Natural and anthropogenic nitrogen uptake by bloom-forming macroalgae

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Thornber, Carol S. [Department of Biological Sciences, 100 Flagg Road, University of Rhode Island, Kingston, RI 02881 (United States)], E-mail: thornber@uri.edu; DiMilla, Peter; Nixon, Scott W. [Graduate School of Oceanography, University of Rhode Island, South Ferry Road, Narragansett, RI 02881 (United States); McKinney, Richard A. [US Environmental Protection Agency, Atlantic Ecology Division, 27 Tarzwell Drive, Narragansett, RI 02882 (United States)

2008-02-15

The frequency and duration of macroalgal blooms have increased in many coastal waters over the past several decades. We used field surveys and laboratory culturing experiments to examine the nitrogen content and {delta}{sup 15}N values of Ulva and Gracilaria, two bloom-forming algal genera in Narragansett Bay, RI (USA). The northern end of this bay is densely populated with large sewage treatment plant nitrogen inputs; the southern end is more lightly populated and opens to the Atlantic Ocean. Field-collected Ulva varied in {delta}{sup 15}N among sites, but with two exceptions had {delta}{sup 15}N above 10 per mille , reflecting a significant component of heavy anthropogenic N. This variation was not correlated with a north-south gradient. Both Ulva and Gracilaria cultured in water from across Narragansett Bay also had high signals ({delta}{sup 15}N = {approx}14-17 per mille and 8-12 per mille , respectively). These results indicate that inputs of anthropogenic N can have far-reaching impacts throughout estuaries.

Natural and anthropogenic nitrogen uptake by bloom-forming macroalgae.

Science.gov (United States)

Thornber, Carol S; DiMilla, Peter; Nixon, Scott W; McKinney, Richard A

2008-02-01

The frequency and duration of macroalgal blooms have increased in many coastal waters over the past several decades. We used field surveys and laboratory culturing experiments to examine the nitrogen content and delta(15)N values of Ulva and Gracilaria, two bloom-forming algal genera in Narragansett Bay, RI (USA). The northern end of this bay is densely populated with large sewage treatment plant nitrogen inputs; the southern end is more lightly populated and opens to the Atlantic Ocean. Field-collected Ulva varied in delta(15)N among sites, but with two exceptions had delta(15)N above 10 per thousand, reflecting a significant component of heavy anthropogenic N. This variation was not correlated with a north-south gradient. Both Ulva and Gracilaria cultured in water from across Narragansett Bay also had high signals (delta(15)N= approximately 14-17 per thousand and 8-12 per thousand, respectively). These results indicate that inputs of anthropogenic N can have far-reaching impacts throughout estuaries.

Genome-derived insights into the biology of the hepatotoxic bloom-forming cyanobacterium Anabaena sp. strain 90

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Wang Hao

2012-11-01

Full Text Available Abstract Background Cyanobacteria can form massive toxic blooms in fresh and brackish bodies of water and are frequently responsible for the poisoning of animals and pose a health risk for humans. Anabaena is a genus of filamentous diazotrophic cyanobacteria commonly implicated as a toxin producer in blooms in aquatic ecosystems throughout the world. The biology of bloom-forming cyanobacteria is poorly understood at the genome level. Results Here, we report the complete sequence and comprehensive annotation of the bloom-forming Anabaena sp. strain 90 genome. It comprises two circular chromosomes and three plasmids with a total size of 5.3 Mb, encoding a total of 4,738 genes. The genome is replete with mobile genetic elements. Detailed manual annotation demonstrated that almost 5% of the gene repertoire consists of pseudogenes. A further 5% of the genome is dedicated to the synthesis of small peptides that are the products of both ribosomal and nonribosomal biosynthetic pathways. Inactivation of the hassallidin (an antifungal cyclic peptide biosynthetic gene cluster through a deletion event and a natural mutation of the buoyancy-permitting gvpG gas vesicle gene were documented. The genome contains a large number of genes encoding restriction-modification systems. Two novel excision elements were found in the nifH gene that is required for nitrogen fixation. Conclusions Genome analysis demonstrated that this strain invests heavily in the production of bioactive compounds and restriction-modification systems. This well-annotated genome provides a platform for future studies on the ecology and biology of these important bloom-forming cyanobacteria.

Phytoplankton-Associated Bacterial Community Composition and Succession during Toxic Diatom Bloom and Non-Bloom Events.

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Sison-Mangus, Marilou P; Jiang, Sunny; Kudela, Raphael M; Mehic, Sanjin

2016-01-01

Pseudo-nitzschia blooms often occur in coastal and open ocean environments, sometimes leading to the production of the neurotoxin domoic acid that can cause severe negative impacts to higher trophic levels. Increasing evidence suggests a close relationship between phytoplankton bloom and bacterial assemblages, however, the microbial composition and succession during a bloom process is unknown. Here, we investigate the bacterial assemblages before, during and after toxic and non-toxic Pseudo-nitzschia blooms to determine the patterns of bacterial succession in a natural bloom setting. Opportunistic sampling of bacterial community profiles were determined weekly at Santa Cruz Municipal Wharf by 454 pyrosequencing and analyzed together with domoic acid levels, phytoplankton community and biomass, nutrients and temperature. We asked if the bacterial communities are similar between bloom and non-bloom events and if domoic acid or the presence of toxic algal species acts as a driving force that can significantly structure phytoplankton-associated bacterial communities. We found that bacterial diversity generally increases when Pseudo-nitzschia numbers decline. Furthermore, bacterial diversity is higher when the low-DA producing P. fraudulenta dominates the algal bloom while bacterial diversity is lower when high-DA producing P. australis dominates the algal bloom, suggesting that the presence of algal toxin can structure bacterial community. We also found bloom-related succession patterns among associated bacterial groups; Gamma-proteobacteria, were dominant during low toxic P. fraudulenta blooms comprising mostly of Vibrio spp., which increased in relative abundance (6-65%) as the bloom progresses. On the other hand, Firmicutes bacteria comprising mostly of Planococcus spp. (12-86%) dominate during high toxic P. australis blooms, with the bacterial assemblage showing the same bloom-related successional patterns in three independent bloom events. Other environmental

Phytoplankton-associated bacterial community composition and succession during toxic diatom bloom and non-bloom events

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Marilou P. Sison-Mangus

2016-09-01

Full Text Available Pseudo-nitzschia blooms often occur in coastal and open ocean environments, sometimes leading to the production of the neurotoxin domoic acid that can cause severe negative impacts to higher trophic levels. Increasing evidence suggests a close relationship between phytoplankton bloom and bacterial assemblages, however, the microbial composition and succession during a bloom process is unknown. Here, we investigate the bacterial assemblages before, during and after toxic and non-toxic Pseudo-nitzschia blooms to determine the patterns of bacterial succession in a natural bloom setting. Opportunistic sampling of bacterial community profiles were determined weekly at Santa Cruz Municipal Wharf by 454 pyrosequencing and analyzed together with domoic acid levels, phytoplankton community and biomass, nutrients and temperature. We asked if the bacterial communities are similar between bloom and non-bloom events and if domoic acid or the presence of toxic algal species acts as a driving force that can significantly structure phytoplankton-associated bacterial communities. We found that bacterial diversity generally increases when Pseudo-nitzschia numbers decline. Furthermore, bacterial diversity is higher when the low-DA producing P. fraudulenta dominates the algal bloom while bacterial diversity is lower when high-DA producing P. australis dominates the algal bloom, suggesting that the presence of algal toxin can structure bacterial community. We also found bloom-related succession patterns among associated bacterial groups; Gamma-proteobacteria, were dominant during low toxic P. fraudulenta blooms comprising mostly of Vibrio spp., which increased in relative abundance (6%-65% as the bloom progresses. On the other hand, Firmicutes bacteria comprising mostly of Planococcus spp. (12%- 86% dominate during high toxic P. australis blooms, with the bacterial assemblage showing the same bloom-related successional patterns in 3 independent bloom events. Other

Characterization of film-forming solutions and films incorporating free and nanoencapsulated tea polyphenol prepared by gelatins with different Bloom values

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Gelatin film-forming solutions and their films incorporating tea polyphenol (TP) and chitosan nanoparticles (CSNs) were prepared from gelatins with different Bloom values (100, 150 and 225). Blank gelatin film-forming solutions and films were prepared as controls. Gelatins with higher Bloom values h...

Margalef's mandala and phytoplankton bloom strategies

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Wyatt, Timothy

2014-03-01

Margalef's mandala maps phytoplankton species into a phase space defined by turbulence (A) and nutrient concentrations (Ni); these are the hard axes. The permutations of high and low A and high and low Ni divide the space into four domains. Soft axes indicate some ecological dynamics. A main sequence shows the normal course of phytoplankton succession; the r-K axis of MacArthur and Wilson runs parallel to it. An alternative successional sequence leads to the low A-high Ni domain into which many red tide species are mapped. Astronomical and biological time are implicit. A mathematical transformation of the mandala (rotation) links it to the classical bloom models of Sverdrup (time) and Kierstead and Slobodkin (space). Both rarity and the propensity to form red tides are considered to be species characters, meaning that maximum population abundance can be a target of natural selection. Equally, both the unpredictable appearance of bloom species and their short-lived appearances may be species characters. There may be a correlation too between these features and long-lived dormant stages in the life-cycle; then the vegetative planktonic phase is the 'weak link' in the life-cycle. Red tides are thus due to species which have evolved suites of traits which result in specific demographic strategies.

MF/UF rejection and fouling potential of algal organic matter from bloom-forming marine and freshwater algae

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Villacorte, Loreen O.

2015-07-01

Pretreatment with microfiltration (MF) or ultrafiltration (UF) membranes has been proposed for seawater reverse osmosis (SWRO) plants to address operational issues associated with algal blooms. Here, we investigated the MF/UF rejection and fouling potential of algal organic matter (AOM) released by common species of bloom-forming marine (Alexandrium tamarense and Chaetoceros affinis) and freshwater (Microcystis sp.) algae. Batch culture monitoring of the three algal species illustrated varying growth pattern, cell concentration, AOM released and membrane fouling potential. The high membrane fouling potential of the cultures can be directly associated (R2>0.85) with AOM such as transparent exopolymer particle (TEP) while no apparent relationship with algal cell concentration was observed. The AOM comprised mainly biopolymers (e.g., polysaccharides and proteins) and low molecular weight organic compounds (e.g., humic-like substances). The former were largely rejected by MF/UF membranes while the latter were poorly rejected. MF (0.4μm and 0.1μm pore size) rejected 14%-56% of biopolymers while conventional UF (100kDa) and tight UF (10kDa) rejected up to 83% and 97%, respectively. The retention of AOM resulted in a rapid increase in trans-membrane pressure (δP) over time, characterised by pore blocking followed by cake filtration with enhanced compression as illustrated by an exponential progression of δP. © 2015 Elsevier B.V.

Field and laboratory guide to freshwater cyanobacteria harmful algal blooms for Native American and Alaska Native communities

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Rosen, Barry H.; St. Amand, Ann

2015-09-14

Cyanobacteria can produce toxins and form harmful algal blooms. The Native American and Alaska Native communities that are dependent on subsistence fishing have an increased risk of exposure to these cyanotoxins. It is important to recognize the presence of an algal bloom in a waterbody and to distinguish a potentially toxic harmful algal bloom from a non-toxic bloom. This guide provides field images that show cyanobacteria blooms, some of which can be toxin producers, as well as other non-toxic algae blooms and floating plants that might be confused with algae. After recognition of a potential toxin-producing cyanobacterial bloom in the field, the type(s) of cyanobacteria present needs to be identified. Species identification, which requires microscopic examination, may help distinguish a toxin-producer from a non-toxin producer. This guide also provides microscopic images of the common cyanobacteria that are known to produce toxins, as well as images of algae that form blooms but do not produce toxins.

A review of the phylogeny, ecology and toxin production of bloom-forming Aphanizomenon spp. and related species within the Nostocales (cyanobacteria).

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Cirés, Samuel; Ballot, Andreas

2016-04-01

The traditional genus Aphanizomenon comprises a group of filamentous nitrogen-fixing cyanobacteria of which several memebers are able to develop blooms and to produce toxic metabolites (cyanotoxins), including hepatotoxins (microcystins), neurotoxins (anatoxins and saxitoxins) and cytotoxins (cylindrospermopsin). This genus, representing geographically widespread and extensively studied cyanobacteria, is in fact heterogeneous and composed of at least five phylogenetically distant groups (Aphanizomenon, Anabaena/Aphanizomenon like cluster A, Cuspidothrix, Sphaerospermopsis and Chrysosporum) whose taxonomy is still under revision. This review provides a thorough insight into the phylogeny, ecology, biogeography and toxicogenomics (cyr, sxt, and ana genes) of the five best documented "Aphanizomenon" species with special relevance for water risk assessment: Aphanizomenon flos-aquae, Aphanizomenon gracile, Cuspidothrix issatschenkoi, Sphaerospermopsis aphanizomenoides and Chrysosporum ovalisporum. Aph. flos-aquae, Aph. gracile and C. issatschenkoi have been reported from temperate areas only whereas S. aphanizomenoides shows the widest distribution from the tropics to temperate areas. Ch. ovalisporum is found in tropical, subtropical and Mediterranean areas. While all five species show moderate growth rates (0.1-0.4day -1 ) within a wide range of temperatures (15-30°C), Aph. gracile and A. flos-aquae can grow from around (or below) 10°C, whereas Ch. ovalisporum and S. aphanizomenoides are much better competitors at high temperatures over 30°C or even close to 35°C. A. gracile has been confirmed as the producer of saxitoxins and cylindrospermopsin, C. issatschenkoi of anatoxins and saxitoxins and Ch. ovalisporum of cylindrospermopsin. The suspected cylindrospermopsin or anatoxin-a production of A. flos-aquae or microcystin production of S. aphanizomenoides is still uncertain. This review includes a critical discussion on the the reliability of toxicity reports and on

Wind-driven marine phytoplank blooms: Satellite observation and analysis

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Tang, DanLing

2016-07-01

Algal bloom is defined as a rapid increase or accumulation in biomass in an aquatic system. It not only can increase the primary production but also could result in negative ecological consequence, e.g.,Harmful Algal Blooms (HABs). According to the classic theory for the formation of algal blooms "critical depth" and "eutrophication", oligotrophic sea area is usually difficult to form a large area of algal blooms, and actuallythe traditional observation is only sporadic capture to the existence of algal blooms.Taking full advantage of multiple data of satellite remote sensing , this study introduces "Wind-driven algal blooms in open oceans: observation and mechanisms" It explained except classic coastal Ekman transport, the wind through a variety of mechanisms affecting the formation of algal blooms. Proposed a conceptual model of "Strong wind -upwelling-nutrient-phytoplankton blooms" in Western South China Sea (SCS) to assess role of wind-induced advection transport in phytoplankton bloom formation. It illustrates the nutrient resources that support long-term offshore phytoplankton blooms in the western SCS; (2)Proposal of the theory that "typhoons cause vertical mixing, induce phytoplankton blooms", and quantify their important contribution to marine primary production; Proposal a new ecological index for typhoon. Proposed remote sensing inversion models. (3)Finding of the spatial and temporaldistributions pattern of harmful algal bloom (HAB)and species variations of HAB in the South Yellow Sea and East China Sea, and in the Pearl River estuary, and their oceanic dynamic mechanisms related with monsoon; The project developed new techniques and generated new knowledge, which significantly improved understanding of the formation mechanisms of algal blooms. The proposed "wind-pump" mechanism integrates theoretical system combined "ocean dynamics, development of algal blooms, and impact on primary production", which will benefit fisheries management. These

Temporal pattern in the bloom-forming macroalgae Chaetomorpha linum and Ulva pertusa in seagrass beds, Swan Lake lagoon, North China

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Zhang, Xiaomei; Zhou, Yi; Liu, Peng; Wang, Feng; Liu, Bingjian; Liu, Xujia; Xu, Qiang; Yang, Hongsheng

2014-01-01

Highlights: • We conducted an annual survey of bloom-forming macroalgae in a lagoon. • C. linum biomass reached 1712 ± 780 g DW m −2 at the northern part of the lagoon. • Macroalgae δ 15 N values indicated a land-based source of N enrichment to the blooms. • High nutrient concentrations near the river mouth supported the blooms. • C. linum blooms induced the loss of seagrasses and benthic filter feeders. - Abstract: Seagrasses that are distributed over a large area of the Swan Lake, Weihai, China, support a productive ecosystem. In recent years, however, frequent macroalgal blooms have changed the ecosystem structure and threatened the seagrasses. To understand the bloom-forming macroalgae we conducted a yearly field survey of Swan Lake. Results indicated that the macroalgae Chaetomorpha linum and Ulva pertusa both exhibited a much higher productivity and attained a greater maximum biomass (of 1712 ± 780 g DW m −2 and 1511 ± 555 g DW m −2 , respectively) than was the case for the seagrasses. The mean annual atomic ratios of C/N, C/P and N/P in C. linum were 14.31 ± 4.45, 402.82 ± 130.25, and 28.12 ± 2.08, respectively. The δ 15 N values (11.09 ± 0.91‰ for C. linum; 9.27 ± 2.83‰ for U. pertusa) indicated a land-based source of N enrichment to the macroalgal blooms. High concentrations of nitrogen and phosphorus in the lagoon, particularly near the river mouth, supported the blooms

Urban wastewater treatment by seven species of microalgae and an algal bloom: Biomass production, N and P removal kinetics and harvestability.

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Mennaa, Fatima Zahra; Arbib, Zouhayr; Perales, José Antonio

2015-10-15

This study evaluates the capacity of seven species and a Bloom of microalgae to grow in urban wastewater. Nutrient removal kinetics and biomass harvesting by means of centrifugation and coagulation-flocculation-sedimentation have been also tested. Results show that the best biomass productivities ranged from between 118 and 108 mgSS L(-1) d(-1) for the Bloom (Bl) and Scenedesmus obliquus (Sco). Regarding nutrient removal, microalgae were able to remove the total dissolved phosphorus and nitrogen concentrations by more than 80% and 87% respectively, depending on the species tested. The final total dissolved concentration of nitrogen and phosphorus in the culture media complies with the European Commission Directive 98/15/CE on urban wastewater treatment. Regarding harvesting, the results of coagulation-flocculation sedimentation using a 60 mg L(-1) dose of Ferric chloride were similar between species, exceeding the biomass removal efficiency by more than 90%. The results of centrifugation (time required to remove 90% of solids at 1000 rpm) were not similar between species, with the shortest time being 2.9 min for Sco, followed by the bloom (7.25 min). An overall analysis suggested that the natural bloom and Scenedesmus obliquus seem to be the best candidates to grow in pre-treated wastewater, according to their biomass production, nutrient removal capability and harvestability. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Bloom-Forming Cyanobacteria Support Copepod Reproduction and Development in the Baltic Sea

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Hogfors, Hedvig; Motwani, Nisha H.; Hajdu, Susanna; El-Shehawy, Rehab; Holmborn, Towe; Vehmaa, Anu; Engström-Öst, Jonna; Brutemark, Andreas; Gorokhova, Elena

2014-01-01

It is commonly accepted that summer cyanobacterial blooms cannot be efficiently utilized by grazers due to low nutritional quality and production of toxins; however the evidence for such effects in situ is often contradictory. Using field and experimental observations on Baltic copepods and bloom-forming diazotrophic filamentous cyanobacteria, we show that cyanobacteria may in fact support zooplankton production during summer. To highlight this side of zooplankton-cyanobacteria interactions, we conducted: (1) a field survey investigating linkages between cyanobacteria, reproduction and growth indices in the copepod Acartia tonsa; (2) an experiment testing relationships between ingestion of the cyanobacterium Nodularia spumigena (measured by molecular diet analysis) and organismal responses (oxidative balance, reproduction and development) in the copepod A. bifilosa; and (3) an analysis of long term (1999–2009) data testing relationships between cyanobacteria and growth indices in nauplii of the copepods, Acartia spp. and Eurytemora affinis, in a coastal area of the northern Baltic proper. In the field survey, N. spumigena had positive effects on copepod egg production and egg viability, effectively increasing their viable egg production. By contrast, Aphanizomenon sp. showed a negative relationship with egg viability yet no significant effect on the viable egg production. In the experiment, ingestion of N. spumigena mixed with green algae Brachiomonas submarina had significant positive effects on copepod oxidative balance, egg viability and development of early nauplial stages, whereas egg production was negatively affected. Finally, the long term data analysis identified cyanobacteria as a significant positive predictor for the nauplial growth in Acartia spp. and E. affinis. Taken together, these results suggest that bloom forming diazotrophic cyanobacteria contribute to feeding and reproduction of zooplankton during summer and create a favorable growth

Bloom-forming cyanobacteria support copepod reproduction and development in the Baltic Sea.

