction of cells by autoclaving, incineration and/or chlorination is recommended in order to prevent viable cyanobacteria from escaping research or production facilities.

Incorporation and burial of carbon from settling cyanobacterial blooms by deposit‐feeding macrofauna

Summer blooms of filamentous, nitrogen‐fixing cyanobacteria are typical of the Baltic Sea, and recent findings indicate that cyanobacteria may be an important food source for the benthos below the euphotic zone. In a 2‐week laboratory experiment, we measured incorporation of cyanobacterial carbon by the deposit‐feeding amphipod Monoporeia affinis when exposed to 14C‐radiolabeled, natural blooms of cyanobacteria dominated by either the toxic Nodularia spumigena or nontoxic Aphanizomenon sp. Carbon from both cyanobacterial blooms was used, with greater incorporation from Aphanizomenon‐dominated bloom material than from N. spumigena, indicating that the latter is less suitable as food. However, neither cyanobacterium supported significant amphipod growth. Also, less cyanobacterial carbon was mixed down in the sediment in the N. spumigena treatment, indicating lower bioturbation activity in this treatment. Long‐term effects on feeding and survival remain to be studied, especially for the toxic N. spumigena.

Settling blooms of filamentous cyanobacteria as food for meiofauna assemblages

Summer blooms of filamentous nitrogen‐fixing cyanobacteria in the Baltic Sea are normally dominated by Aphanizomenon sp. and the toxin‐producing Nodularia spumigena. In a 2‐week laboratory experiment, we followed the uptake by representative benthic meiofauna species of 14C‐labeled organic carbon from blooms, each dominated by one of these cyanobacteria. Natural bloom material was collected and labeled by incubation with NaH14CO3. Uptake of cyanobacterial carbon was recorded for the major meiofauna taxa living in the first‐centimeter layer, namely ostracods, harpacticoids, and nematodes. The uptake rates were within the range found for diatoms in other studies, indicating that cyanobacteria may be an important food resource for the meiobenthos. The uptake of cyanobacterial carbon varied significantly among species, even within the same class. The ostracod Candona neglecta showed the highest uptake values, whereas two other ostracod species took up very little of the label. There was no significant difference in utilization of carbon from Aphanizomenon sp. and N. spumigena and no reduction in the abundance of the meiofaunal taxa analyzed compared to unexposed controls, indicating that Baltic meiofaunal assemblages in general experience no mortality when exposed to settled cyanobacteria, even the hepatotoxic N. spumigena.

Effects of short-term manipulations in iron nutrition of Nodularia spumigena from near-coast blooms (southern Baltic Sea)

Randomly collected, dense cyanobacterial bloom material of coastal origin showed a differential response to short-term manipulations of iron availability in microcosms under natural light conditions. Temporally significant iron-mediated promotion of net photosynthetic performance was detected by oxygen saturation and pH measurements in two experiments, although surplus iron was rapidly transformed to insoluble forms even during short incubation periods of 2 days. Stimulating effects of added iron were more pronounced at continuously high incident irradiance. A bi-directional approach of iron manipulation comprising either iron or siderophore addition revealed a medium level of iron starvation in near-coast Nodularia bloom material. Significant stimulation of the quantum efficiency of photosystem II (up to 100%) also indicated photosynthetic performance as a main target of iron fertilization. Missing treatment effects in two other experiments coincided with partially decaying bloom material. Sunscreen effects of iron minerals in fertilized microcosms were unlikely due to insignificant shifts of cellular chlorophyll:carotenoid ratios. The stimulation by iron was most probably linked to physiological photoprotection mechanisms. This link can support the understanding of less consistent iron fertilization effects on the toxic cyanobacterium Nodularia spumigena among the few studies on summer phytoplankton of the Baltic Sea.

Stability of toxigenic Microcystis blooms

This is the first detailed study on the occurrence of cyanobacterial toxins in India, where we studied five eutrophic, temple ponds in the vicinity of Varanasi city, Uttar Pradesh, which continuously supported blooms of Microcystis sp. for several years. Bloom material from all five ponds was sampled bi-monthly from September 2003 to August 2004. Analysis of extracts by high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) indicated that microcystin-RR (MC-RR) was present all year round at high concentrations (311–1540μg/g, dry weight), posing a significant health hazard especially since all five ponds are widely used for bathing, washing, cattle drinking supply, irrigation and recreation. In addition, there was unusually low temporal variation in concentration of MC-RR in each pond, <20% variation in four out of five ponds throughout the year.Characterization of microcystin composition of several bloom samples from this study by HPLC–PDA/MS confirmed that additional microcystins were present in many of the samples. The rarely reported, MC-AR was frequently detected in bloom samples from three of the ponds (Adityanagar, Durgakund and Sankuldhara), where it typically represented 20% of the microcystin pool. MC-WR was frequently found in samples from Adityanagar and Sankuldhara, representing 5–10% of the microcystin pool. MC-LR, along with the previously unreported MC-AHar, each represented approximately 5% of the microcystin pool when present. Bloom samples from each pond had a characteristic microcystin profile, when sampled from 2003 to 2006, suggesting persistent species/strain domination.The perennial and consistent nature of the toxic Microcystis blooms in these ponds is highly unusual, in contrast to the commonly encountered temporal and spatial variation of toxigenic and non-toxigenic species. Laboratory isolates from several ponds were shown to produce microcystins, showing similar microcystin composition to the original bloom material.

Preface and brief synthesis for the FOODBANCS volume

Abstract In this volume we present results from the FOODBANCS Project, which examined the fate and benthic community impact of summer bloom material on the West Antarctic Peninsula shelf floor. The project involved a 5-cruise, 15-month time-series program in which sediment-trap moorings, core sampling, radiochemical profiling, sediment respirometry, bottom photography, and bottom trawling were used to evaluate: (1) seafloor deposition and lability of POC, (2) patterns of labile POC consumption and sediment mixing by benthos, and (3) seasonal and inter-annual variations in biotic abundance, biomass, reproductive condition, recruitment, and sediment community respiration. We find that the seafloor flux and accumulation of particulate organic carbon on the West Antarctic Peninsula shelf exhibit intense seasonal and interannual variability. Nonetheless, many key benthic processes, including organic-matter degradation, bioturbation, deposit feeding, and faunal abundance, reproduction and recruitment, show relatively muted response to this intense seasonal and inter-annual variability in export flux. We thus hypothesize that benthic ecosystems on the Antarctic shelf act as “low-pass” filters, and may be extremely useful in resolving the impacts of climatic change over periods of years to decades in Antarctic Peninsula region.

First reported case of turtle deaths during a toxic Microcystis spp. bloom in Lake Oubeira, Algeria

Microcystins analysis was conducted in field cyanobacterial bloom samples and dead terrapin tissues from Lake Oubeira (Algeria) with an aim of studying the cause of the mortality of the freshwater terrapin species Emys orbicularis and Mauremys leprosa during October 2005. The deaths of these two terrapin species were observed during a bloom of Microcystis spp. The total microcystin content per phytoplankton biomass evaluated with the methanol extraction-protein phosphatase methodology was 1.12 mg MCYST-LR equivalents/g dried bloom material. The analysis of this bloom extract by the LC/MS technique demonstrated the presence of three microcystin variants: microcystin-LR (MCYST-LR), microcystin-YR (MCYST-YR), and microcystin-RR (MCYST-RR). Microcystins were also detected in fresh carcasses of terrapin liver, viscera and muscle tissues using the GC/MS after Lemieux oxidation method and the PP2A inhibition assay. The high level of microcystins detected using the Lemieux oxidation-GC/MS method in the liver tissue (1192.8 μg MCYST-LR equivalent/g dw) and in the viscera tissue (37.19 μg MCYST-LR equivalent/g dw) of the species M. leprosa and E. orbicularis, respectively, and the liver crumbling observed after the necropsy examination of the fresh carcass of M. leprosa support the possibility that cyanobacterial microcystins contribute to the turtle mortalities.