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Hogfors, Hedvig; Motwani, Nisha H; Hajdu, Susanna; El-Shehawy, Rehab; Holmborn, Towe; Vehmaa, Anu; Engström-Öst, Jonna; Brutemark, Andreas; Gorokhova, Elena

2014-01-01

It is commonly accepted that summer cyanobacterial blooms cannot be efficiently utilized by grazers due to low nutritional quality and production of toxins; however the evidence for such effects in situ is often contradictory. Using field and experimental observations on Baltic copepods and bloom-forming diazotrophic filamentous cyanobacteria, we show that cyanobacteria may in fact support zooplankton production during summer. To highlight this side of zooplankton-cyanobacteria interactions, we conducted: (1) a field survey investigating linkages between cyanobacteria, reproduction and growth indices in the copepod Acartia tonsa; (2) an experiment testing relationships between ingestion of the cyanobacterium Nodularia spumigena (measured by molecular diet analysis) and organismal responses (oxidative balance, reproduction and development) in the copepod A. bifilosa; and (3) an analysis of long term (1999-2009) data testing relationships between cyanobacteria and growth indices in nauplii of the copepods, Acartia spp. and Eurytemora affinis, in a coastal area of the northern Baltic proper. In the field survey, N. spumigena had positive effects on copepod egg production and egg viability, effectively increasing their viable egg production. By contrast, Aphanizomenon sp. showed a negative relationship with egg viability yet no significant effect on the viable egg production. In the experiment, ingestion of N. spumigena mixed with green algae Brachiomonas submarina had significant positive effects on copepod oxidative balance, egg viability and development of early nauplial stages, whereas egg production was negatively affected. Finally, the long term data analysis identified cyanobacteria as a significant positive predictor for the nauplial growth in Acartia spp. and E. affinis. Taken together, these results suggest that bloom forming diazotrophic cyanobacteria contribute to feeding and reproduction of zooplankton during summer and create a favorable growth

Experimental study on the interspecific interactions between the two bloom-forming algal species and the rotifer Brachionus plicatilis

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Xie, Zhihao; Xiao, Hui; Tang, Xuexi; Cai, Hengjiang

2009-06-01

The interspecific interactions between the rotifer Brachionus plicatilis and two harmful algal blooms (HAB) species were investigated experimentally by single culture method. B. plicatilis population and the growth of the two algae were compared at different algal cell densities. The results demonstrated that the B. plicatilis obtained sufficient nutrition from Prorocentrum donghaiense to support net population increase. With exposure to 2.5×104 cells mL-1 of P. donghaiense, the number of B. plicatilis increased faster than it did when exposed to other four algal densities (5, 10, 15 and 20 ×104 cells mL-1), and the increase rate of B. plicatilis population ( r) at this algal density was 0.104 ± 0.015 rd-1. Cell densities of P. donghaiense decreased due to the grazing of B. plicatilis. In contrast, Heterosigma akashiwo had an adverse effect on B. plicatilis population and its growth was largely unaffected by rotifer grazing. In this case, B. plicatilis population decreased and H. akashiwo grew at a rate similar to that of the control.

Nitrogen utilization during spring phytoplankton bloom development in the southeast Bering Sea

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Sambrotto, R.N.

1983-01-01

Interactions beween a high latitude, continental shelf, spring phytoplankton bloom and water column physics and chemistry were studied using 15 N measured rates of nitrogen uptake. Peak bloom conditions commenced when the mixed layer shallowed and minimized respirational losses. Integrative light-mixing growth models were accurate during early bloom stages. An advection-diffusion model associated peak bloom nitrate uptake with pycnocline mixing rates of 2.1 m d -1 in an 18 m mixed layer. Maximum nitrogen specific uptake rates (hr -1 ), unlike those of carbon, coincided with peak bloom conditions. Although species compositions among peak bloom periods were similar, particulate C/N ratios were not. Apparently, both intercellular factors and prevailing mixing conditions influence specific uptake rates and cell composition. A large proportion of new (nitrate) to total productivity was associated with the dominance of the early bloom forming diatoms in the mixed layer. In the absence of these net plankton the residual nanoplankton dominated community exhibited a greater dependence on regenerated nitrogen. Nitrate uptake averaged 700 mg-at m -2 during the spring bloom and 1 g-at m -2 year -1 . The yearly f factor was 0.40. Nitrogen uptake based carbon productivity was 188 g C m -2 year -1

Didymosphenia geminata: Algal blooms in oligotrophic streams and rivers

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Sundareshwar, P. V.; Upadhayay, S.; Abessa, M.; Honomichl, S.; Berdanier, B.; Spaulding, S. A.; Sandvik, C.; Trennepohl, A.

2011-05-01

In recent decades, the diatom Didymosphenia geminata has emerged as nuisance species in river systems around the world. This periphytic alga forms large “blooms” in temperate streams, presenting a counterintuitive result: the blooms occur primarily in oligotrophic streams and rivers, where phosphorus (P) availability typically limits primary production. The goal of this study is to examine how high algal biomass is formed under low P conditions. We reveal a biogeochemical process by which D. geminata mats concentrate P from flowing waters. First, the mucopolysaccaride stalks of D. geminata adsorb both iron (Fe) and P. Second, enzymatic and bacterial processes interact with Fe to increase the biological availability of P. We propose that a positive feedback between total stalk biomass and high growth rate is created, which results in abundant P for cell division. The affinity of stalks for Fe in association with iron-phosphorus biogeochemistry suggest a resolution to the paradox of algal blooms in oliogotrophic streams and rivers.

Identification of non-indigenous phytoplankton species dominated bloom off Goa using inverted microscopy and pigment (HPLC) analysis

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Bhaskar, P. V.; Roy, Rajdeep; Gauns, Mangesh; Shenoy, D. M.; Rao, V. D.; Mochemadkar, S.

2011-12-01

An unusual phytoplankton bloom dominated by unidentified green coloured spherical algal cells (˜5μm diameter) and dinoflagellates ( Heterocapsa, Scripsiella and Gymnodinium) was encountered along the coast of Goa, India during 27 and 29 January, 2005. Pigment analysis was carried out using both fluorometric and HPLC methods. Seawater samples collected from various depths within the intense bloom area showed high concentrations of Chl a (up to 106 mg m - 3) associated with low bacterial production (0.31 to 0.52 mg C m - 3 h - 1) and mesozooplankton biomass (0.03 ml m - 3). Pigment analyses of the seawater samples were done using HPLC detected marker pigments corresponding to prasinophytes, dinoflagellates and diatoms. Chlorophyll b (36-56%) followed by peridinin (15-30%), prasinoxanthin (11-17%) and fucoxanthin (7-15%) were the major diagnostic pigments while pigments of cryptophytes and cyanobacteria including alloxanthin and zeaxanthin formed <10%. Although microscopic analysis indicated a decline in the bloom, pheaophytin concentrations in the water column measured by both techniques were very low, presumably due to fast recycling and/or settling rate. The unique composition of the bloom and its probable causes are discussed in this paper.

A conceptual model for the blooming behavior and persistence of the benthic mat-forming diatom Didymosphenia geminata in oligotrophic streams

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Cullis, James D. S.; Gillis, Carole-Anne; Bothwell, Max L.; Kilroy, Cathy; Packman, Aaron; Hassan, Marwan

2012-06-01

The benthic, mat-forming diatomDidymosphenia geminata has the unique ability to produce large amounts of algal biomass under oligotrophic conditions in cold, fast flowing streams and rivers. This presents an ecological paradox that challenges our current understanding of stream ecosystem dynamics. Our understanding of the drivers of D. geminata ecology is still limited. Here we present a conceptual model for the blooming behavior and persistence of this species to advance scientific understanding of strategies for life in fast flowing oligotrophic waters and support the design of future research and mitigation measures for nuisance algal blooms. The conceptual model is based on a synthesis of data and ideas from a range of disciplines including hydrology, geomorphology, biogeochemistry, and ecology. The conceptual model highlights the role of water chemistry, river morphology, and flow thresholds in defining the habitat window for D. geminata. We propose that bed disturbance is a primary control on accumulation and persistence of D. geminataand that the removal threshold can be determined by synthesizing site-specific information on hydrology and geomorphology. Further, we propose that a key to understanding the didymo paradox is the separation of cellular reproduction and mat morphology with specific controls acting in respect of the different processes.

Harmful Freshwater Algal Blooms, With an Emphasis on Cyanobacteria

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Hans W. Paerl

2001-01-01

Full Text Available Suspended algae, or phytoplankton, are the prime source of organic matter supporting food webs in freshwater ecosystems. Phytoplankton productivity is reliant on adequate nutrient supplies; however, increasing rates of nutrient supply, much of it manmade, fuels accelerating primary production or eutrophication. An obvious and problematic symptom of eutrophication is rapid growth and accumulations of phytoplankton, leading to discoloration of affected waters. These events are termed blooms. Blooms are a prime agent of water quality deterioration, including foul odors and tastes, deoxygenation of bottom waters (hypoxia and anoxia, toxicity, fish kills, and food web alterations. Toxins produced by blooms can adversely affect animal (including human health in waters used for recreational and drinking purposes. Numerous freshwater genera within the diverse phyla comprising the phytoplankton are capable of forming blooms; however, the blue-green algae (or cyanobacteria are the most notorious bloom formers. This is especially true for harmful toxic, surface-dwelling, scum-forming genera (e.g., Anabaena, Aphanizomenon, Nodularia, Microcystis and some subsurface bloom-formers (Cylindrospermopsis, Oscillatoria that are adept at exploiting nutrient-enriched conditions. They thrive in highly productive waters by being able to rapidly migrate between radiance-rich surface waters and nutrient-rich bottom waters. Furthermore, many harmful species are tolerant of extreme environmental conditions, including very high light levels, high temperatures, various degrees of desiccation, and periodic nutrient deprivation. Some of the most noxious cyanobacterial bloom genera (e.g., Anabaena, Aphanizomenon, Cylindrospermopsis, Nodularia are capable of fixing atmospheric nitrogen (N2, enabling them to periodically dominate under nitrogen-limited conditions. Cyanobacteria produce a range of organic compounds, including those that are toxic to higher-ranked consumers, from

Greener on the Other Side: How Increased Urea Use may Promote Cyanobacterial Blooms

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Erratt, K. J.; Creed, I. F.; Trick, C. G.

2017-12-01

The frequency of freshwater cyanobacterial blooms is on the rise in temperate regions around the world. The widespread use of chemical fertilizers linked to modern agricultural practices has enhanced the fertility of surface waters promoting the expansion of cyanobacteria dominated harmful algal blooms. While phosphorus (P) has been recognized as the principal agent regulating phytoplankton productivity in inland waters, elevated P is not the universal trigger for bloom initiation. P fertilizer applications across the globe have been outpaced by nitrogen (N) fertilizer use. Not only has the load of N entering surface waters increased, but its chemical composition has been altered. The use of inorganic-N fertilizers has been waned in favor of urea-based products, with urea now accounting for more than half of total N-fertilizer applications worldwide. This contemporary shift in fertilizer usage has coincided with the rise of cyanobacteria dominated harmful algal blooms in freshwaters. Here, we examined the relative success of urea as a N-source relative to inorganic N forms (NO3-, NH4+) for three common bloom-forming species of cyanobacteria: Microcystis aeruginosa, Dolichospermum flos-aque, and Synechococcus sp. We found that (1) urea was consistently drawdown more rapidly relative to inorganic N substrates, suggesting that cyanobacteria exhibit a preference for urea over inorganic N forms; (2) cyanobacteria consume urea in excess of cellular requirements; and (3) urea may offer cyanobacteria a competitive edge over eukaryotic algae by enhancing light absorption capabilities. As we push forward into the 21st century, our reliance on urea-based fertilizers is projected to escalate and it is critical that we understand the unintended consequences urea discharge could be having on receiving freshwaters.

Control of toxic marine dinoflagellate blooms by serial parasitic killers.

Science.gov (United States)

Chambouvet, Aurelie; Morin, Pascal; Marie, Dominique; Guillou, Laure

2008-11-21

The marine dinoflagellates commonly responsible for toxic red tides are parasitized by other dinoflagellate species. Using culture-independent environmental ribosomal RNA sequences and fluorescence markers, we identified host-specific infections among several species. Each parasitoid produces 60 to 400 offspring, leading to extraordinarily rapid control of the host's population. During 3 consecutive years of observation in a natural estuary, all dinoflagellates observed were chronically infected, and a given host species was infected by a single genetically distinct parasite year after year. Our observations in natural ecosystems suggest that although bloom-forming dinoflagellates may escape control by grazing organisms, they eventually succumb to parasite attack.

Predicting potentially toxigenic Pseudo-nitzschia blooms in the Chesapeake Bay

Science.gov (United States)

Anderson, Clarissa R.; Sapiano, Mathew R. P.; Prasad, M. Bala Krishna; Long, Wen; Tango, Peter J.; Brown, Christopher W.; Murtugudde, Raghu

2010-11-01

Harmful algal blooms are now recognized as a significant threat to the Chesapeake Bay as they can severely compromise the economic viability of important recreational and commercial fisheries in the largest estuary of the United States. This study describes the development of empirical models for the potentially domoic acid-producing Pseudo-nitzschia species complex present in the Bay, developed from a 22-year time series of cell abundance and concurrent measurements of hydrographic and chemical properties. Using a logistic Generalized Linear Model (GLM) approach, model parameters and performance were compared over a range of Pseudo-nitzschia bloom thresholds relevant to toxin production by different species. Small-threshold blooms (≥10 cells mL -1) are explained by time of year, location, and variability in surface values of phosphate, temperature, nitrate plus nitrite, and freshwater discharge. Medium- (100 cells mL -1) to large- threshold (1000 cells mL -1) blooms are further explained by salinity, silicic acid, dissolved organic carbon, and light attenuation (Secchi) depth. These predictors are similar to other models for Pseudo-nitzschia blooms on the west coast, suggesting commonalities across ecosystems. Hindcasts of bloom probabilities at a 19% bloom prediction point yield a Heidke Skill Score of ~53%, a Probability of Detection ˜ 75%, a False Alarm Ratio of ˜ 52%, and a Probability of False Detection ˜9%. The implication of possible future changes in Baywide nutrient stoichiometry on Pseudo-nitzschia blooms is discussed.

Allelopathic and Bloom-Forming Picocyanobacteria in a Changing World

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Sylwia Śliwińska-Wilczewska

2018-01-01

Full Text Available Picocyanobacteria are extremely important organisms in the world’s oceans and freshwater ecosystems. They play an essential role in primary production and their domination in phytoplankton biomass is common in both oligotrophic and eutrophic waters. Their role is expected to become even more relevant with the effect of climate change. However, this group of photoautotrophic organisms still remains insufficiently recognized. Only a few works have focused in detail on the occurrence of massive blooms of picocyanobacteria, their toxicity and allelopathic activity. Filling the gap in our knowledge about the mechanisms involved in the proliferation of these organisms could provide a better understanding of aquatic environments. In this review, we gathered and described recent information about allelopathic activity of picocyanobacteria and occurrence of their massive blooms in many aquatic ecosystems. We also examined the relationships between climate change and representative picocyanobacterial genera from freshwater, brackish and marine ecosystems. This work emphasizes the importance of studying the smallest picoplanktonic fractions of cyanobacteria.

Detection of surface algal blooms using the newly developed algorithm surface algal bloom index (SABI)

Science.gov (United States)

Alawadi, Fahad

2010-10-01

Quantifying ocean colour properties has evolved over the past two decades from being able to merely detect their biological activity to the ability to estimate chlorophyll concentration using optical satellite sensors like MODIS and MERIS. The production of chlorophyll spatial distribution maps is a good indicator of plankton biomass (primary production) and is useful for the tracing of oceanographic currents, jets and blooms, including harmful algal blooms (HABs). Depending on the type of HABs involved and the environmental conditions, if their concentration rises above a critical threshold, it can impact the flora and fauna of the aquatic habitat through the introduction of the so called "red tide" phenomenon. The estimation of chlorophyll concentration is derived from quantifying the spectral relationship between the blue and the green bands reflected from the water column. This spectral relationship is employed in the standard ocean colour chlorophyll-a (Chlor-a) product, but is incapable of detecting certain macro-algal species that float near to or at the water surface in the form of dense filaments or mats. The ability to accurately identify algal formations that sometimes appear as oil spill look-alikes in satellite imagery, contributes towards the reduction of false-positive incidents arising from oil spill monitoring operations. Such algal formations that occur in relatively high concentrations may experience, as in land vegetation, what is known as the "red-edge" effect. This phenomena occurs at the highest reflectance slope between the maximum absorption in the red due to the surrounding ocean water and the maximum reflectance in the infra-red due to the photosynthetic pigments present in the surface algae. A new algorithm termed the surface algal bloom index (SABI), has been proposed to delineate the spatial distributions of floating micro-algal species like for example cyanobacteria or exposed inter-tidal vegetation like seagrass. This algorithm was

Life-history stages of the jellyfish Aurelia aurita - towards a demographic understanding of jellyfish blooms

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Goldstein, Josephine

2017-01-01

Jellyfish blooms are conspicuous demographic events that have received increasing attention by the public and the scientific community over the last decades due to their negative impact on fisheries, tourism and other human industries. Several aspects of the complex life cycles of the jellyfish......, including frequent mass occurrence of A. aurita medusae in temperate Danish waters. The present novel data show for instance, that jellyfish blooms of A. aurita are strongly affected by food availability and corresponding shifts between asexually reproducing benthic polyps and sexually reproducing pelagic...... medusae, which might be highly representative for the majority of bloom-forming jellyfish species. Findings further indicate that seasonal shrinkage and subsequent disappearance of A. aurita medusae is rather driven by food limitation than by a trade-off between sexual reproduction and metabolic...