First assessment of cyanobacterial blooms and microcystin-LR in the Canadian portion of Lake of the Woods

Cyanobacterial blooms containing the hepatotoxin microcystin-LR (MC-LR) occurred at least once at each of 5 sites sampled in June, July and August 2004 in the Boreal Shield (Ont., Canada) portion of Lake of the Woods. In June, cyanobacteria constituted 3.5–49% (median 25%) of total phytoplankton biomass and consisted largely of Aphanothece spp. (median 98% of total cyanobacterial biomass). In July and August, cyanobacteria comprised 54–98% (median 77%) of total phytoplankton biomass in surface water samples and consisted largely of Aphanizomenon flos-aquae (median 82% of total cyanobacterial biomass). Three species of Anabaena (A. flos-aquae, A. lemmermannii, and A. mendotae), as well as Homeothrix janthina, Pseudanabaena spp., Aphanocapsa spp., and Woronichinia spp. were also present during the study period. Among study sites, total phosphorus concentrations in surface grab samples ranged from 11 to 31 μg/L and were positively associated with total cyanobacterial biomass (r = 0.64, P = 0.01). MC-LR concentrations (μg/g dry weight) in bloom material collected with a 64-μm tow net and analyzed by High Performance Liquid Chromatography were positively related to ammonium concentrations in surface grab samples (r = 0.94, P = 0.001), but not to the total biomass of cyanobacteria or any cyanobacterial taxon. In the isolated Boreal Shield basins of this lake, cyanobacterial blooms and cyanotoxins like MC-LR may have ecological and human health consequences and may be sensitive indicators of human disturbance in the drainage basin.

Contrasting biogeochemistry of six trace metals during the rise and decay of a spring phytoplankton bloom in San Francisco Bay

The spring 2003 phytoplankton bloom in South San Francisco Bay (South Bay) affected the cycling of Mn, Co, Zn, Ni, and Pb, but not Cu. We followed this diatom bloom for 2 months, capturing a peak in chlorophyll a (Chl a) of &gt;150 µg L−1 and then an increase in dissolved organic carbon of &gt;400 µmol L−1 as phytoplankton decomposed. To determine how the stages of the bloom affected metal concentrations, we used principal component analysis to reduce our 15 water chemistry variables into a bloom factor, a sorbent factor, and a decay factor. Increasing values of the bloom factor, which was a composite of dissolved oxygen, Chl a, and other variables, significantly accounted for reductions in dissolved Mn, Ni, and Pb. We attributed those declines to microbial oxidation, phytoplankton uptake, and sorption onto phytoplankton, respectively. In contrast, dissolved Cu concentrations were not explained by either the bloom or decay factors, consistent with previous studies showing its strong organic complexation and limited bioavailability in South Bay. The decay factor significantly accounted for increases in dissolved Mn, Co, Zn, and Pb. Decomposing bloom material presumably caused suboxic conditions in surface sediments, resulting in release of metals to overlying waters during reductive dissolution of Mn and Fe (hydr)oxides. These alterations in metal cycling during a nutrient‐enriched bloom were evidence of eutrophication. Annually, phytoplankton productivity has the potential to affect metal retention in the estuary; in 2003, 75% of Ni discharged into lower South Bay by wastewater treatment plants was cycled through phytoplankton.

Toxicity of the Extracts of Cyanobacteria Blooms from Tietê River Reservoirs, SP, to the Daphnids Ceriodaphnia dubia e Ceriodaphnia silvestrii (Cladocera, Crustacea)