Remote Sensing Marine Ecology: Wind-driven algal blooms in the open oceans and their ecological impacts

Science.gov (United States)

Tang, DanLing

2016-07-01

Algal bloom not only can increase the primary production but also could result in negative ecological consequence, e.g., Harmful Algal Blooms (HABs). According to the classic theory for the formation of algal blooms "critical depth" and "eutrophication", oligotrophic sea area is usually difficult to form a large area of algal blooms, and actually the traditional observation is only sporadic capture to the existence of algal blooms. Taking full advantage of multiple data of satellite remote sensing, this study: 1), introduces "Wind-driven algal blooms in open oceans: observation and mechanisms" It explained except classic coastal Ekman transport, the wind through a variety of mechanisms affecting the formation of algal blooms. Proposed a conceptual model of "Strong wind -upwelling-nutrient-phytoplankton blooms" in Western South China Sea (SCS) to assess role of wind-induced advection transport in phytoplankton bloom formation. It illustrates the nutrient resources that support long-term offshore phytoplankton blooms in the western SCS; 2), Proposal of the theory that "typhoons cause vertical mixing, induce phytoplankton blooms", and quantify their important contribution to marine primary production; Proposal a new ecological index for typhoon. Proposed remote sensing inversion models. 3), Finding of the spatial and temporaldistributions pattern of harmful algal bloom (HAB)and species variations of HAB in the South Yellow Sea and East China Sea, and in the Pearl River estuary, and their oceanic dynamic mechanisms related with monsoon; The project developed new techniques and generated new knowledge, which significantly improved understanding of the formation mechanisms of algal blooms. 1), It proposed "wind-pump" mechanism integrates theoretical system combing "ocean dynamics, development of algal blooms, and impact on primary production", which will benefit fisheries management. 2), A new interdisciplinary subject "Remote Sensing Marine Ecology"(RSME) has been

Evidence for paralytic shellfish poisons in the freshwater cyanobacterium Lyngbya wollei (Farlow ex Gomont) comb. nov.

Science.gov (United States)

Carmichael, W W; Evans, W R; Yin, Q Q; Bell, P; Moczydlowski, E

1997-08-01

Lyngbya wollei (Farlow ex Gomont) comb. nov., a perennial mat-forming filamentous cyanobacterium prevalent in lakes and reservoirs of the southeastern United States, was found to produce a potent, acutely lethal neurotoxin when tested in the mouse bioassay. Signs of poisoning were similar to those of paralytic shellfish poisoning. As part of the Tennessee Valley Authority master plan for Guntersville Reservoir, the mat-forming filamentous cyanobacterium L. wollei, a species that had recently invaded from other areas of the southern United States, was studied to determine if it could produce any of the known cyanotoxins. Of the 91 field samples collected at 10 locations at Guntersville Reservoir, Ala., on the Tennessee River, over a 3-year period, 72.5% were toxic. The minimum 100% lethal doses of the toxic samples ranged from 150 to 1,500 mg kg of lyophilized L. wollei cells-1, with the majority of samples being toxic at 500 mg kg-1. Samples bioassayed for paralytic shellfish toxins by the Association of Official Analytical Chemists method exhibited saxitoxin equivalents ranging from 0 to 58 micrograms g (dry weight)-1. Characteristics of the neurotoxic compound(s), such as the lack of adsorption by C18 solid-phase extraction columns, the short retention times on C18 high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) columns, the interaction of the neurotoxins with saxiphilin (a soluble saxitoxin-binding protein), and external blockage of voltage-sensitive sodium channels, led to our discovery that this neurotoxin(s) is related to the saxitoxins, the compounds responsible for paralytic shellfish poisonings. The major saxitoxin compounds thus far identified by comparison of HPLC fluorescence retention times are decarbamoyl gonyautoxins 2 and 3. There was no evidence of paralytic shellfish poison C toxins being produced by L. wollei. Fifty field samples were placed in unialgal culture and grown under defined culture conditions. Toxicity and signs of poisoning for these

Ulva blooms in the southwestern Gulf of California: Reproduction and biomass

Science.gov (United States)

Chávez-Sánchez, Tonatiuh; Piñón-Gimate, Alejandra; Serviere-Zaragoza, Elisa; López-Bautista, Juan Manuel; Casas-Valdez, Margarita

2018-01-01

Ulvacean blooms are generally characterized by one or more Ulva species, some of which are common to blooms across a broad geographic range. In tropical environments the identified stimuli that induce reproductive development of Ulva are restricted to temperature, salinity, dehydration and fragmentation. Culture studies have been prolific in describing the reproduction of Ulva species, but its reproductive changes in natural environment have not been described yet. Hence, seasonal changes were described in reproductive stages and their relationship with biomass and environmental factors of Ulva species at four macroalgal blooms in a subtropical bay. Eight Ulva species were found: U. acanthophora, U. clathrata, U. flexuosa, U. intestinalis, U. lactuca, U. lobata, U. nematoidea and U. rigida. Reproductive stage and biomass varied according to site and season. Five species showed four reproductive stages (vegetative, thallus with fully differentiated zooids in formation and empty cells after zooids release); for the remaining species only vegetative thalli were found. Ulva rigida showed the highest biomass values, followed by U. acanthophora, following a seasonal pattern.

Assessment of the phytochemical constituents and antioxidant activity of a bloom forming microalgae Euglena tuba

OpenAIRE

Chaudhuri, Dipankar; Ghate, Nikhil Baban; Deb, Shampa; Panja, Sourav; Sarkar, Rhitajit; Rout, Jayashree; Mandal, Nripendranath

2014-01-01

BACKGROUND: Unstable generation of free radicals in the body are responsible for many degenerative diseases. A bloom forming algae Euglena tuba growing abundantly in the aquatic habitats of Cachar district in the state of Assam in North-East India was analysed for its phytochemical contents, antioxidant activity as well as free radical scavenging potentials. RESULTS: Based on the ability of the extract in ABTS•+ radical cation inhibition and Fe3+ reducing power, the obtained results revealed ...

Plankton bloom controlled by horizontal stirring

Science.gov (United States)

McKiver, W.; Neufeld, Z.; Scheuring, I.

2009-10-01

Here we show a simple mechanism in which changes in the rate of horizontal stirring by mesoscale ocean eddies can trigger or suppress plankton blooms and can lead to an abrupt change in the average plankton density. We consider a single species phytoplankton model with logistic growth, grazing and a spatially non-uniform carrying capacity. The local dynamics have multiple steady states for some values of the carrying capacity that can lead to localized blooms as fluid moves across the regions with different properties. We show that for this model even small changes in the ratio of biological timescales relative to the flow timescales can greatly enhance or reduce the global plankton productivity. Thus, this may be a possible mechanism in which changes in horizontal mixing can trigger plankton blooms or cause regime shifts in some oceanic regions. Comparison between the spatially distributed model and Lagrangian simulations considering temporal fluctuations along fluid trajectories, demonstrates that small scale transport processes also play an important role in the development of plankton blooms with a significant influence on global biomass.

Distance Sensitive Bloom Filters Without False Negatives

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Goswami, Mayank; Pagh, Rasmus; Silvestri, Francesco

2017-01-01

A Bloom filter is a widely used data-structure for representing a set S and answering queries of the form “Is x in S?”. By allowing some false positive answers (saying ‘yes’ when the answer is in fact ‘no’) Bloom filters use space significantly below what is required for storing S. In the distanc...

Viability of dried filaments, survivability and reproduction under water stress, and survivability following heat and UV exposure in Lyngbya martensiana, Oscillatoria agardhii, Nostoc calcicola, Hormidium fluitans, Spirogyra sp. and Vaucheria geminata

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Agrawal, S.C.; Singh, V.

2002-01-01

The aim of our study was to determine how long and to what extent Lyngbya martensiana, Oscillatoria agardhii, Nostoc calcicola, Hormidium fluitans and Vaucheria geminata tolerate dry storage at different temperatures, UV-light radiation and water stress imposed by growing them on media with a high agar content and/or in NaCl-containing liquid media. Dried vegetative filaments of Spirogyra sp., Vaucheria geminata and Nostoc calcicola died within 0,5, 1 and 4 h, respectively; those of Hormidium fluitans, Oscillatoria agardhii and Lyngbya martensiana retained viability for 3, 5 and 10 d, respectively. L. martensiana and O. agardhii tolerated 0.8 mol/L NaCl. The resistance to desiccation in L. martensiana and O. agardhii exhibited similar dependence as that to frost, to heat and UV light. The water stress imposed on growing algae either on high-agar solid media or in NaCl-containing liquid media reduced hormogonium formation in L. martensiana and O. agardhii; hetero-cyst and akinete formation in N. calcicola and fragmentation in H. fluitans. In all studied algae the stress reduced at various levels the survival of vegetative parts. Generally, algal body form and composition rather than habitats seem to decide primarily the level of resistance against various stress conditions

Impact of multispecies diatom bloom on plankton community structure in Sundarban mangrove wetland, India

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Biswas, Sejuti Naha; Rakshit, Dibyendu; Sarkar, Santosh Kumar; Sarangi, Ranjit Kumar; Satpathy, Kamala Kanta

2014-01-01

Highlights: • A multispecies algal bloom was studied in coastal regions of Sundarban wetland. • Sharp changes in plankton community structure and hydrological parameters observed. • Chlorophyll a showed highest cell density (11.4 × 10 5 cells l −1 ) during bloom phase. • MODIS Aqua derived chlorophyll maps have been interpreted. - Abstract: A multispecies bloom caused by the centric diatoms, viz. Coscinodiscus radiatus, Chaetoceros lorenzianus and the pennate diatom Thalassiothrix frauenfeldii was investigated in the context of its impact on phytoplankton and microzooplankton (the loricate ciliate tintinnids) in the coastal regions of Sagar Island, the western part of Sundarban mangrove wetland, India. Both number (15–18 species) and cell densities (12.3 × 10 3 cells l −1 to 11.4 × 10 5 cells l −1 ) of phytoplankton species increased during peak bloom phase, exhibiting moderately high species diversity (H′ = 2.86), richness (R′ = 6.38) and evenness (E′ = 0.80). The diatom bloom, which existed for a week, had a negative impact on the tintinnid community in terms of drastic changes in species diversity index (1.09–0.004) and population density (582.5 × 10 3 to 50 × 10 3 ind m −3 ). The bloom is suggested to have been driven by the aquaculture activities and river effluents resulting high nutrient concentrations in this region. An attempt has been made to correlate the satellite remote sensing-derived information to the bloom conditions. MODIS-Aqua derived chlorophyll maps have been interpreted

Algal Bloom: Boon or Bane?

Digital Repository Service at National Institute of Oceanography (India)

LokaBharathi, P.A.

Algal blooms occur in response to nutrient deplete or replete conditions. Nitrogen fixing forms proliferate under oligotrophic conditions when nutrient levels are low. Replete conditions in response to upwelling creates the most biologically...

The paradox of algal blooms in oligotrophic waters

Science.gov (United States)

Sundareshwar, P. V.; Upadhyay, S.; Abessa, M. B.; Honomichl, S.; Berdanier, B.; Spaulding, S.; Sandvik, C.; Trennepohl, A.

2010-12-01

Nutrient inputs to streams and lakes, primarily from anthropogenic sources, lead to eutrophic conditions that favor algal blooms with undesirable consequences. In contrast, low nutrient or oligotrophic waters rarely support algal blooms; such ecosystems are typically lower in productivity. Since the mid-1980’s however, the diatom Didymosphenia geminata has dramatically expanded its range colonizing oligotrophic rivers worldwide with blooms appearing as thick benthic mats. This recent global occurrence of Didymosphenia geminata blooms in temperate rivers has been perplexing in its pace of spread and the paradoxical nature of the nuisance growths. The blooms occur primarily in oligotrophic flowing waters, where phosphorus (P) availability often limits primary production. We present a biogeochemical process by which D. geminata mats adsorb both P and iron (Fe) from flowing waters and make P available for cellular uptake. The adsorbed P becomes bioavailable through biogeochemical processes that occur within the mat. The biogeochemical processes observed here while well accepted in benthic systems are novel for algal blooms in lotic habits. Enzymatic and bacterial processes such as Fe and sulfate reduction can release the adsorbed P and increase its bioavailability, creating a positive feedback between total stalk biomass and nutrient availability. Stalk affinity for Fe, Fe-P biogeochemistry, and interaction between watershed processes and climatic setting explain the paradoxical blooms, and the recent global spread of this invasive aquatic species. At a broader scale the study also implies that such algal blooms in oligotrophic environments can fundamentally alter the retention and longitudinal transfer of important nutrients such as P in streams and rivers.

Peculiarities of the Woody Plants Re-Bloom

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Opalko Olga Anatolievna

2015-09-01

Full Text Available The data of literary sources concerning the bloom of angiosperm plants and deviation in the development of a flower and inflorescence, in particular untimely flowering, was generalized; our observation results of some peculiarities of re-bloom of woody plants in the National Dendrological Park “Sofiyivka” of NAS of Ukraine (NDP “Sofiyivka” were discussed. The flowering process was formed during a long-term evolution of a propagation system of angiosperm plants as a basis of fertilization and further fruit and seed development. As a result of vernalization and photoperiodism reactions, flowering (under regular conditions occurs in the most favorable period for pollination and fertilization of every plant. However, various deviations, in particular, the untimely (most frequently double, sometimes three- and four-fold flowering occurs in this perfect process of generative organ formation of angiosperm plants. An increased number of reports about re-bloom (at the end of summer – at the beginning of fall of the representatives of various woody plant species whose flowers usually blossom in May-June prompts the analysis of the available information concerning the mechanisms of flowering and the causes which lead to deviation of flowering processes. Flowering of the woody plant representatives of the collection fund of the NDP “Sofiyivka” was studied; statistics about re-bloom in different cities of Ukraine were monitored. The classification of re-bloom facts was carried out according to V.L. Vitkovskiy (1984. Although this classification has mostly a stated nature, it was good enough when being formulated and, with certain conditions, it can be applied nowadays. Accordingly, using this classification, abnormal cases can include facts of early summer-fall flowering and early winter flowering. A late spring flowering can be adaptive response of damaged plants to exogenous stresses, due to which the probability of sexual propagation remains

Moorea producens gen. nov., sp. nov. and Moorea bouillonii comb. nov., tropical marine cyanobacteria rich in bioactive secondary metabolites.

Science.gov (United States)

Engene, Niclas; Rottacker, Erin C; Kaštovský, Jan; Byrum, Tara; Choi, Hyukjae; Ellisman, Mark H; Komárek, Jiří; Gerwick, William H

2012-05-01

The filamentous cyanobacterial genus Moorea gen. nov., described here under the provisions of the International Code of Botanical Nomenclature, is a cosmopolitan pan-tropical group abundant in the marine benthos. Members of the genus Moorea are photosynthetic (containing phycocyanin, phycoerythrin, allophycocyanin and chlorophyll a), but non-diazotrophic (lack heterocysts and nitrogenase reductase genes). The cells (discoid and 25-80 µm wide) are arranged in long filaments (algae blooms and, due to morphological resemblance to the genus Lyngbya, this group has often been incorrectly cited in the literature. We here describe two species of the genus Moorea: Moorea producens sp. nov. (type species of the genus) with 3L(T) as the nomenclature type, and Moorea bouillonii comb. nov. with PNG5-198(R) as the nomenclature type.

Bloom dynamics and life cycle strategies of two toxic dinoflagellates in a coastal upwelling system (NW Iberian Peninsula)

Science.gov (United States)

Bravo, Isabel; Fraga, Santiago; Isabel Figueroa, Rosa; Pazos, Yolanda; Massanet, Ana; Ramilo, Isabel

2010-02-01

A study of Gymnodinium catenatum and Alexandrium minutum blooms on the Galician coast was conducted from 2005 to 2007 in order to increase knowledge of the mechanisms governing recurrent blooms of these species. Considerable differences in their bloom dynamics were observed. G. catenatum blooms occurred in autumn and winter, following the pattern previously reported in the literature: they began off-shore and were advected to the Galician rias when a relaxation of the coastal upwelling occurred. On the other hand, A. minutum blooms developed inside embayments in spring and summer during the upwelling season and were associated with water stability and stratification. Both the vegetative population and the cyst distribution of A. minutum were related to less saline water from freshwater river outputs, which support a saline-gradient relationship postulated herein for this species. Dinoflagellates may produce both long-term double-walled cysts (resting) and short-term pellicle cysts. Resting cyst deposition and distribution in sediments showed that seeding occurred during the blooms of both species. However, the relationship between the cyst distribution in the sediments in Baiona Bay and the intensity and occurrence of G. catenatum blooms, suggests that the latter are not directly related to resting cyst germination. Moreover, the results presented in the present study point to other difference between the two species, such as the detection of pellicle cysts only for A. minutum. Finally, we discuss how the life cycle strategies of these two species may help to explain the different mechanisms of bloom formation reported herein.

Consortial brown tide - picocyanobacteria blooms in Guantánamo Bay, Cuba.

Science.gov (United States)

Hall, Nathan S; Litaker, R Wayne; Kenworthy, W Judson; Vandersea, Mark W; Sunda, William G; Reid, James P; Slone, Daniel H; Butler, Susan

2018-03-01

A brown tide bloom of Aureoumbra lagunensis developed in Guantánamo Bay, Cuba during a period of drought in 2013 that followed heavy winds and rainfall from Hurricane Sandy in late October 2012. Based on satellite images and water turbidity measurements, the bloom appeared to initiate in January 2013. The causative species (A. lagunensis) was confirmed by microscopic observation, and pigment and genetic analyses of bloom samples collected on May 28 of that year. During that time, A. lagunensis reached concentrations of 900,000 cells ml -1 (28 ppm by biovolume) in the middle portion of the Bay. Samples could not be collected from the northern (Cuban) half of the Bay because of political considerations. Subsequent sampling of the southern half of the Bay in November 2013, April 2014, and October 2014 showed persistent lower concentrations of A. lagunensis, with dominance shifting to the cyanobacterium Synechococcus (up to 33 ppm in April), an algal group that comprised a minor bloom component on May 28. Thus, unlike the brown tide bloom in Laguna Madre, which lasted 8 years, the bloom in Guantánamo Bay was short-lived, much like recent blooms in the Indian River, Florida. Although hypersaline conditions have been linked to brown tide development in the lagoons of Texas and Florida, observed euhaline conditions in Guantánamo Bay (salinity 35-36) indicate that strong hypersalinity is not a requirement for A. lagunensis bloom formation. Microzooplankton biomass dominated by ciliates was high during the observed peak of the brown tide, and ciliate abundance was high compared to other systems not impacted by brown tide. Preferential grazing by zooplankton on non-brown tide species, as shown in A. lagunensis blooms in Texas and Florida, may have been a factor in the development of the Cuban brown tide bloom. However, subsequent selection of microzooplankton capable of utilizing A. lagunensis as a primary food source may have contributed to the short-lived duration

Occurrence of toxin-producing cyanobacteria blooms in a Brazilian semiarid reservoir

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

I. A. S. Costa

Full Text Available We report the occurrence of cyanobacterial blooms and the presence of cyanotoxins in water samples from the Armando Ribeiro Gonçalves reservoir (06° 08’ S and 37° 07’ W, located in the state of Rio Grande do Norte, in the semiarid region of northeastern Brazil. The cyanobacterial species were identified and quantified during the rainy and dry seasons in the year 2000. Cyanotoxins such as microcystins, saxitoxins and cylindrospermopsins were analyzed and quantified using HPLC and ELISA methods. The mixed toxic blooms of Cylindrospermopsis raciborskii, Microcystis spp (M. panniformis, M. protocystis, M. novacekii and Aphanizomenon spp (Aphanizomenon gracile, A. cf. manguinii, A. cf. issastschenkoi were persistent and represented 90-100% of the total phytoplankton species. Toxic cyanobacterial blooms from the Armando Ribeiro Gonçalves reservoir were analyzed and found to have three phases in relation to the annual cycle. During the rainy season, an intense toxic bloom of Cylindrospermopsis raciborskii was recorded along with saxitoxins (3.14 µg.L-1. During the transition period, between the rainy and dry seasons, different species of Microscytis occurred and microcystin as high as 8.8 µg.L-1 was recorded. In the dry season, co-dominance of Cylindrospermopsis raciborskii, Microcystis spp and Aphanizomenon spp occurred and the concentrations of saxitoxin remained very low. Our results indicate the presence of microcystins (8.8 µg.L-1 and saxitoxins (3.14 µg.L-1 into the crude water, with increasing concentrations from the second fortnight of April to late May 2000. The occurrence of toxic blooms in this reservoir points to a permanent risk of cyanotoxins in supply waters, indicating the need for the implementation of bloom control measures to improve the water quality. Exposure of the local population to cyanotoxins through their potential accumulation in fish muscle must also be considered.

Environmental Chemistry and Chemical Ecology of "Green Tide" Seaweed Blooms.

Science.gov (United States)

Van Alstyne, Kathryn L; Nelson, Timothy A; Ridgway, Richard L

2015-09-01

Green tides are large growths or accumulations of green seaweeds that have been increasing in magnitude and frequency around the world. Because green tides consist of vast biomasses of algae in a limited area and are often seasonal or episodic, they go through periods of rapid growth in which they take up large amounts of nutrients and dissolved gases and generate bioactive natural products that may be stored in the plants, released into the environment, or broken down during decomposition. As a result of the use and production of inorganic and organic compounds, the algae in these blooms can have detrimental impacts on other organisms. Here, we review some of the effects that green tides have on the chemistry of seawater and the effects of the natural products that they produce. As blooms are developing and expanding, algae in green tides take up inorganic nutrients, such as nitrate and ortho-phosphate, which can limit their availability to other photosynthetic organisms. Their uptake of dissolved inorganic carbon for use in photosynthesis can cause localized spikes in the pH of seawater during the day with concomitant drops in the pH at night when the algae are respiring. Many of the algae that form green-tide blooms produce allelopathic compounds, which are metabolites that affect other species. The best documented allelopathic compounds include dimethylsulfoniopropionate (DMSP), dopamine, and reactive oxygen species (ROS) and their breakdown products. DMSP and dopamine are involved in defenses against herbivores. Dopamine and ROS are released into seawater where they can be allelopathic or toxic to other organisms. Thus, these macroalgal blooms can have harmful effects on nearby organisms by altering concentrations of nutrients and dissolved gas in seawater and by producing and releasing allelopathic or toxic compounds. © The Author 2015. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the Society for Integrative and Comparative Biology. All rights reserved

Aldehyde suppression of copepod recruitment in blooms of a ubiquitous planktonic diatom

Science.gov (United States)

Ianora, Adrianna; Miralto, Antonio; Poulet, Serge A.; Carotenuto, Ylenia; Buttino, Isabella; Romano, Giovanna; Casotti, Raffaella; Pohnert, Georg; Wichard, Thomas; Colucci-D'Amato, Luca; Terrazzano, Giuseppe; Smetacek, Victor

2004-05-01

The growth cycle in nutrient-rich, aquatic environments starts with a diatom bloom that ends in mass sinking of ungrazed cells and phytodetritus. The low grazing pressure on these blooms has been attributed to the inability of overwintering copepod populations to track them temporally. We tested an alternative explanation: that dominant diatom species impair the reproductive success of their grazers. We compared larval development of a common overwintering copepod fed on a ubiquitous, early-blooming diatom species with its development when fed on a typical post-bloom dinoflagellate. Development was arrested in all larvae in which both mothers and their larvae were fed the diatom diet. Mortality remained high even if larvae were switched to the dinoflagellate diet. Aldehydes, cleaved from a fatty acid precursor by enzymes activated within seconds after crushing of the cell, elicit the teratogenic effect. This insidious mechanism, which does not deter the herbivore from feeding but impairs its recruitment, will restrain the cohort size of the next generation of early-rising overwinterers. Such a transgenerational plant-herbivore interaction could explain the recurringly inefficient use of a predictable, potentially valuable food resource-the spring diatom bloom-by marine zooplankton.

Cyanobacteria blooms induce embryonic heart failure in an endangered fish species.

Science.gov (United States)

Zi, Jinmei; Pan, Xiaofu; MacIsaac, Hugh J; Yang, Junxing; Xu, Runbing; Chen, Shanyuan; Chang, Xuexiu

2018-01-01

Cyanobacterial blooms drive water-quality and aquatic-ecosystem deterioration in eutrophic lakes worldwide, mainly owing to their harmful, secondary metabolites. The response of fish exposed to these cyanobacterial chemicals, however, remains largely unknown. In this paper, we employed an endangered fish species (Sinocyclocheilus grahami) in Dianchi Lake, China to evaluate the risks of cell-free exudates (MaE) produced by a dominant cyanobacterium (Microcystis aeruginosa) on embryo development, as well as the molecular mechanisms responsible. MaE (3d cultured) caused a reduction of fertilization (35.4%) and hatching (15.5%) rates, and increased mortality rates (≤90.0%) and malformation rate (27.6%), typically accompanied by heart failure. Proteomics analysis revealed that two greatest changed proteins - protein S100A1 (over-expressed 26 times compared with control) and myosin light chain (under-expressed 25 fold) - are closely associated with heart function. Further study revealed that heart failure was due to calcium ion imbalance and malformed cardiac structure. We conclude that harmful secondary metabolites from cyanobacteria may adversely affect embryo development in this endangered fish, and possibly contribute to its disappearance and unsuccessful recovery in Dianchi Lake. Hazardous consequences of substances released by cyanobacteria should raise concerns for managers addressing recovery of this and other imperiled species in affected lakes. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Peculiarities of the Woody Plants Re-Bloom

OpenAIRE

Opalko Olga Anatolievna; Opalko Anatoly Ivanovich

2015-01-01

The data of literary sources concerning the bloom of angiosperm plants and deviation in the development of a flower and inflorescence, in particular untimely flowering, was generalized; our observation results of some peculiarities of re-bloom of woody plants in the National Dendrological Park “Sofiyivka” of NAS of Ukraine (NDP “Sofiyivka”) were discussed. The flowering process was formed during a long-term evolution of a propagation system of angiosperm plants as a basis of fertilization and...

Seaweed Bioactive Compounds against Pathogens and Microalgae: Potential Uses on Pharmacology and Harmful Algae Bloom Control.

Science.gov (United States)

Zerrifi, Soukaina El Amrani; El Khalloufi, Fatima; Oudra, Brahim; Vasconcelos, Vitor

2018-02-09

Cyanobacteria are found globally due to their adaptation to various environments. The occurrence of cyanobacterial blooms is not a new phenomenon. The bloom-forming and toxin-producing species have been a persistent nuisance all over the world over the last decades. Evidence suggests that this trend might be attributed to a complex interplay of direct and indirect anthropogenic influences. To control cyanobacterial blooms, various strategies, including physical, chemical, and biological methods have been proposed. Nevertheless, the use of those strategies is usually not effective. The isolation of natural compounds from many aquatic and terrestrial plants and seaweeds has become an alternative approach for controlling harmful algae in aquatic systems. Seaweeds have received attention from scientists because of their bioactive compounds with antibacterial, antifungal, anti-microalgae, and antioxidant properties. The undesirable effects of cyanobacteria proliferations and potential control methods are here reviewed, focusing on the use of potent bioactive compounds, isolated from seaweeds, against microalgae and cyanobacteria growth.

Characterisation of transparent exopolymer particles (TEP) produced during algal bloom: A membrane treatment perspective

KAUST Repository

Villacorte, Loreen O.

2013-01-01

Algal blooms are currently a major concern of the membrane industry as it generates massive concentrations of organic matter (e.g. transparent exopolymer particles [TEP]), which can adversely affect the operation of membrane filtration systems. The goal of this study is to understand the production, composition and membrane rejection of these organic materials using different characterisation techniques. Two common species of bloom-forming freshwater and marine algae were cultivated in batch cultures for 30days and the productions of TEP and other organic matter were monitored at different growth phases. TEP production of the marine diatom, Chaetoceros affinis, produced 6-9 times more TEP than the freshwater blue-green algae, Microcystis. The organic substances produced by both algal species were dominated by biopolymeric substances such as polysaccharides (45-64%) and proteins (2-17%) while the remaining fraction comprises of low molecular weight refractory (humic-like) and/ or biogenic organic substances. MF/UF membranes mainly rejected the biopolymers but not the low molecular weight organic materials. MF membranes (0.1-0.4 lm) rejected 42-56% of biopolymers, while UF membranes (10-100 kDa) rejected 65-95% of these materials. Further analysis of rejected organic materials on the surface of the membranes revealed that polysac-charides and proteins are likely responsible for the fouling of MF/UF systems during an algal bloom situation. © 2013 Desalination Publications.

Metals and metalloids in the water-bloom-forming cyanobacteria and ambient water from Nanquan coast of Taihu Lake, China.

Science.gov (United States)

Su, Yanping; Liu, Hongbo; Yang, Jian

2012-08-01

Concentrations of 12 metal(oid)s were investigated in the bloom-forming cyanobacteria and ambient water samples collected monthly between March 2009 and February 2010 at the Nanquan coast of Taihu Lake, China. The metal(oid) concentrations in ambient water decreased in the order Fe > Zn > Ni ≈ As ≈ Cu > Mn > Ag > Cr > Se > Cd > Co > Tl, while those in cyanobacteria followed a sequence Fe > Mn > Zn > Cu ≈ Ni > Co > Ag > Cr ≈ As > Cd > Tl > Se. The metal(loid) burdens removed by cyanobacteria were estimated as 164 t Fe, 12.4 t Mn, 3.6 t Zn, 2.0 t Ni, 2.0 t Cu, 0.5 t As, 0.5 t Cr, 0.4 t Cd, 0.9 t Ag, 1.1 t Co, 0.2 t Tl, and 0.09 t Se during the 2008-2010 bloom seasons.

Phytoplankton bloom dynamics in coastal ecosystems: A review with some general lessons from sustained investigation of San Francisco Bay, California

Science.gov (United States)

Cloern, James E.

1996-05-01

Phytoplankton blooms are prominent features of biological variability in shallow coastal ecosystems such as estuaries, lagoons, bays, and tidal rivers. Long-term observation and research in San Francisco Bay illustrates some patterns of phytoplankton spatial and temporal variability and the underlying mechanisms of this variability. Blooms are events of rapid production and accumulation of phytoplankton biomass that are usually responses to changing physical forcings originating in the coastal ocean (e.g., tides), the atmosphere (wind), or on the land surface (precipitation and river runoff). These physical forcings have different timescales of variability, so algal blooms can be short-term episodic events, recurrent seasonal phenomena, or rare events associated with exceptional climatic or hydrologic conditions. The biogeochemical role of phytoplankton primary production is to transform and incorporate reactive inorganic elements into organic forms, and these transformations are rapid and lead to measurable geochemical change during blooms. Examples include the depletion of inorganic nutrients (N, P, Si), supersaturation of oxygen and removal of carbon dioxide, shifts in the isotopic composition of reactive elements (C, N), production of climatically active trace gases (methyl bromide, dimethylsulfide), changes in the chemical form and toxicity of trace metals (As, Cd, Ni, Zn), changes in the biochemical composition and reactivity of the suspended particulate matter, and synthesis of organic matter required for the reproduction and growth of heterotrophs, including bacteria, zooplankton, and benthic consumer animals. Some classes of phytoplankton play special roles in the cycling of elements or synthesis of specific organic molecules, but we have only rudimentary understanding of the forces that select for and promote blooms of these species. Mounting evidence suggests that the natural cycles of bloom variability are being altered on a global scale by human

Consortial brown tide − picocyanobacteria blooms in Guantánamo Bay, Cuba

Science.gov (United States)

Hall, Nathan S; Litaker, R. Wayne; Kenworthy, W. Judson; Vandersea, Mark W.; Sunda, William G.; Reid, James P.; Slone, Daniel H.; Butler, Susan M.

2018-01-01

A brown tide bloom of Aureoumbra lagunensis developed in Guantánamo Bay, Cuba during a period of drought in 2013 that followed heavy winds and rainfall from Hurricane Sandy in late October 2012. Based on satellite images and water turbidity measurements, the bloom appeared to initiate in January 2013. The causative species (A. lagunensis) was confirmed by microscopic observation, and pigment and genetic analyses of bloom samples collected on May 28 of that year. During that time, A. lagunensis reached concentrations of 900,000 cells ml−1 (28 ppm by biovolume) in the middle portion of the Bay. Samples could not be collected from the northern (Cuban) half of the Bay because of political considerations. Subsequent sampling of the southern half of the Bay in November 2013, April 2014, and October 2014 showed persistent lower concentrations of A. lagunensis, with dominance shifting to the cyanobacterium Synechococcus (up to 33 ppm in April), an algal group that comprised a minor bloom component on May 28. Thus, unlike the brown tide bloom in Laguna Madre, which lasted 8 years, the bloom in Guantánamo Bay was short-lived, much like recent blooms in the Indian River, Florida. Although hypersaline conditions have been linked to brown tide development in the lagoons of Texas and Florida, observed euhaline conditions in Guantánamo Bay (salinity 35–36) indicate that strong hypersalinity is not a requirement for A. lagunensis bloom formation. Microzooplankton biomass dominated by ciliates was high during the observed peak of the brown tide, and ciliate abundance was high compared to other systems not impacted by brown tide. Preferential grazing by zooplankton on non-brown tide species, as shown in A. lagunensis blooms in Texas and Florida, may have been a factor in the development of the Cuban brown tide bloom. However, subsequent selection of microzooplankton capable of utilizing A. lagunensis as a primary food source may have contributed to the

Spatial analysis of freshwater lake cyanobacteria blooms, 2008-2011

Science.gov (United States)

Background/Question/Methods Cyanobacteria and associated harmful algal blooms cause significant social, economic, and environmental impacts. Cyanobacteria synthesize hepatotoxins, neurotoxins, and dermatotoxins, affecting the health of humans and other species. The Cyanobacteria ...

Study in biosorption of lead, cadmium, nickel and zink to algae; Untersuchung der Biosorption von Blei, Cadmium, Nickel und Zink an Algen

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Klimmek, S.; Stan, H.J. [Technische Univ. Berlin (Germany). Inst. fuer Lebensmittelchemie

1999-07-01

In a screening test, 25 algae have so far been examined for their ability to adsorb the four heavy metals Pb, Cd, Ni, Zn. The chlorophycea species Chlorella salina and the cynaophycea species Lyngbya taylorii proved the most efficient algae in the screening. The potential of algae as heavy metal adsorbers is shown by the example of Lyngbya taylorii. (orig.) [German] In einem Screeningverfahren wurden bisher 25 Algen auf ihre Faehigkeit, die vier Schwermetalle (Pb, Cd, Ni, Zn) zu adsorbieren, untersucht. Die Chlorophycee Chlorella salina und die Cyanophycee Lyngbya taylorii erwiesen sich als die leistungsfaehigsten Algen im Screening. Das Potential der Algen als Schwermetalladsorber wird am Beispiel von Lyngbya taylorii gezeigt. (orig.)

Thermogravimetric study on pyrolysis kinetics of Chlorella pyrenoidosa and bloom-forming cyanobacteria.

Science.gov (United States)

Hu, Mian; Chen, Zhihua; Guo, Dabin; Liu, Cuixia; Xiao, Bo; Hu, Zhiquan; Liu, Shiming

2015-02-01

The pyrolysis process of two microalgae, Chlorella pyrenoidosa (CP) and bloom-forming cyanobacteria (CB) was examined by thermo-gravimetry to investigate their thermal decomposition behavior under non-isothermal conditions. It has found that the pyrolysis of both microalgae consists of three stages and stage II is the major mass reduction stage with mass loss of 70.69% for CP and 64.43% for CB, respectively. The pyrolysis kinetics of both microalgae was further studied using single-step global model (SSGM) and distributed activation energy model (DAEM). The mean apparent activation energy of CP and CB in SSGM was calculated as 143.71 and 173.46 kJ/mol, respectively. However, SSGM was not suitable for modeling pyrolysis kinetic of both microalgae due to the mechanism change during conversion. The DAEM with 200 first-order reactions showed an excellent fit between simulated data and experimental results. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Parameter constraints of grazing response functions. Implications for phytoplankton bloom initiation

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Jordi Solé

2016-09-01

Full Text Available Phytoplankton blooms are events of production and accumulation of phytoplankton biomass that influence ecosystem dynamics and may also have effects on socio-economic activities. Among the biological factors that affect bloom dynamics, prey selection by zooplankton may play an important role. Here we consider the initial state of development of an algal bloom and analyse how a reduced grazing pressure can allow an algal species with a lower intrinsic growth rate than a competitor to become dominant. We use a simple model with two microalgal species and one zooplankton grazer to derive general relationships between phytoplankton growth and zooplankton grazing. These relationships are applied to two common grazing response functions in order to deduce the mathematical constraints that the parameters of these functions must obey to allow the dominance of the lower growth rate competitor. To assess the usefulness of the deduced relationships in a more general framework, the results are applied in the context of a multispecies ecosystem model (ERSEM.

Cyanobacteria of the 2016 Lake Okeechobee and Okeechobee Waterway harmful algal bloom

Science.gov (United States)

Rosen, Barry H.; Davis, Timothy W.; Gobler, Christopher J.; Kramer, Benjamin J.; Loftin, Keith A.

2017-05-31

The Lake Okeechobee and the Okeechobee Waterway (Lake Okeechobee, the St. Lucie Canal and River, and the Caloosahatchee River) experienced an extensive harmful algal bloom within Lake Okeechobee, the St. Lucie Canal and River and the Caloosahatchee River in 2016. In addition to the very visible bloom of the cyanobacterium Microcystis aeruginosa, several other cyanobacteria were present. These other species were less conspicuous; however, they have the potential to produce a variety of cyanotoxins, including anatoxins, cylindrospermopsins, and saxitoxins, in addition to the microcystins commonly associated with Microcystis. Some of these species were found before, during, and 2 weeks after the large Microcystis bloom and could provide a better understanding of bloom dynamics and succession. This report provides photographic documentation and taxonomic assessment of the cyanobacteria present from Lake Okeechobee and the Caloosahatchee River and St. Lucie Canal, with samples collected June 1st from the Caloosahatchee River and Lake Okeechobee and in July from the St. Lucie Canal. The majority of the images were of live organisms, allowing their natural complement of pigmentation to be captured. The report provides a digital image-based taxonomic record of the Lake Okeechobee and the Okeechobee Waterway microscopic flora. It is anticipated that these images will facilitate current and future studies on this system, such as understanding the timing of cyanobacteria blooms and their potential toxin production.