In eutrophic environments, cyanobacterial blooms frequently represent risks to human health and natural biota, due to their production of toxins that are released in the water by cell lysis. The acute and chronic toxicity of crude extracts from cyanobacterial blooms occurring in Barra Bonita and Promissão reservoirs Middle Tietê River, SP, were evaluated by performing ecotoxicological tests using two daphnids species, Ceriodaphnia dubia Richard, 1894 (exotic species) and Ceriodaphnia silvestrii Daday, 1902 (native species). Cyanobacterial bloom samples were collected in March 2006, and lyophilized in order to prepare crude extracts and to analyze the microcystin content (ELISA essay). Microcystis aeruginosa Kützing and Pseudanabaena mucicola (Huber-Pestalozzi &amp; Naumann) Bourrelly were abundant in the blooms from Barra Bonita Reservoir, whereas M. aeruginosa was dominant in the material from Promissão Reservoir. High concentrations of total microcystins were detected in crude bloom material extracts from reservoirs (801.12 and 1,420.70 μg L–1 for Barra Bonita Reservoir and 238.78 and 932.32 μg L–1 for Promissão Reservoir). The crude bloom extracts caused acute toxicity to daphnids and C. dubia was usually more sensitive than C. silvestrii. Higher concentrations of crude extracts (80 and 160 mg L–1 for Barra Bonita Reservoir and 100 mg L–1 for Promissão Reservoir) affected adversely the survival and the reproduction of daphnids, while lower concentrations appeared to stimulate reproduction. The results evidenced the risks to the natural biota and possibly to the human health, pointing to the urgent necessity to prevent eutrophication.

Evaluation of cyanobacteria toxicity in tropical reservoirs using crude extracts bioassay with cladocerans

During a cyanobacterial bloom in a eutrophic environment, particularly at the end when decomposition occurs, toxic compounds such as the cyanotoxins and the lipopolysaccharides can be released in high concentrations into the water column damaging aquatic organisms. In this work, the effects of this release of toxic compounds during a cyanobacterial bloom were investigated. The acute and chronic toxicity of cyanobacterial crude extracts from two natural blooms in the Barra Bonita and Ibitinga reservoirs (Middle Tietê River, São Paulo State, Brazil) and of a toxic strain cultured in the laboratory were tested. The cladocerans Daphnia similis, Ceriodaphnia dubia and Ceriodaphnia silvestrii were used as test organisms. In the chronic toxicity tests, only a native cladoceran found in Brazilian freshwaters, Ceriodaphnia silvestrii, was used. Microcystins were detected in all cyanobacterial samples. The acute toxicity tests showed that the crude bloom material extract from the Ibitinga Reservoir (48-h EC(50) values between 32.6 and 35.8 microg microcystin g(-1) of freeze-dried material) exhibited higher toxicity to cladoceran than did the crude bloom material extract from Barra Bonita Reservoir (48-h EC(50) values between 46.0 and 80.2 microg microcystin g(-1) of freeze-dried material). The chronic toxicity test data showed that the three extracts reduced the fecundity of C. silvestrii, and the crude extract of Barra Bonita Reservoir bloom material also affected the survival of this cladoceran. Both acute and chronic tests effectively prognosticated possible changes in the cladoceran population, and probably other components of the biota due to cyanobacterial blooms in natural aquatic ecosystems.

Cadmium uptake by marine micro-organisms in the English Channel and Celtic Sea

A series of shipboard experiments using the radiotracer 109Cd investigated the role of phytoplankton and bacteria in the uptake of dissolved Cd in the English Channel and Celtic Sea. The results demonstrate that Cd uptake is related to rates of primary production and bacterial numbers. Statistical analysis of plankton species abundance infer that Rhizosolenia, Chaetoceros and Pseudonitzschia diatom species are largely responsible for the higher Cd uptake observed in the >5 ?m size fraction during a diatom-dominated spring bloom. Total Cd uptake rates during winter non-bloom conditions were between 0.04 and 0.29 pmol l–1 h–1, and increased to between 0.43 and 1.23 pmol l–1 h–1 during diatom bloom conditions. These uptake rates are consistent with the seasonal surface depletion of Cd reported in the Celtic Sea and attributed to uptake by phytoplankton bloom material. A calculated Cd:C ratio of 3.1 ?mol mol–1 for natural plankton samples of the Celtic Sea agrees well with results of previous culture studies, which have reported ratios between 0.1 and 5.0 ?mol mol–1 for the coastal diatoms Thalassiosira weissflogii and T. pseudonana. Cd uptake was also linearly related to bacterial numbers, which was attributed to surface adsorption of Cd ions onto bacterial particles which have relatively high specific surface areas. These results demonstrate surface adsorption of Cd onto bacterial surfaces, and other biogenic non-living particles, i.e. ‘passive Cd uptake’, which is significantly augmented during a spring diatom bloom.