Fungal parasitism: life cycle, dynamics and impact on cyanobacterial blooms.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Mélanie Gerphagnon

Full Text Available Many species of phytoplankton are susceptible to parasitism by fungi from the phylum Chytridiomycota (i.e. chytrids. However, few studies have reported the effects of fungal parasites on filamentous cyanobacterial blooms. To investigate the missing components of bloom ecosystems, we examined an entire field bloom of the cyanobacterium Anabaena macrospora for evidence of chytrid infection in a productive freshwater lake, using a high resolution sampling strategy. A. macrospora was infected by two species of the genus Rhizosiphon which have similar life cycles but differed in their infective regimes depending on the cellular niches offered by their host. R. crassum infected both vegetative cells and akinetes while R. akinetum infected only akinetes. A tentative reconstruction of the developmental stages suggested that the life cycle of R. crassum was completed in about 3 days. The infection affected 6% of total cells (and 4% of akinètes, spread over a maximum of 17% of the filaments of cyanobacteria, in which 60% of the cells could be parasitized. Furthermore, chytrids may reduce the length of filaments of Anabaena macrospora significantly by "mechanistic fragmentation" following infection. All these results suggest that chytrid parasitism is one of the driving factors involved in the decline of a cyanobacteria blooms, by direct mortality of parasitized cells and indirectly by the mechanistic fragmentation, which could weaken the resistance of A. macrospora to grazing.

Differential response of coral communities to Caulerpa spp. bloom in the reefs of Indian Ocean

Digital Repository Service at National Institute of Oceanography (India)

Manikandan, B.; Ravindran, J.

of this study suggested that the recovery of a coral reef after a macroalgal bloom largely depends on coral species composition and the frequency of stress events. A further study linking macroalgal bloom to its specific cause is essential for the successful...

Bloom dynamics of the genus Pseudo-nitzschia (Bacillariophyceae in two coastal bays (NW Mediterranean Sea

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Sonia Quijano-Scheggia

2008-09-01

Full Text Available The spatial and temporal variations in the composition of Pseudo-nitzschia during bloom events from August 2005 to February 2006 were characterised in two bays of the NW Mediterranean Sea (Alfacs and Fangar Bay by means of scanning electron microscopy (SEM. The study provides detailed records of the Pseudo-nitzschia community at the species level and describes its relationship with both the surrounding environmental conditions and biotic factors such as the accompanying phytoplankton community. The size distributions of several species of Pseudo-nitzschia were monitored during the bloom events. These measurements may serve as indicators of the physiological status of the cells. The species observed in the two bays were Pseudo-nitzschia calliantha, P. delicatissima, P. fraudulenta, P. multistriata, and P. pungens. In Alfacs Bay, a mixed species bloom of P. calliantha and P. delicatissima began in late August 2005 and lasted 11 weeks. In Fangar Bay, the Pseudo-nitzschia bloom was limited to the period from early August to late September 2005 and comprised P. calliantha and P. delicatissima. Commonly, the proliferation of Pseudo-nitzschia was mono-specific or was accompanied by other diatoms. Two objectively defined groups were identified by the statistical analysis in Alfacs bay; the first was made up only of winter samples and the second of summer and autumn samples. The first group was defined by a high concentration of NO3¯ and low concentrations of NH4+, conditions associated with a high abundance of P. delicatissima and a low abundance of P. calliantha. The second group expressed the opposite characteristics. A succession of different blooming species of Pseudo-nitzschia lasting months in Alfacs Bay is described.

Isolation and Purification of Heterotetrameric Catalase from a Desiccation Tolerant Cyanobacterium Lyngbya arboricola

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Kapoor, Shivali

2013-02-01

Full Text Available The desiccation tolerant cyanobacterium Lyngbya arboricola, isolated from bark surfaces of Mangifera indica, possessed up to four stable isoforms of catalase in addition to other antioxidative enzymes, for several years under a dry state. Purification of the two most persistent isoforms of catalase (Cat has been undertaken by employing acetone precipitation, ethanol: chloroform treatment, gel filtration and ion exchange chromatography. The two isoforms of catalase remained almost unchanged on varying matric and osmotic hydration levels of mats of the cyanobacterium. The purification procedures resulted in a 1.3 % yield of purified single isoform (0.22 mg mL-1 protein with 709 Units mg-1 specific activity and a purity index of 0.83. Five millimolar of dithiothreitol (DTT was observed to be pertinent in maintaining the optimum redox state of the enzyme. The purification procedures additionally facilitated the simultaneous elimination and procurement of phycoerythrins (PE and mycosporine-like amino acids (MAA. Each purified isoform gave a single band (~45kDa upon SDS-PAGE and denaturing urea isoelectric focusing (IEF depicted the presence of 2 subunits each of CatA and CatB. The monoisotopic mass and pI value of CatA and CatB as revealed by LC-MS analysis and internal amino acid sequencing was 78.96, 5.89 and 80.77, 5.92, respectively, showing resemblance with CatA of Erysiphe graminis subs. hordei and CatB of Ajellomyces capsulata. The heterotetrameric monofunctional catalase (~320 kDa, due to its stability in the form of resistance to ethanol: chloroform, its thermoalkaliphilic nature and the presence of innumerable hydrophobic amino acid residues (~40%, thus exhibited its potential for biotechnological applications.

Tropical cyanobacterial blooms: a review of prevalence, problem taxa, toxins and influencing environmental factors

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Maxine A.D. Mowe

2014-12-01

Full Text Available Toxic cyanobacterial blooms are a major issue in freshwater systems in many countries. The potentially toxic species and their ecological causes are likely to be different in tropical zones from those in temperate water bodies; however, studies on tropical toxic cyanobacterial blooms are sporadic and currently there is no global synthesis. In this review, we examined published information on tropical cyanobacterial bloom occurrence and toxin production to investigate patterns in their growth and distribution. Microcystis was the most frequently occurring bloom genus throughout tropical Asia, Africa and Central America, while Cylindrospermopsis and Anabaena blooms occurred in various locations in tropical Australia, America and Africa. Microcystis blooms were more prevalent during the wet season while Cylindrospermopsis blooms were more prevalent during the dry period. Microcystin was the most encountered toxin throughout the tropics. A meta-analysis of tropical cyanobacterial blooms showed that Microcystis blooms were more associated with higher total nitrogen concentrations, while Cylindrospermopsis blooms were more associated with higher maximum temperatures. Meta-analysis also showed a positive linear relationship between levels of microcystin and N:P (nitrate:phosphate ratio. Tropical African Microcystis blooms were found to have the lowest microcystin levels in relation to biomass and N:P (nitrate:phosphate compared to tropical Asian, Australian and American blooms. There was also no significant correlation between microcystin concentration and cell concentration for tropical African blooms as opposed to tropical Asian and American blooms. Our review illustrates that some cyanobacteria and toxins are more prevalent in tropical areas. While some tropical countries have considerable information regarding toxic blooms, others have few or no reported studies. 

Occurrence of Ceratium furcoides (Levander) Langhans 1925 bloom at the Billings Reservoir, São Paulo State, Brazil.

Science.gov (United States)

Matsumura-Tundisi, T; Tundisi, J G; Luzia, A P; Degani, R M

2010-10-01

An unusual bloom of Ceratium furcoides is reported for a station of the Taquacetuba compartment of the Billings Reservoir. The appearance of this bloom is attributed to the mixing and turbulence of the water column that removed Ceratium cysts from the surface of the sediment and promoted conditions for the growth of this species in the region of mixing. Cold fronts approaching the Billings Reservoir are probably the cause of the mixing and bloom. Also turbulence induced by wind increased phosphorus concentration in the water column. Ceratium furcoides was the dominant species at station 1 where the nutrient concentrations of nitrogen and phosphorus were high. Ceratium spp. blooms may be a problem for water treatment and massive mortality can affect the dissolved oxygen of the water producing fish kill.

Genetic Basis for Geosmin Production by the Water Bloom-Forming Cyanobacterium, Anabaena ucrainica

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Zhongjie Wang

2014-12-01

Full Text Available Geosmin is a common, musty-smelling sesquiterpene, principally produced by cyanobacteria. Anabaena ucrainica (Schhorb. Watanabe, a water bloom-forming cyanobacterium, is the geosmin producer responsible for odor problems in Dianchi and Erhai lakes in China. In this study, the geosmin synthase gene (geo of A. ucrainica and its flanking regions were identified and cloned by polymerase chain reaction (PCR and genome walking. The geo gene was found to be located in a transcription unit with two cyclic nucleotide-binding protein genes (cnb. The two cnb genes were highly similar and were predicted members of the cyclic adenosine monophosphate (cAMP receptor protein/fumarate nitrate reductase regulator (Crp–Fnr family. Phylogenetic and evolutionary analyses implied that the evolution of the geosmin genes involved a horizontal gene transfer process in cyanobacteria. These genes showed a close relationship to 2-methylisoborneol genes in origin and evolution.

Is iron a limiting factor of Nodularia spumigena blooms?

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Lidia Paczuska

2003-12-01

Full Text Available It is well known that a deficiency of iron, a trace element essential to every living organism, limits the growth of algae and cyanobacteria. Nodularia spumigena Mertens is a blue-green algae species inhabiting the Baltic region that often forms toxic blooms.     The aim of the study was to assess the growth of the toxic cyanobacteria with respect to iron bioavailability. The measured growth parameters were the numbers of cells (optical density, chlorophyll a and pheopigment a concentrations. The iron concentrations used ranged from 10-7 to 10-4 mol dm-3. Under iron stress conditions (<5 × 10-7 mol dm-3, growth inhibition, gradual pigment decay and cell mortality were observed. However, enriching the medium with complexing factors like citric acid and EDTA significantly stimulated the growth rate and chlorophyll a production. The citric acid - EDTA - Fe (5 × 10-7 mol dm-3 complex was demonstrably effective in stimulating the rate of cell division. Starting with 10-6 mol dm-3, the higher the iron(III concentration used in the media, the more intensive the growth of the cyanobacteria populations. This was most rapid in the presence of high iron concentrations (10-4 mol dm-3, regardless of the presence of complexing agents.     It appears that the growth of toxic cyanobacteria N. spumigena, and thus also its ability to form blooms, may well depend on iron availability in the environment.

Why related bacterial species bloom simultaneously in the gut: principles underlying the 'Like will to like' concept.

Science.gov (United States)

Winter, Sebastian E; Bäumler, Andreas J

2014-02-01

The large intestine is host to a complex ecological community composed predominantly of obligate anaerobic bacteria belonging to the classes Bacteroidia and Clostridia. This community confers benefits through its metabolic activities and host interactions. However, a microbial imbalance (dysbiosis) characterized by a decreased abundance of Clostridia and a bloom of facultative anaerobic Proteobacteria is commonly observed during inflammation in the large bowel. Here we review recent insights into the principles that favour simultaneous increases in the abundance of closely related species belonging to the Proteobacteria during inflammation, which provides important clues for the rational design of strategies to treat dysbiosis. © 2013 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

Bacterial and protist community changes during a phytoplankton bloom

KAUST Repository

Pearman, John K.; Casas, Laura; Merle, Tony; Michell, Craig; Irigoien, Xabier

2015-01-01

)] as well as a control. This approach allowed us to discriminate the changes in species composition across a broad range of phylogenetic groups using a common taxonomic level. Diatoms dominated the bloom in the NPSc treatment while dinoflagellates were

Optical detection of Prorocentrum donghaiense blooms based on multispectral reflectance

Institute of Scientific and Technical Information of China (English)

TAO Bangyi; PAN Delu; MAO Zhihua; SHEN Yuzhang; ZHU Qiankun; CHEN Jianyu

2013-01-01

Prorocentrum donghaiense is one of the most common red tide causative dinoflagellates in the Changjiang (Yangtze) River Estuary and the adjacent area of the East China Sea. It causes large-scale blooms in late spring and early summer that lead to widespread ecologic and economic damage. A means for distinguish-ing dinoflagellate blooms from diatom (Skeletonema costatum) blooms is desired. On the basis of measure-ments of remote sensing reflectance [Rrs(λ)] and inherent optical parameters, the potential of using a mul-tispectral approach is assessed for discriminating the algal blooms due to P. donghaiense from those due to S. costatum. The behavior of two reflectance ratios [R1 =Rrs(560)/Rrs(532) and R2 =Rrs(708)/Rrs(665)], suggests that differentiation of P. donghaiense blooms from diatom bloom types is possible from the current band setup of ocean color sensors. It is found that there are two reflectance ratio regimes that indicate a bloom is dominated by P. donghaiense: (1) R1 >1.55 and R2 1.75 and R2 ?1.0. Various sensitivity analyses are conducted to investigate the effects of the variation in varying levels of chlorophyll concentration and colored dissolved organic matter (CDOM) as well as changes in the backscattering ratio (bbp/bp) on the efficacy of this multispectral approach. Results indicate that the intensity and inherent op-tical properties of the algal species explain much of the behavior of the two ratios. Although backscattering influences the amplitude of Rrs(λ), especially in the 530 and 560 nm bands, the discrimination between P. donghaiense and diatoms is not significantly affected by the variation of bbp/bp. Since a CDOM(440) in coastal areas of the ECS is typically lower than 1.0 m−1 in most situations, the presence of CDOM does not interfere with this discrimination, even as SCDOM varies from 0.01 to 0.026 nm−1. Despite all of these effects, the dis-crimination of P. donghaiense blooms from diatom blooms based on multispectral

Warming affects growth rates and microcystin production in tropical bloom-forming microcystis strains

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Bui, Trung; Dao, Thanh Son; Vo, Truong Giang; Lürling, Miquel

2018-01-01

Warming climate is predicted to promote cyanobacterial blooms but the toxicity of cyanobacteria under global warming is less well studied. We tested the hypothesis that raising temperature may lead to increased growth rates but to decreased microcystin (MC) production in tropical Microcystis

The impact of habitat conditions on blooming of Helichrysum arenarium (L. Moench

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Anna K. Sawilska

2012-12-01

Full Text Available Helichrysum arenarium (L. Moench is a perennial belonging to the Asteraceae family. It is used as a herb material. The species is under partial protection. The aim of the study was to determine the influence of the community type and weather conditions on blooming of everlasting. Growth and development dynamics vs. habitat factors were analyzed in detail. The results of this study indicate that blooming process of everlasting populations remains under influence of habitat factors, which is evidenced by a decrease of potential fertility paralleled by an increase of number of taxa found in phytocoenosis. Blooming process is also modified by weather conditions: the potential fertility index is significantly correlated with precipitation.

Great Lakes Hyperspectral Water Quality Instrument Suite for Airborne Monitoring of Algal Blooms

Science.gov (United States)

Lekki, John; Leshkevich, George; Nguyen, Quang-Viet; Flatico, Joseph; Prokop, Norman; Kojima, Jun; Anderson, Robert; Demers, James; Krasowski, Michael

2007-01-01

NASA Glenn Research Center and NOAA Great Lakes Environmental Research Lab are collaborating to utilize an airborne hyperspectral imaging sensor suite to monitor Harmful Algal Blooms (HABs) in the western basin of Lake Erie. The HABs are very dynamic events as they form, spread and then disappear within a 4 to 8 week time period in late summer. They are a concern for human health, fish and wildlife because they can contain blue green toxic algae. Because of this toxicity there is a need for the blooms to be continually monitored. This situation is well suited for aircraft based monitoring because the blooms are a very dynamic event and they can spread over a large area. High resolution satellite data is not suitable by itself because it will not give the temporal resolution due to the infrequent overpasses of the quickly changing blooms. A custom designed hyperspectral imager and a point spectrometer mounted on aT 34 aircraft have been used to obtain data on an algal bloom that formed in the western basin of Lake Erie during September 2006. The sensor suite and operations will be described and preliminary hyperspectral data of this event will be presented

Un inusual bloom de Tetraselmis sp. en la Bahía de Valparaíso, Chile

OpenAIRE

PIZARRO, MARLENE; ITURRIAGA, RODOLFO; SILVA, ALEJANDRO; GALLEGOS, SONIA

2012-01-01

A bloom of Tetraselmis sp. was observed during the first days of January of 2006 in the Valparaiso Bay (32° 57'S; 71° 33'W), producing green coloration of sea and exclusion of phytoplankton species. Previous blooms of Tetraselmis sp. have not been observed in this bay.

The bloom of the dinoflagellate (Noctiluca miliaris) in the North Eastern Arabian Sea: Ship and Satellite study

Digital Repository Service at National Institute of Oceanography (India)

Matondkar, S.G.P.; Basu, S.; Parab, S.G.; Pednekar, S.; Dwivedi, R.M.; Raman, M.; Goes, J.I.; Gomes, H.

The bloom of Noctiluca miliaris (a dinoflagellate) which appears in the form of a green tide was studied from 2003-2011. This bloom covered a large area of the Arabian Sea from the west coast of India to the coast of Oman. The bloom was easily...

Termination of a toxic Alexandrium bloom with hydrogen peroxide

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Burson, A.; Matthijs, H.C.P.; Bruijne, de W.; Talens, R.; Hoogenboom, L.A.P.; Gerssen, A.; Visser, P.M.; Stomp, M.; Steur, K.; Scheppingen, van Y.; Huisman, J.

2014-01-01

The dinoflagellate Alexandrium ostenfeldii is a well-known harmful algal species that can potentially cause paralytic shellfish poisoning (PSP). Usually A. ostenfeldii occurs in low background concentrations only, but in August of 2012 an exceptionally dense bloom of more than 1 million cells L-1

Detection of macroalgae blooms by complex SAR imagery

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Shen, Hui; Perrie, William; Liu, Qingrong; He, Yijun

2014-01-01

Highlights: • Complex SAR imagery enables better recognition of macroalgae patches. • Combination of different information in SAR matrix forms new index factors. • Proposed index factors contribute to unsupervised recognition of macroalgae. -- Abstract: Increased frequency and enhanced damage to the marine environment and to human society caused by green macroalgae blooms demand improved high-resolution early detection methods. Conventional satellite remote sensing methods via spectra radiometers do not work in cloud-covered areas, and therefore cannot meet these demands for operational applications. We present a methodology for green macroalgae bloom detection based on RADARSAT-2 synthetic aperture radar (SAR) images. Green macroalgae patches exhibit different polarimetric characteristics compared to the open ocean surface, in both the amplitude and phase domains of SAR-measured complex radar backscatter returns. In this study, new index factors are defined which have opposite signs in green macroalgae-covered areas, compared to the open water surface. These index factors enable unsupervised detection from SAR images, providing a high-resolution new tool for detection of green macroalgae blooms, which can potentially contribute to a better understanding of the mechanisms related to outbreaks of green macroalgae blooms in coastal areas throughout the world ocean

Complexities of bloom dynamics in the toxic dinoflagellate Alexandrium fundyense revealed through DNA measurements by imaging flow cytometry coupled with species-specific rRNA probes

Science.gov (United States)

Brosnahan, Michael L.; Farzan, Shahla; Keafer, Bruce A.; Sosik, Heidi M.; Olson, Robert J.; Anderson, Donald M.

2014-05-01

Measurements of the DNA content of different protist populations can shed light on a variety of processes, including cell division, sex, prey ingestion, and parasite invasion. Here, we modified an Imaging FlowCytobot (IFCB), a custom-built flow cytometer that records images of microplankton, to measure the DNA content of large dinoflagellates and other high-DNA content species. The IFCB was also configured to measure fluorescence from Cy3-labeled rRNA probes, aiding the identification of Alexandrium fundyense (syn. A. tamarense Group I), a photosynthetic dinoflagellate that causes paralytic shellfish poisoning (PSP). The modified IFCB was used to analyze samples from the development, peak and termination phases of an inshore A. fundyense bloom (Salt Pond, Eastham, MA, USA), and from a rare A. fundyense ‘red tide’ that occurred in the western Gulf of Maine, offshore of Portsmouth, NH (USA). Diploid or G2 phase (‘2C’) A. fundyense cells were frequently enriched at the near-surface, suggesting an important role for aggregation at the air-sea interface during sexual events. Also, our analysis showed that large proportions of A. fundyense cells in both the Salt Pond and red tide blooms were planozygotes during bloom decline, highlighting the importance of sexual fusion to bloom termination. At Salt Pond, bloom decline also coincided with a dramatic rise in infections by the parasite genus Amoebophrya. The samples that were most heavily infected contained many large cells with higher DNA-associated fluorescence than 2C vegetative cells, but these cells' nuclei were also frequently consumed by Amoebophrya trophonts. Neither large cell size nor increased DNA-associated fluorescence could be replicated by infecting an A. fundyense culture of vegetative cells. Therefore, we attribute these characteristics of the large Salt Pond cells to planozygote maturation rather than Amoebophrya infection, though an interaction between infection and planozygote maturation may

Phytoplankton dynamics in contrasting early stage North Atlantic spring blooms: composition, succession, and potential drivers

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Daniels, C.J.; Poulton, A. J.; Esposito, M.

2015-01-01

The spring bloom is a key annual event in the phenology of pelagic ecosystems, making a major contribution to the oceanic biological carbon pump through the production and export of organic carbon. However, there is little consensus as to the main drivers of spring bloom formation, exacerbated......) of the 2012 North Atlantic spring bloom. The plankton composition and characteristics of the initial stages of the bloom were markedly different between the two basins. The Iceland Basin (ICB) appeared well mixed to > 400 m, yet surface chlorophyll a (0.27–2.2 mg m–3) and primary production (0.06–0.66 mmol C...... suggest micro-zooplankton grazing, potentially coupled with the lack of a seed population of bloom forming diatoms, was restricting diatom growth in the NWB, and that large diatoms may be absent in NWB spring blooms. Despite both phytoplankton communities being in the early stages of bloom formation...

Seasonal cooling and blooming in tropical oceans

Science.gov (United States)

Longhurst, Alan

1993-11-01

The relative importance of tropical pelagic algal blooms in not yet fully appreciated and the way they are induced not well understood. The tropical Atlantic supports pelagic blooms together equivalent to the North Atlantic spring bloom. These blooms are driven by thermocline tilting, curl of wind stress and eddy upwelling as the ocean responds to intensified basin-scale winds in boreal summer. The dimensions of the Pacific Ocean are such that seasonal thermocline tilting does not occur, and nutrient conditions are such that tilting might not induce bloom, in any case. Divergence at the equator is a separate process that strengthens the Atlantic bloom, is more prominent in the eastern Pacific, and in the Indian Ocean induces a bloom only in the western part of the ocean. Where western jet currents are retroflected from the coast off Somalia and Brazil, eddy upwelling induces prominent blooms. In the eastward flow of the northern equatorial countercurrents, positive wind curl stress induces Ekman pumping and the induction of algal blooms aligned with the currents. Some apparent algal bloom, such as that seen frequently in CZCS images westwards from Senegal, must be due to interference from airborne dust.

Lake level fluctuations boost toxic cyanobacterial "oligotrophic blooms".

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Cristiana Callieri

Full Text Available Global warming has been shown to strongly influence inland water systems, producing noticeable increases in water temperatures. Rising temperatures, especially when combined with widespread nutrient pollution, directly favour the growth of toxic cyanobacteria. Climate changes have also altered natural water level fluctuations increasing the probability of extreme events as dry periods followed by heavy rains. The massive appearance of Dolichospermum lemmermannii ( = planktonic Anabaena, a toxic species absent from the pelagic zone of the subalpine oligotrophic Lake Maggiore before 2005, could be a consequence of the unusual fluctuations of lake level in recent years. We hypothesized that these fluctuations may favour the cyanobacterium as result of nutrient pulses from the biofilms formed in the littoral zone when the lake level is high. To help verify this, we exposed artificial substrates in the lake, and evaluated their nutrient enrichment and release after desiccation, together with measurements of fluctuations in lake level, precipitation and D. lemmermannii population. The highest percentage of P release and the lowest C:P molar ratio of released nutrients coincided with the summer appearance of the D. lemmermannii bloom. The P pulse indicates that fluctuations in level counteract nutrient limitation in this lake and it is suggested that this may apply more widely to other oligotrophic lakes. In view of the predicted increase in water level fluctuations due to climate change, it is important to try to minimize such fluctuations in order to mitigate the occurrence of cyanobacterial blooms.

Impact of several harmful algal bloom (HAB) causing species, on life history characteristics of rotifer Brachionus plicatilis Müller

Science.gov (United States)

Lin, Jianing; Yan, Tian; Zhang, Qingchun; Zhou, Mingjiang

2016-07-01

In recent years, harmful algal blooms (HABs) have occurred frequently along the coast of China, and have been exhibiting succession from diatom- to dinoflagellate-dominated blooms. To examine the effects of different diatom and dinoflagellate HABs, the life history parameters of rotifers ( Brachionus plicatilis Müller) were measured after exposure to different concentrations of HAB species. The HAB species examined included a diatom ( Skeletonema costatum) and four dinoflagellates ( Prorocentrum donghaiense, Alexandrium catenella, Prorocentrum lima and Karlodinium veneficum). Compared with the control treatment (CT), the diatom S. costatum showed no adverse impacts on rotifers. Exposure to dinoflagellates at densities equivalent to those measured in the field resulted in a reduction in all the life history parameters measured. This included a reduction in: lifetime egg production (CT: 20.34 eggs/ind.) reduced to 10.11, 3.22, 4.17, 7.16 eggs/ind., life span (CT: 394.53 h) reduced to 261.11, 162.90, 203.67, 196 h, net reproductive rate (CT: 19.51/ind.) reduced to 3.01, 1.26, 3.53, 5.96/ind., finite rate of increase (CT: 1.47/d) reduced to 1.16, 1.03, 1.33, 1.38/d, and intrinsic rate of population increase (CT: 0.39/d) reduced to 0.15, 0.03, 0.28, 0.32/d, for the dinoflagellates P. donghaiense, A. catenella, P. lima and K. veneficum, respectively. The results showed that the diatom S. costatum had no detrimental consequences on the reproduction and growth of B. plicatilis, however, the four dinoflagellates tested did show adverse effects. This suggests that dinoflagellate HABs may suppress microzooplankton, resulting in an increase in algal numbers.

Physical processes contributing to harmful algal blooms in Saldanha ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

Since 1994, disruption of harvesting as a result of the presence of harmful algal species has been a regular late-summer phenomenon. Toxic blooms that are ultimately advected into the bay develop on the continental shelf to the north between 32°S and St Helena Bay, a region characterized by favourable conditions for ...

Determination and occurrence of retinoids in a eutrophic lake (Taihu Lake, China): cyanobacteria blooms produce teratogenic retinal.

Science.gov (United States)

Wu, Xiaoqin; Jiang, Jieqiong; Hu, Jianying

2013-01-15

Besides retinoic acids (RAs), some retinoids such as retinal (RAL) and retinol (ROH), which are considered as RA precursors in vertebrates, are also reported to be teratogenic agents. In this study we investigated four RA precursors including RAL, ROH, retinyl palmitate, and β-carotene in the eutrophic Taihu Lake, China, by developing a sensitive analytical method. RAL and β-carotene were widely detected in natural cyanobacteria blooms and lake water. Intracellular concentrations of RAL and β-carotene in blooms were 9.4 to 6.9 × 10(3) and 3.4 to 1.8 × 10(5) ng L(-1), respectively, and their concentrations in lake water were up to 1.4 × 10 ng L(-1) (RAL) and 9.8 × 10(2) ng L(-1) (β-carotene). The good correlation between intracellular concentrations of RAL and RAs implied that RAL was involved in the production of RAs by cyanobacteria blooms. Further examination of 39 cyanobacteria and algae species revealed that most species could produce RAL and β-carotene. The greatest amount of RAL was found in Chlamydomonas sp. (FACHB-715; 1.9 × 10(3) ng g(-1) dry weight). As the main cyanobacteria in Taihu Lake, many Microcystis species could produce high amounts of RAL and were thought to greatly contribute to the production of RAL measured in the blooms. Productions of RAL and β-carotene by cyanobacteria were associated with species, origin location, and growth stage. The results in this study present the existence of a potential risk to aquatic animals living in a eutrophic environment from a high concentration of RAL in cyanobacteria blooms and also provide a clue for further investigating the mechanism underlying the biosynthetic pathway of RAs in cyanobacteria and algae.

Nutrient control of cyanobacterial blooms in the Baltic Sea

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Stal, L.J.; Staal, M.J.; Villbrandt, M.

1999-01-01

Cyanobacterial blooms in the Baltic Sea were investigated with respect to growth Limitation and nitrogen fixation. The community was composed predominantly of Synechococcus spp., and large, heterocystous, nitrogen-fixing cyanobacteria (Aphanizomenon spp, and Nodularia spp.), that usually formed

Mitigating cyanobacterial blooms: how effective are 'effective microorganisms'?

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Lürling, M.F.L.L.W.; Tolman, Y.; Euwe, M.

2009-01-01

This study examined the effects of 'Effective Microorganisms (EM)' on the growth of cyanobacteria, and their ability to terminate cyanobacterial blooms. The EM was tested in the form of 'mudballs' or 'Bokashi-balls', and as a suspension (EM-A) in laboratory experiments. No growth inhibition was

Toxic Microalgal Blooms: What Can Nuclear Techniques Provide for Their Management?

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Reguera, B. [Instituto Espanol de Oceanografia, Centro Oceanografico de Vigo (Spain); Boisson, F. [International Atomic Energy Agency, Environment Laboratories (Monaco); Darius, H. T. [Institut Louis Malarde, Laboratoire de Recherche sur les Microalgues Toxiques, Tahiti, French Polynesia (France); Dechraoui Bottein, M. -Y. [NOAA, National Ocean Service, Marine Biotoxins Programme, Center for Coastal Environmental Health and Biomolecular Research, Charleston, SC (United States)

2013-07-15

Some harmful algal blooms (HABs) produce potent toxins that accumulate in shellfish and fish and represent a major threat to human health, international trade and sustainable coastal fisheries development. In the context of climate change and displacement of endemic toxigenic species (via ship ballast waters and other vectors) to new coastal areas, HABs appear to be more frequent and widespread. The IAEA Marine Environment Laboratory and its partners have been developing and transferring isotopic based analytical methods and instrumentation for monitoring HAB species, their biotoxins, and radiometric dating of sediment cores. The extremely sensitive and robust Receptor Binding Assay (RBA) for toxins associated with Paralytic Shellfish Poisoning (PSP) and Ciguatera Fish Poisoning (CFP) provides an alternative method to the standard mouse bioassay, and radiometric sediment core dating combined with fossil cyst abundance allows reconstruction of the prior history of blooms and their relationship to climate. (author)

Harmful algal blooms and climate change: Learning from the past and present to forecast the future

Science.gov (United States)

Wells, Mark L.; Trainer, Vera L.; Smayda, Theodore J.; Karlson, Bengt S.O.; Trick, Charles G.; Kudela, Raphael M.; Ishikawa, Akira; Bernard, Stewart; Wulff, Angela; Anderson, Donald M.; Cochlan, William P.

2015-01-01

Climate change pressures will influence marine planktonic systems globally, and it is conceivable that harmful algal blooms may increase in frequency and severity. These pressures will be manifest as alterations in temperature, stratification, light, ocean acidification, precipitation-induced nutrient inputs, and grazing, but absence of fundamental knowledge of the mechanisms driving harmful algal blooms frustrates most hope of forecasting their future prevalence. Summarized here is the consensus of a recent workshop held to address what currently is known and not known about the environmental conditions that favor initiation and maintenance of harmful algal blooms. There is expectation that harmful algal bloom (HAB) geographical domains should expand in some cases, as will seasonal windows of opportunity for harmful algal blooms at higher latitudes. Nonetheless there is only basic information to speculate upon which regions or habitats HAB species may be the most resilient or susceptible. Moreover, current research strategies are not well suited to inform these fundamental linkages. There is a critical absence of tenable hypotheses for how climate pressures mechanistically affect HAB species, and the lack of uniform experimental protocols limits the quantitative cross-investigation comparisons essential to advancement. A HAB “best practices” manual would help foster more uniform research strategies and protocols, and selection of a small target list of model HAB species or isolates for study would greatly promote the accumulation of knowledge. Despite the need to focus on keystone species, more studies need to address strain variability within species, their responses under multifactorial conditions, and the retrospective analyses of long-term plankton and cyst core data; research topics that are departures from the norm. Examples of some fundamental unknowns include how larger and more frequent extreme weather events may break down natural biogeographic

ENVIRONMENTAL CONTROL OF STALK LENGTH IN THE BLOOM-FORMING, FRESHWATER BENTHIC DIATOM DIDYMOSPHENIA GEMINATA (BACILLARIOPHYCEAE)(1).

Science.gov (United States)

Kilroy, Cathy; Bothwell, Max

2011-10-01

Blooms of the freshwater stalked diatom Didymosphenia geminata (Lyngb.) M. Schmidt in A. Schmidt typically occur in oligotrophic, unshaded streams and rivers. Observations that proliferations comprise primarily stalk material composed of extracellular polymeric substances (EPS) led us to ask whether or not the production of excessive EPS is favored under nutrient-limited, high-light conditions. We conducted experiments in outdoor flumes colonized by D. geminata using water from the oligotrophic, D. geminata-affected Waitaki River, South Island, New Zealand, to determine the relationship between D. geminata stalk length, cell division rates, and light intensity under ambient and nutrient-enriched conditions. Stalk lengths were measured in situ, and cell division rates were estimated as the frequency of dividing cells (FDC). FDC responded positively to increasing light intensity and to nutrient additions (N+P and P). Under ambient conditions, stalk length increased as light level increased except at low ambient light levels and temperature. Nutrient enrichment resulted in decreased stalk length and negative correlations with FDC, with this effect most evident under high light. Our results are consistent with the hypothesis that extensive stalk production in D. geminata occurs when cell division rates are nutrient limited and light levels are high. Thus, photosynthetically driven EPS production in the form of stalks, under nutrient-limited conditions, may explain the development of very high biomass in this species in oligotrophic rivers. The responses of FDC and stalk length under nutrient-replete conditions are also consistent with occurrences of D. geminata as a nondominant component of mixed periphyton communities in high-nutrient streams. © 2011 Phycological Society of America.

Optical Modeling of Spectral Backscattering and Remote Sensing Reflectance From Emiliania huxleyi Blooms

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Griet Neukermans

2018-05-01

Full Text Available In this study we develop an analytical model for spectral backscattering and ocean color remote sensing of blooms of the calcifying phytoplankton species Emiliania huxleyi. Blooms of this coccolithophore species are ubiquitous and particularly intense in temperate and subpolar ocean waters. We first present significant improvements to our previous analytical light backscattering model for E. huxleyi coccoliths and coccospheres by accounting for the elliptical shape of coccoliths and the multi-layered coccosphere architecture observed on detailed imagery of E. huxleyi liths and coccospheres. Our new model also includes a size distribution function that closely matches measured E. huxleyi size distributions. The model for spectral backscattering is then implemented in an analytical radiative transfer model to evaluate the variability of spectral remote sensing reflectance with respect to changes in the size distribution of the coccoliths and during a hypothetical E. huxleyi bloom decay event in which coccospheres shed their liths. Our modeled remote sensing reflectance spectra reproduced well the bright milky turquoise coloring of the open ocean typically associated with the final stages of E. huxleyi blooms, with peak reflectance at a wavelength of 0.49 μm. Our results also show that the magnitude of backscattering from coccoliths when attached to or freed from the coccosphere does not differ much, contrary to what is commonly assumed, and that the spectral shape of backscattering is mainly controlled by the size and morphology of the coccoliths, suggesting that they may be estimated from spectral backscattering.

Sedimentation of phytoplankton during a diatom bloom : Rates and mechanisms

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Kiørboe, Thomas; Hansen, J.L.S.; Alldredge, A.L.

1996-01-01

Phytoplankton blooms are uncoupled from grazing and are normally terminated by sedimentation. There are several potential mechanisms by which phytoplankton cells may settle out of the photic zone: sinking of individual cells or chains, coagulation of cells into aggregates with high settling...... velocities, settling of cells attached to marine snow aggregates formed from discarded larvacean houses or pteropod feeding webs, and packaging of cells into rapidly falling zooplankton fecal pellets. We quantified the relative significance of these different mechanisms during a diatom bloom in a temperate...... to marine snow aggregates formed from discarded larvacean houses, whereas settling of unaggregated cells was insignificant. Formation rates of phytoplankton aggregates by physical coagulation was very low, and losses by this mechanism were much less than 0.07 d(-1); phytoplankton aggregates were neither...

Diversity and dynamics of a widespread bloom of the toxic dinoflagellate Alexandrium fundyense.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Deana L Erdner

Full Text Available Historically, cosmopolitan phytoplankton species were presumed to represent largely unstructured populations. However, the recent development of molecular tools to examine genetic diversity have revealed differences in phytoplankton taxa across geographic scales and provided insight into the physiology and ecology of blooms. Here we describe the genetic analysis of an extensive bloom of the toxic dinoflagellate Alexandrium fundyense that occurred in the Gulf of Maine in 2005. This bloom was notable for its intensity and duration, covering hundreds of kilometers and persisting for almost two months. Genotypic analyses based on microsatellite marker data indicate that the open waters of the northeastern U.S. harbor a single regional population of A. fundyense comprising two genetically distinct sub-populations. These subpopulations were characteristic of early- and late-bloom samples and were derived from the northern and southern areas of the bloom, respectively. The temporal changes observed during this study provide clear evidence of succession during a continuous bloom and show that selection can act on the timescale of weeks to significantly alter the representation of genotypes within a population. The effects of selection on population composition and turnover would be magnified if sexual reproduction were likewise influenced by environmental conditions. We hypothesize that the combined effects of differential growth and reproduction rates serves to reduce gene flow between the sub-populations, reinforcing population structure while maintaining the diversity of the overall regional population.

Blooming Artifact Reduction in Coronary Artery Calcification by A New De-blooming Algorithm: Initial Study.

Science.gov (United States)

Li, Ping; Xu, Lei; Yang, Lin; Wang, Rui; Hsieh, Jiang; Sun, Zhonghua; Fan, Zhanming; Leipsic, Jonathon A

2018-05-02

The aim of this study was to investigate the use of de-blooming algorithm in coronary CT angiography (CCTA) for optimal evaluation of calcified plaques. Calcified plaques were simulated on a coronary vessel phantom and a cardiac motion phantom. Two convolution kernels, standard (STND) and high-definition standard (HD STND), were used for imaging reconstruction. A dedicated de-blooming algorithm was used for imaging processing. We found a smaller bias towards measurement of stenosis using the de-blooming algorithm (STND: bias 24.6% vs 15.0%, range 10.2% to 39.0% vs 4.0% to 25.9%; HD STND: bias 17.9% vs 11.0%, range 8.9% to 30.6% vs 0.5% to 21.5%). With use of de-blooming algorithm, specificity for diagnosing significant stenosis increased from 45.8% to 75.0% (STND), from 62.5% to 83.3% (HD STND); while positive predictive value (PPV) increased from 69.8% to 83.3% (STND), from 76.9% to 88.2% (HD STND). In the patient group, reduction in calcification volume was 48.1 ± 10.3%, reduction in coronary diameter stenosis over calcified plaque was 52.4 ± 24.2%. Our results suggest that the novel de-blooming algorithm could effectively decrease the blooming artifacts caused by coronary calcified plaques, and consequently improve diagnostic accuracy of CCTA in assessing coronary stenosis.