Impact of a flood event on benthic and pelagic coupling in a sub-tropical east Australian estuary (Brunswick)

We examined the impact of a 1:3 year return period flood on benthic and pelagic coupling in the river-dominated sub-tropical Brunswick Estuary. The flood had a significant impact on the study site flushing it with freshwater, reducing the flushing time 0.6 days, increasing nutrient concentrations in the water column and scouring the sediment surface. In the three weeks post-flood the benthic and pelagic systems alternated between being coupled and un-coupled via dissolved, particulate and living material pathways. Immediately post-flood benthic and pelagic coupling via the deposition of phyto-detritus and viable algal cells was reduced due to the scouring of the top sediment layers, and benthic respiration and productivity and NH 4 + effluxes all decreased correspondingly. In contrast, benthic and pelagic coupling was enhanced via the uptake and denitrification of NO 3 − due to elevated NO 3 − concentrations in the water column. Some of the NO 3 − consumed by the sediments may have also been converted to DON. Two weeks post-flood benthic and pelagic coupling was significantly enhanced via the deposition of phyto-detritus and viable algal cells associated with a phytoplankton bloom in the water column. This increased supply of phyto-detritus and viable algal cells rapidly increased benthic respiration and productivity and NH 4 + efflux. The depletion of water column DIN by the phytoplankton bloom resulted in a de-coupling of the benthic and pelagic systems via the uptake and denitrification of NO 3 −. However, benthic and pelagic coupling was enhanced via the uptake of NH 4 + by benthic microalgae. Three weeks post-flood the phytoplankton bloom had collapsed and the coupling between the benthic and pelagic systems via the deposition of phyto-detritus and living algal cells had diminished. Again benthic and pelagic coupling was enhanced via the uptake and denitrification of NO 3 − due to elevated NO 3 − concentrations in the water column associated with the recycling of bloom material. Overall the sediments became less heterotrophic (increasing benthic productivity/respiration ratio) following the flood. Floods can cause rapid and complex changes in the coupling between benthic and pelagic systems in sub-tropical estuaries.

Occurrence of toxigenic cyanobacterial blooms in freshwaters of Sri Lanka

A previous pioneering study of freshwater bodies in Sri Lanka revealed the presence of toxic cyanobacteria in three out of four water bodies tested. It was therefore important to perform a more detailed investigation into the presence of cyanobacteria and their toxins throughout Sri Lanka. The country has a long history of well-planned water management with the agricultural economy and drinking water supply still dependent on thousands of man-made tanks. Seventeen reservoirs from different user categories and different climatic zones were selected to study variations in phytoplankton communities with relation to major nutrients, with particular emphasis on cyanobacteria. The study was carried out during a two-year period and heavy growths or blooms of cyanobacteria observed during the study period were tested for microcystins. The results clearly categorised the 17 reservoirs into four groups parallel to the classification based on the user categories of water bodies. Biomass of total phytoplankton, the abundance of cyanobacteria, the dominance of Microcystis spp. and concentration of nitrate (N) and total phosphorous (P) were the lowest in drinking water bodies and the highest in aesthetic water bodies. Irrigation water bodies showed the second lowest values for phytoplankton biomass, and concentration of N and P, while hydropower reservoirs showed the second highest values for the same parameters. The fraction of cyanobacteria in irrigation waters was higher than that in hydropower reservoirs, but surprisingly the dominance of Microcystis spp. was reversed. Possible reasons for these variations are discussed. More than half of the bloom material tested contained microcystins up to 81 μg l −1. Our findings indicate the potential for high-risk situations due to toxigenic cyanobacterial blooms in susceptible freshwaters of Sri Lanka.