Seasonal morphological variability in an in situ Cyanobacteria monoculture: example from a persistent Cylindrospermopsis bloom in Lake Catemaco, Veracruz, Mexico

OpenAIRE

Owen Lind; Laura Dávalos-Lind; Carlos López; Martin López; Juli Dyble Bressie

2016-01-01

The phrase cyanobacteria bloom implies a transient condition in which one to few species dominates communities. In this paper we describe a condition in which the bloom is of multi-year duration consisting of different morphologies of a single cyanobacteria species. Lake Catemaco, Veracruz, México maintained a year-round massive (108 trichomes L-1) population of potentially toxin-producing cyanobacteria, Cylindrospermopsis spp. The trichomes are present as straight and coiled morphotypes.  Th...

A novel earth observation based ecological indicator for cyanobacterial blooms

Science.gov (United States)

Anttila, Saku; Fleming-Lehtinen, Vivi; Attila, Jenni; Junttila, Sofia; Alasalmi, Hanna; Hällfors, Heidi; Kervinen, Mikko; Koponen, Sampsa

2018-02-01

Cyanobacteria form spectacular mass occurrences almost annually in the Baltic Sea. These harmful algal blooms are the most visible consequences of marine eutrophication, driven by a surplus of nutrients from anthropogenic sources and internal processes of the ecosystem. We present a novel Cyanobacterial Bloom Indicator (CyaBI) targeted for the ecosystem assessment of eutrophication in marine areas. The method measures the current cyanobacterial bloom situation (an average condition of recent 5 years) and compares this to the estimated target level for 'good environmental status' (GES). The current status is derived with an index combining indicative bloom event variables. As such we used seasonal information from the duration, volume and severity of algal blooms derived from earth observation (EO) data. The target level for GES was set by using a remote sensing based data set named Fraction with Cyanobacterial Accumulations (FCA; Kahru & Elmgren, 2014) covering years 1979-2014. Here a shift-detection algorithm for time series was applied to detect time-periods in the FCA data where the level of blooms remained low several consecutive years. The average conditions from these time periods were transformed into respective CyaBI target values to represent target level for GES. The indicator is shown to pass the three critical factors set for marine indicator development, namely it measures the current status accurately, the target setting can be scientifically proven and it can be connected to the ecosystem management goal. An advantage of the CyaBI method is that it's not restricted to the data used in the development work, but can be complemented, or fully applied, by using different types of data sources providing information on cyanobacterial accumulations.

The highly heterogeneous methylated genomes and diverse restriction-modification systems of bloom-forming Microcystis.

Science.gov (United States)

Zhao, Liang; Song, Yulong; Li, Lin; Gan, Nanqin; Brand, Jerry J; Song, Lirong

2018-05-01

The occurrence of harmful Microcystis blooms is increasing in frequency in a myriad of freshwater ecosystems. Despite considerable research pertaining to the cause and nature of these blooms, the molecular mechanisms behind the cosmopolitan distribution and phenotypic diversity in Microcystis are still unclear. We compared the patterns and extent of DNA methylation in three strains of Microcystis, PCC 7806SL, NIES-2549 and FACHB-1757, using Single Molecule Real-Time (SMRT) sequencing technology. Intact restriction-modification (R-M) systems were identified from the genomes of these strains, and from two previously sequenced strains of Microcystis, NIES-843 and TAIHU98. A large number of methylation motifs and R-M genes were identified in these strains, which differ substantially among different strains. Of the 35 motifs identified, eighteen had not previously been reported. Strain NIES-843 contains a larger number of total putative methyltransferase genes than have been reported previously from any bacterial genome. Genomic comparisons reveal that methyltransferases (some partial) may have been acquired from the environment through horizontal gene transfer. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Algicidal Effects of a Novel Marine Pseudoalteromonas Isolate (Class Proteobacteria, Gamma Subdivision) on Harmful Algal Bloom Species of the Genera Chattonella, Gymnodinium, and Heterosigma

Science.gov (United States)

Lovejoy, Connie; Bowman, John P.; Hallegraeff, Gustaaf M.

1998-01-01

During a bacterial survey of the Huon Estuary in southern Tasmania, Australia, we isolated a yellow-pigmented Pseudoalteromonas strain (class Proteobacteria, gamma subdivision), designated strain Y, that had potent algicidal effects on harmful algal bloom species. This organism was identified by 16S rRNA sequencing as a strain with close affinities to Pseudoalteromonas peptidysin. This bacterium caused rapid cell lysis and death (within 3 h) of gymnodinoids (including Gymnodinium catenatum) and raphidophytes (Chattonella marina and Heterosigma akashiwo). It caused ecdysis of armored dinoflagellates (e.g., Alexandrium catenella, Alexandrium minutum, and Prorocentrum mexicanum), but the algal cultures then recovered over the subsequent 24 h. Strain Y had no effect on a cryptomonad (Chroomonas sp.), a diatom (Skeletonema sp.), a cyanobacterium (Oscillatoria sp.), and two aplastidic protozoans. The algicidal principle of strain Y was excreted into the seawater medium and lost its efficacy after heating. Another common bacterial species, Pseudoalteromonas carrageenovora, was isolated at the same time and did not have these algicidal effects. The minimum concentrations of strain Y required to kill G. catenatum were higher than the mean concentrations found in nature under nonbloom conditions. However, the new bacterium showed a chemotactic, swarming behavior that resulted in localized high concentrations around target organisms. These observations imply that certain bacteria could play an important role in regulating the onset and development of harmful algal blooms. PMID:9687434

Five red tide species in genus Prorocentrum including the description of Prorocentrum donghaiense Lu SP. nov. from the East China Sea

Science.gov (United States)

Lu, Dou-Ding; Goebel, Jeanette

2001-12-01

A new planktonic dinoflagellate, Prorocentrum donghaiense Lu sp. nov., is described in the present paper. The water sample was collected from the Changjiang Estuary, the East China Sea. The species identification is based on shape, size, surface micro-morphology, ornamentation of thecal plates and the architecture of the periflagellar area and the intercalary bands as seen by light and scanning electron microscope. Prorocentrum donghaiense Lu sp. nov. is compared with other prorocentrum species with respect to morphological characteristics and bloom behavior. It is not known whether Prorocentrum donghaiense Lu sp. nov produces phycotoxins like some other Prorocentrum species. Four other red tide species in the family Prorocentraceae (Dinophyceae), namely P. balticum, P. minimum, P. micans, P. triestinum, were examined and identified by light and scanning electron microscope. They have been recorded as bloom-forming species. Some aggregates of Prorocentrum are observed at the end of blooms. An event of strong discoloration caused by P. donghaiense could be detected by satellite sensor in the East China Sea in the late spring of 1995.

Identification of non-indigenous phytoplankton species dominated bloom off Goa using inverted microscopy and pigment (HPLC) analysis

Digital Repository Service at National Institute of Oceanography (India)

Bhaskar, P.V.; Roy, R.; Gauns, M.; Shenoy, D.M.; Rao, V.D.; Mochemadkar, S.

site and sampling The mixed phytoplankton bloom was observed during one of the monthly sampling at the Can- dolim time series (CaTS) transect (figure 1) in the near-shore waters off Goa, west coast of India. Sea- water was sampled on two days (27 and 29... January, Figure 1. Map showing the CaTS (Candolim time-series) stations G1 to G5 and one station off Morjim north of CaTS. The approximate spread of the bloom is indicated by the shaded portion. Identification of non-indigenous phytoplankton off Goa 1147...

Using high-throughput DNA sequencing, genetic fingerprinting, and quantitative PCR as tools for monitoring bloom-forming and toxigenic cyanobacteria in Upper Klamath Lake, Oregon, 2013 and 2014

Science.gov (United States)

Caldwell Eldridge, Sara L.; Driscoll, Conner; Dreher, Theo W.

2017-06-05

Monitoring the community structure and metabolic activities of cyanobacterial blooms in Upper Klamath Lake, Oregon, is critical to lake management because these blooms degrade water quality and produce toxic microcystins that are harmful to humans, domestic animals, and wildlife. Genetic tools, such as DNA fingerprinting by terminal restriction fragment length polymorphism (T-RFLP) analysis, high-throughput DNA sequencing (HTS), and real-time, quantitative polymerase chain reaction (qPCR), provide more sensitive and rapid assessments of bloom ecology than traditional techniques. The objectives of this study were (1) to characterize the microbial community at one site in Upper Klamath Lake and determine changes in the cyanobacterial community through time using T-RFLP and HTS in comparison with traditional light microscopy; (2) to determine relative abundances and changes in abundance over time of toxigenic Microcystis using qPCR; and (3) to determine relative abundances and changes in abundance over time of Aphanizomenon, Microcystis, and total cyanobacteria using qPCR. T-RFLP analysis of total cyanobacteria showed a dominance of only one or two distinct genotypes in samples from 2013, but results of HTS in 2013 and 2014 showed more variations in the bloom cycle that fit with the previous understanding of bloom dynamics in Upper Klamath Lake and indicated that potentially toxigenic Microcystis was more prevalent in 2014 than in years prior. The qPCR-estimated copy numbers of all target genes were higher in 2014 than in 2013, when microcystin concentrations also were higher. Total Microcystis density was shown with qPCR to be a better predictor of late-season increases in microcystin concentrations than the relative proportions of potentially toxigenic cells. In addition, qPCR targeting Aphanizomenon at one site in Upper Klamath Lake indicated a moderate bloom of this species (corresponding to chlorophyll a concentrations between approximately 75 and 200 micrograms

Biofouling in capillary and spiral wound membranes facilitated by marine algal bloom

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Villacorte, L.O.; Ekowati, Y.; Calix-Ponce, H.N.

2017-01-01

blooms. The tendency of AOM from bloom-forming marine algae to adhere to membranes and its ability to enhance biofilm growth were measured using atomic force microscopy, flow cytometry, liquid chromatography and accelerated membrane biofouling experiments. Adhesion force measurements indicate that AOM......Algal-derived organic matter (AOM), particularly transparent exopolymer particles, has been suspected to facilitate biofilm development in membrane systems (e.g., seawater reverse osmosis). This study demonstrates the possible role of AOM on biofouling in membrane systems affected by marine algal...... biodegradable nutrients. The abovementioned findings indicate that AOM facilitates the onset of membrane biofouling primarily as a conditioning platform and to some extent as a nutrient source for biofilm-forming bacteria....

Development of Phaeocystis globosa blooms in the upwelling waters of the South Central coast of Viet Nam

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Hai, Doan-Nhu; Lam, Nguyen-Ngoc; Dippner, Joachim W.

2010-11-01

Blooms of haptophyte algae in the south central coastal waters of Viet Nam often occur in association with upwelling phenomenon during the southwest (SW) monsoon. Depending on the magnitude of the blooms, damage to aquaculture farms may occur. Based on two years of data on biology, oceanography, and marine chemistry, the present study suggests a conceptual model of the growth of the haptophyte Phaeocystis globosa. At the beginning of the bloom, low temperature and abundant nutrient supply, especially nitrate from rain and upwelling, favour bloom development. Diatoms utilize available nitrate and phosphate; subsequently, higher ammonium concentration allows P. globosa to grow faster than the diatoms. At the end of the Phaeocystis bloom, free cells may become available as food for a heterotrophic dinoflagellate species, Noctiluca scintillans. During and after the phytoplankton bloom, remineralization by bacteria reduces dissolved oxygen to a very low concentration at depth, and favors growth of nitrate-reducing bacteria.A Lagrangian Harmful Algal Bloom (HAB) model, driven by a circulation model of the area, realistically simulates the transport of microalgae in surface waters during strong and weak SW monsoon periods, suggesting that it may be a good tool for early warning of HABs in Vietnamese coastal waters.

Siderophores: The special ingredient to cyanobacterial blooms

Science.gov (United States)

Du, Xue; Creed, Irena; Trick, Charles

2013-04-01

/L). Furthermore, the concentration of iron-binding ligands was found to have a positive correlation to presence of cyanobacteria concentration, indicating a potential relationship between Fe, siderophores, and cyanobacteria. This project works to improve the understanding of freshwater cyanobacteria growth dynamics by investigating the physiological and biochemical processes leading to cHABs. The importance of this project lies in the understanding of elementary nutrient requirements in all algae and how cyanobacteria are able to access low concentration pools and subsequently bloom over other algal species. Investigating the nutrient regimes that stimulate siderophore production and the subsequent production of potentially toxic cyanobacteria blooms is important for lake management and preservation, specifically in the eutrophic and hypereutrophic freshwater lakes of Alberta.

Trichodesmium blooms and warm-core ocean surface features in the Arabian Sea and the Bay of Bengal.

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Jyothibabu, R; Karnan, C; Jagadeesan, L; Arunpandi, N; Pandiarajan, R S; Muraleedharan, K R; Balachandran, K K

2017-08-15

Trichodesmium is a bloom-forming, diazotrophic, non-heterocystous cyanobacteria widely distributed in the warmer oceans, and their bloom is considered a 'biological indication' of stratification and nitrogen limitation in the ocean surface layer. In the first part of this paper, based on the retrospective analyses of the ocean surface mesoscale features associated with 59 Trichodesmium bloom incidences recorded in the past, 32 from the Arabian Sea and the Bay of Bengal, and 27 from the rest of the world, we have showed that warm-core features have an inducing effect on bloom formation. In the second part, we have considered the environmental preferences of Trichodesmium bloom based on laboratory and field studies across the globe, and proposed a view about how warm-core features could provide an inducing pre-requisite condition for the bloom formation in the Arabian Sea and the Bay of Bengal. Proposed that the subsurface waters of warm-core features maintain more likely chances for the conducive nutrient and light conditions required for the triggering of the blooms. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Microcystin in cyanobacterial blooms in a Chilean lake.

Science.gov (United States)

Campos, V; Cantarero, S; Urrutia, H; Heinze, R; Wirsing, B; Neumann, U; Weckesser, J

1999-05-01

Cyanobacterial blooms dominated by Microcystis sp. occurred in lake Rocuant ("marisma", near Concepción/Chile) in February 1995 and 1996. In the bloom samples collected in both years the hepatotoxin microcystin was detected by RP-HPLC in both samples and in the sample of 1995 also by a toxicity assay using primary rat hepatocytes. In the bloom of 1995, the microcystin content of the dry bloom biomass was determined to be 130 micrograms/g on the basis of the RP-HPLC peak area and 800 micrograms/g on the basis of the rat hepatotoxicity assay, respectively. In the bloom of 1996, RP-HPLC analysis revealed a microcystin content of 8.13 micrograms/g bloom material dry weight. In this year no hepatotoxicity was measured using a concentration range up to 0.8 mg (d. w.) of bloom material per ml in the rat hepatotoxicity assay. This is the first report on the detection of microcystins in Chilean water bodies.

Forms and genesis of species abundance distributions

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Evans O. Ochiaga

2015-12-01

Full Text Available Species abundance distribution (SAD is one of the most important metrics in community ecology. SAD curves take a hollow or hyperbolic shape in a histogram plot with many rare species and only a few common species. In general, the shape of SAD is largely log-normally distributed, although the mechanism behind this particular SAD shape still remains elusive. Here, we aim to review four major parametric forms of SAD and three contending mechanisms that could potentially explain this highly skewed form of SAD. The parametric forms reviewed here include log series, negative binomial, lognormal and geometric distributions. The mechanisms reviewed here include the maximum entropy theory of ecology, neutral theory and the theory of proportionate effect.

Morphological switch to a resistant subpopulation in response to viral infection in the bloom-forming coccolithophore Emiliania huxleyi.

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Frada, Miguel José; Rosenwasser, Shilo; Ben-Dor, Shifra; Shemi, Adva; Sabanay, Helena; Vardi, Assaf

2017-12-01

Recognizing the life cycle of an organism is key to understanding its biology and ecological impact. Emiliania huxleyi is a cosmopolitan marine microalga, which displays a poorly understood biphasic sexual life cycle comprised of a calcified diploid phase and a morphologically distinct biflagellate haploid phase. Diploid cells (2N) form large-scale blooms in the oceans, which are routinely terminated by specific lytic viruses (EhV). In contrast, haploid cells (1N) are resistant to EhV. Further evidence indicates that 1N cells may be produced during viral infection. A shift in morphology, driven by meiosis, could therefore constitute a mechanism for E. huxleyi cells to escape from EhV during blooms. This process has been metaphorically coined the 'Cheshire Cat' (CC) strategy. We tested this model in two E. huxleyi strains using a detailed assessment of morphological and ploidy-level variations as well as expression of gene markers for meiosis and the flagellate phenotype. We showed that following the CC model, production of resistant cells was triggered during infection. This led to the rise of a new subpopulation of cells in the two strains that morphologically resembled haploid cells and were resistant to EhV. However, ploidy-level analyses indicated that the new resistant cells were diploid or aneuploid. Thus, the CC strategy in E. huxleyi appears to be a life-phase switch mechanism involving morphological remodeling that is decoupled from meiosis. Our results highlight the adaptive significance of morphological plasticity mediating complex host-virus interactions in marine phytoplankton.

Application of first order rate kinetics to explain changes in bloom toxicity—the importance of understanding cell toxin quotas

Science.gov (United States)

Orr, Philip T.; Willis, Anusuya; Burford, Michele A.

2018-04-01

Cyanobacteria are oxygenic photosynthetic Gram-negative bacteria that can form potentially toxic blooms in eutrophic and slow flowing aquatic ecosystems. Bloom toxicity varies spatially and temporally, but understanding the mechanisms that drive these changes remains largely a mystery. Changes in bloom toxicity may result from changes in intracellular toxin pool sizes of cyanotoxins with differing molecular toxicities, and/or from changes in the cell concentrations of toxic and non-toxic cyanobacterial species or strains within bloom populations. We show here how first-order rate kinetics at the cellular level can be used to explain how environmental conditions drive changes in bloom toxicity at the ecological level. First order rate constants can be calculated for changes in cell concentration (μ c: specific cell division rate) or the volumetric biomass concentration (μ g: specific growth rate) between short time intervals throughout the cell cycle. Similar first order rate constants can be calculated for changes in nett volumetric cyanotoxin concentration (μ tox: specific cyanotoxin production rate) over similar time intervals. How μ c (or μ g ) covaries with μ tox over the cell cycle shows conclusively when cyanotoxins are being produced and metabolised, and how the toxicity of cells change in response to environment stressors. When μ tox/μ c>1, cyanotoxin cell quotas increase and individual cells become more toxic because the nett cyanotoxin production rate is higher than the cell division rate. When μ tox/μ c=1, cell cyanotoxin quotas remains fixed because the nett cyanotoxin production rate matches the cell division rate. When μ tox/μ ccyanotoxin cell quota decreases because either the nett cyanotoxin production rate is lower than the cell division rate, or metabolic breakdown and/or secretion of cyanotoxins is occurring. These fundamental equations describe cyanotoxin metabolism dynamics at the cellular level and provide the necessary

A New Bloom: Transforming Learning

Science.gov (United States)

Cochran, David; Conklin, Jack

2007-01-01

This article discusses a new design for the classic Bloom's Taxonomy developed by Anderson, L. W. & Krathwohl, D. (2001), which can be used to evaluate learners' technology-enhanced experience in more powerful and critical ways. The New Bloom's Taxonomy incorporates contemporary research on learning and human cognition into its model. The…

Dynamics of a cyanobacterial bloom in a hypereutrophic reservoir ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

Blooming and non-blooming periods between 2004 and 2006 in a hypereutrophic reservoir, where cyanobacterial blooms have previously been reported to be permanent, presented an opportunity to characterise factors that may favour cyanobacterial dominance. As a bloom developed in May 2004, a shift to dominance by ...

The history of cyanobacterial blooms in the Baltic Sea.

Science.gov (United States)

Finni, T; Kononen, K; Olsonen, R; Wallström, K

2001-08-01

Long-term information on possible changes in cyanobacterial blooms in the Baltic Sea, formed mainly by Nodularia spumigena and Aphanizomenon sp., was sought in published records in historical (years 1887-1938) and modern (years 1974-1998) phytoplankton data sets. Old and new sampling methods and fixatives were tested to improve the comparison of data that had been collected and analyzed in different ways. A hundred years ago, plankton was mainly of interest as a source of fish food; eutrophication problems were only locally reported from the coast, mainly in southern haffs and the receiving waters of larger cities. There were few recordings of open-sea blooms before World War II. Abundances of Nodularia spumigena and Aphanizomenon sp. were low in the old material, and 137 summer samples from 1887-1938 showed no peak abundance. High abundances are common in the new material, and the range of the numbers of both taxa has increased markedly relative to the old material. Since the 1960s, cyanobacterial blooms have been common in the open sea in both the Baltic proper and the Gulf of Finland, indicating high availability of nutrients.

The fast expansion of Pyropia aquaculture in ;Sansha; regions should be mainly responsible for the Ulva blooms in Yellow Sea

Science.gov (United States)

Zhang, Jianheng; Zhao, Peng; Huo, Yuanzi; Yu, Kefeng; He, Peimin

2017-04-01

Massive Ulva blooms became an environmental disaster in the Yellow Sea from 2007 to 2015. In this study, field shipboard observations indicated that Ulva blooms originated in Pyropia aquaculture area, and the morphology of initial floating Ulva seaweed have the structure of rhizoid, which is similar with the attached Ulva on the Pyropia rafts. The spatial distribution of Ulva microscopic propagules in the southern Yellow Sea also supported that the blooms originated in the Pyropia aquaculture area. Besides, numerical model was used in this study, showing the origin of macroalgal blooms was traced to "Sansha" regions which accounted for almost 70% of the total Pyropia aquaculture area. We conclude that the significant biomass (4252 tons) of Ulva species on the Pyropia rafts during the harvesting season in "Sansha" regions played an important role in the early rapid development of blooms in the Yellow Sea.

Factors controlling the development of phytoplankton blooms in the Antarctic Ocean

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Sakshaug, Egil; Holm-Hansen, Osmund

1991-01-01

A mathematical model describing the development of phytoplankton blooms as a function of the depth of the wind-mixed layer, spectral distribution of light, passage of atmospheric low-pressure systems, size of the initial phytoplankton stock and loss rates is presented. Model runs represent shade-adapted, large-celled, bloom-forming diatoms Periodic deep mixing caused by strong winds may severely retard the development of blooms and frequently abort them before macronutrients are completely exhausted. Moderate depths of mixing (40-50 m) in combination with a moderately large total loss rate (about 0.013h -1 ) can prevent blooms from developing during the brightest time of the year. Complete exhaustion of macronutrients in the upper waters is likely only if the wind-mixed layer is less than 10 m deep, i.e. in very sheltered waters, and also in the marginal ice zone when ice is melting. The authors do not exclude the possibility of control of phytoplankton biomass by iron in ice-free, deep-sea parts of the Antarctic Ocean, but the implied enhancement of export production through addition of iron might be restricted because of limitation by light, i.e. vertical mixing. (author). 32 ref.; 5 figs.; 2 tabs

Bio-optic characterization of Discosphaera tubifer bloom occurs in an overcrowded fishing harbour at Veraval, India.

Science.gov (United States)

Mandal, Subir Kumar; Patel, Vipul R; Temkar, Ganesh; George, Basil M; Raman, Mini

2015-09-01

Discosphaera tubifer, a coccolithophore has been first time reported as a bloom-forming organism from an over-crowded fishing harbour at Veraval, west coast of India. Physiochemical and optical parameters were measured following standard protocols. Average concentration of inorganic nutrients, such as NO2-N (17.26 ± 2.92 μM), NO3-N (643.80 ± 215.99 μM), PO4-P (74.10 ± 26.52 μM) and SiO3-Si (137.66 ± 25.83 μM) were recorded as very high at Veraval port as compared to other coastal stations i.e., 1.48 ± 0.66, 49.16 ± 13.73, 10.03 ± 5.31 and 96.23 ± 22.74 μM, respectively. The pH and salinity (‰) were observed to be low (7.80 ± 0.15 and 28.00 ± 4.54 ‰) as compared to coastal seawaters (8.34 ± 0.06 and 33.24 ± 2.32 ‰). Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and spectral signature (absorbance and reflectance) study revealed that the bloom-forming organism was D. tubifer. High-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) study detected that chlorophyllide-a represent nearly 47.53 % of total pigment composition followed by chlorophyll c2 (27.40 %) and chlorophyll c3 (14.25 %). Four prominent absorption peaks were observed within 350 to 700 nm. The first peak was very wide and ranged from 350 to 530 nm and the rest of the three peaks ranged from 550 to 590, 590 to 650 and 650 to 690 nm, respectively. In case of reflection, three peaks appeared between 550 and 590, 590 and 630 and 630 and 670 nm. Nearly 100 % reflection was observed after 720 nm. The eutrophic condition of the port water along with low salinity and low pH might be the reason for D. tubifer bloom formation. This species-specific spectral signature of the D. tubifer bloom may be helpful for developing algorithm of remote sensing data analysis.

The sedimentary record of dinoflagellate cysts: looking back into the future of phytoplankton blooms

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Barrie Dale

2001-12-01

Full Text Available Marine systems are not as well understood as terrestrial systems, and there is still a great need for more primary observations, in the tradition of the old-time naturalists, before newer methods such as molecular genetics and modeling can be fully utilized. The scientific process whereby the smaller, detailed building blocks of observation are ultimately linked towards better understanding natural systems is illustrated from my own career experience, especially with regard to the dinoflagellates and plankton blooms. Some dinoflagellates produce a fossilizable resting stage (cyst in their life cycle, and dinoflagellate cysts have become one of the most important groups of microfossils used in geological exploration (e.g. oil and gas. This has stimulated both paleontological and biological research producing detailed building blocks of information, currently scattered throughout the respective literature. Here, I attempt to bring together the present day perspective, from biology, with the past, from paleontology, as the most comprehensive basis for future work on the group. This shows the cysts to be the critical link needed for focusing future molecular genetics studies towards a more verifiable view of evolutionary pathways, and it also suggests new integrated methods for studying past, present, and future blooms. The large, rapidly growing field of harmful algal bloom studies is producing many different building blocks, but plankton blooms as episodic phenomena are still poorly understood. This is largely due to the general lack of long-term datasets allowing identification of the changing environmental factors that permit certain species to bloom at unpredictable intervals of time. Cysts in sediments are useful environmental indicators today, e.g. reflecting aspects of climate and pollution, and provide information directly relevant to some dinoflagellate blooms. They therefore may be used for obtaining retrospective information from the

Proteomic Analysis of Hepatic Tissue of Cyprinus carpio L. Exposed to Cyanobacterial Blooms in Lake Taihu, China

Science.gov (United States)

Jiang, Jinlin; Wang, Xiaorong; Shan, Zhengjun; Yang, Liuyan; Zhou, Junying; Bu, Yuanqin

2014-01-01

With the rapid development of industry and agriculture and associated pollution, the cyanobacterial blooms in Lake Taihu have become a major threat to aquatic wildlife and human health. In this study, the ecotoxicological effects of cyanobacterial blooms on cage-cultured carp (Cyprinus carpio L.) in Meiliang Bay of Lake Taihu were investigated. Microcystins (MCs), major cyanobacterial toxins, have been detected in carp cultured at different experimental sites of Meiliang Bay. We observed that the accumulation of MCs in carp was closely associated with several environmental factors, including temperature, pH value, and density of cyanobacterial blooms. The proteomic profile of carp liver exposed to cyanobacterial blooms was analyzed using two-dimensional difference in-gel electrophoresis (2D-DIGE) and mass spectrometry. The toxic effects of cyanobacterial blooms on carp liver were similar to changes caused by MCs. MCs were transported into liver cells and induced the excessive production of reactive oxygen species (ROS). MCs and ROS inhibited protein phosphatase and aldehyde dehydrogenase (ALDH), directly or indirectly resulting in oxidative stress and disruption of the cytoskeleton. These effects further interfered with metabolic pathways in the liver through the regulation of series of related proteins. The results of this study indicated that cyanobacterial blooms pose a major threat to aquatic wildlife in Meiliang Bay in Lake Taihu. These results provided evidence of the molecular mechanisms underlying liver damage in carp exposed to cyanobacterial blooms. PMID:24558380

Oil Spills and Dispersants Can Cause the Initiation of Potentially Harmful Dinoflagellate Blooms ("Red Tides").

Science.gov (United States)

Almeda, Rodrigo; Cosgrove, Sarah; Buskey, Edward J

2018-04-25

After oil spills and dispersant applications the formation of red tides or harmful algal blooms (HABs) has been observed, which can cause additional negative impacts in areas affected by oil spills. However, the link between oil spills and HABs is still unknown. Here, we present experimental evidence that demonstrates a connection between oil spills and HABs. We determined the effects of oil, dispersant-treated oil, and dispersant alone on the structure of natural plankton assemblages in the Northern Gulf of Mexico. In coastal waters, large tintinnids and oligotrich ciliates, major grazers of phytoplankton, were negatively affected by the exposure to oil and dispersant, whereas bloom-forming dinoflagellates ( Prorocentrum texanum, P. triestinum, and Scrippsiella trochoidea) notably increased their concentration. The removal of key grazers due to oil and dispersant disrupts the predator-prey controls ("top-down controls") that normally function in plankton food webs. This disruption of grazing pressure opens a "loophole" that allows certain dinoflagellates with higher tolerance to oil and dispersants than their grazers to grow and form blooms when there are no growth limiting factors (e.g., nutrients). Therefore, oil spills and dispersants can act as disrupters of predator-prey controls in plankton food webs and as indirect inducers of potentially harmful dinoflagellate blooms.

Identifying ecological "sweet spots" underlying cyanobacteria functional group dynamics from long-term observations using a statistical machine learning approach

Science.gov (United States)

Nelson, N.; Munoz-Carpena, R.; Phlips, E. J.

2017-12-01

Diversity in the eco-physiological adaptations of cyanobacteria genera creates challenges for water managers who are tasked with developing appropriate actions for controlling not only the intensity and frequency of cyanobacteria blooms, but also reducing the potential for blooms of harmful taxa (e.g., toxin producers, N2 fixers). Compounding these challenges, the efficacy of nutrient management strategies (phosphorus-only versus nitrogen-and-phosphorus) for cyanobacteria bloom abatement is the subject of an ongoing debate, which increases uncertainty associated with bloom mitigation decision-making. In this work, we analyze a unique long-term (17-year) dataset composed of monthly observations of cyanobacteria genera abundances, zooplankton abundances, water quality, and flow from Lake George, a bloom-impacted flow-through lake of the St. Johns River (FL, USA). Using the Random Forests machine learning algorithm, an assumption-free ensemble modeling approach, the dataset was evaluated to quantify and characterize relationships between environmental conditions and seven cyanobacteria groupings: five genera (Anabaena, Cylindrospermopsis, Lyngbya, Microcystis, and Oscillatoria) and two functional groups (N2 fixers and non-fixers). Results highlight the selectivity of nitrogen in describing genera and functional group dynamics, and potential for physical effects to limit the efficacy of nutrient management as a mechanism for cyanobacteria bloom mitigation.

Effects of pulsed nutrient inputs on phytoplankton assemblage structure and blooms in an enclosed coastal area

Science.gov (United States)

Spatharis, Sofie; Tsirtsis, George; Danielidis, Daniel B.; Chi, Thang Do; Mouillot, David

2007-07-01

The response of phytoplankton assemblage structure to terrestrial nutrient inputs was examined for the Gulf of Kalloni in the Northern Aegean Sea, a productive semi-enclosed coastal marine ecosystem. The study was focused on a typical annual cycle, and emphasis was placed on the comparative analysis between blooms developing after significant nutrient inputs from the watershed, and naturally occurring blooms. Baseline information was collected on a monthly basis from a network of stations located in the oligotrophic open sea and the interior and more productive part of the embayment. Intensive sampling was also carried out along a gradient in the vicinity of a river which was the most important source of freshwater and nutrient input for the Gulf. Phytoplankton assemblage structure was analyzed from 188 samples using diversity indices (Shannon and Average Taxonomic Distinctness), multivariate plotting methods (NMDS), multivariate statistics (PERMANOVA), and canonical correspondence analysis (CCA). Three characteristic assemblages were recognized: (1) an autumn assemblage developed under nutrient depleted conditions, having low diversity due to the dominance of two small diatoms, (2) a winter bloom of the potentially toxic species Pseudo-nitzschia calliantha occurring immediately after a nutrient peak and characterized by very low diversity, and (3) a naturally occurring early summer bloom of centric diatoms with relatively high diversity. The results of the study support the view that moderate nutrient inputs may have a beneficial effect on the functioning of coastal ecosystems, stimulating the taxonomic diversity through the growth of different taxonomic groups and taxa. On the other hand, a sudden pulse of high nutrient concentrations may greatly affect the natural succession of organisms, have a negative effect on the diversity through the dominance of a single species, and can increase the possibility of a harmful algal bloom development.

Competition for inorganic and organic forms of nitrogen and phosphorous between phytoplankton and bacteria during an Emiliania huxleyi spring bloom

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

V. Martin-Jézéquel

2008-03-01

Full Text Available Using 15N and 33P, we measured the turnover of organic and inorganic nitrogen (N and phosphorus (P substrates, and the partitioning of N and P from these sources into two size fractions of marine osmotrophs during the course of a phytoplankton bloom in a nutrient manipulated mesocosm. The larger size fraction (>0.8 μm, mainly consisting of the coccolithophorid Emiliania huxleyi, but also including an increasing amount of large particle-associated bacteria as the bloom proceeded, dominated uptake of the inorganic forms NH4+, NO3−, and PO43−. The uptake of N from leucine, and P from ATP and dissolved DNA, was initially dominated by the 0.8–0.2 μm size fraction, but shifted towards dominance by the >0.8 μm size fraction as the system turned to an increasing degree of N-deficiency. Normalizing uptake to biomass of phytoplankton and heterotrophic bacteria revealed that organisms in the 0.8–0.2 μm size fraction had higher specific affinity for leucine-N than those in the >0.8 μm size fraction when N was deficient, whereas the opposite was the case for NH4+. There was no such difference regarding the specific affinity for P substrates. Since heterotrophic bacteria seem to acquire N from organic compounds like leucine more efficiently than phytoplankton, our results suggest different structuring of the microbial food chain in N-limited relative to P-limited environments.

Under Sea Ice phytoplankton bloom detection and contamination in Antarctica

Science.gov (United States)

Zeng, C.; Zeng, T.; Xu, H.

2017-12-01

Previous researches reported compelling sea ice phytoplankton bloom in Arctic, while seldom reports studied about Antarctic. Here, lab experiment showed sea ice increased the visible light albedo of the water leaving radiance. Even a new formed sea ice of 10cm thickness increased water leaving radiance up to 4 times of its original bare water. Given that phytoplankton preferred growing and accumulating under the sea ice with thickness of 10cm-1m, our results showed that the changing rate of OC4 estimated [Chl-a] varied from 0.01-0.5mg/m3 to 0.2-0.3mg/m3, if the water covered by 10cm sea ice. Going further, varying thickness of sea ice modulated the changing rate of estimating [Chl-a] non-linearly, thus current routine OC4 model cannot estimate under sea ice [Chl-a] appropriately. Besides, marginal sea ice zone has a large amount of mixture regions containing sea ice, water and snow, where is favorable for phytoplankton. We applied 6S model to estimate the sea ice/snow contamination on sub-pixel water leaving radiance of 4.25km spatial resolution ocean color products. Results showed that sea ice/snow scale effectiveness overestimated [Chl-a] concentration based on routine band ratio OC4 model, which contamination increased with the rising fraction of sea ice/snow within one pixel. Finally, we analyzed the under sea ice bloom in Antarctica based on the [Chl-a] concentration trends during 21 days after sea ice retreating. Regardless of those overestimation caused by sea ice/snow sub scale contamination, we still did not see significant under sea ice blooms in Antarctica in 2012-2017 compared with Arctic. This research found that Southern Ocean is not favorable for under sea ice blooms and the phytoplankton bloom preferred to occur in at least 3 weeks after sea ice retreating.

Bacterial community composition of size-fractioned aggregates within the phycosphere of cyanobacterial blooms in a eutrophic freshwater lake.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Haiyuan Cai

Full Text Available Bacterial community composition of different sized aggregates within the Microcystis cyanobacterial phycosphere were determined during summer and fall in Lake Taihu, a eutrophic lake in eastern China. Bloom samples taken in August and September represent healthy bloom biomass, whereas samples from October represent decomposing bloom biomass. To improve our understanding of the complex interior structure in the phycosphere, bloom samples were separated into large (>100 µm, medium (10-100 µm and small (0.2-10 µm size aggregates. Species richness and library coverage indicated that pyrosequencing recovered a large bacterial diversity. The community of each size aggregate was highly organized, indicating highly specific conditions within the Microcystis phycosphere. While the communities of medium and small-size aggregates clustered together in August and September samples, large- and medium-size aggregate communities in the October sample were grouped together and distinct from small-size aggregate community. Pronounced changes in the absolute and relative percentages of the dominant genus from the two most important phyla Proteobacteria and Bacteroidetes were observed among the various size aggregates. Bacterial species on large and small-size aggregates likely have the ability to degrade high and low molecular weight compounds, respectively. Thus, there exists a spatial differentiation of bacterial taxa within the phycosphere, possibly operating in sequence and synergy to catalyze the turnover of complex organic matters.

Detection of Coccolithophore Blooms in Ocean Color Satellite Imagery: a Generalized Approach for Use with Multiple Sensors

Science.gov (United States)

Moore, Timothy; Dowell, Mark; Franz, Bryan A.

2012-01-01

A generalized coccolithophore bloom classifier has been developed for use with ocean color imagery. The bloom classifier was developed using extracted satellite reflectance data from SeaWiFS images screened by the default bloom detection mask. In the current application, we extend the optical water type (OWT) classification scheme by adding a new coccolithophore bloom class formed from these extracted reflectances. Based on an in situ coccolithophore data set from the North Atlantic, the detection levels with the new scheme were between 1,500 and 1,800 coccolithophore cellsmL and 43,000 and 78,000 lithsmL. The detected bloom area using the OWT method was an average of 1.75 times greater than the default bloom detector based on a collection of SeaWiFS 1 km imagery. The versatility of the scheme is shown with SeaWiFS, MODIS Aqua, CZCS and MERIS imagery at the 1 km scale. The OWT scheme was applied to the daily global SeaWiFS imagery mission data set (years 19972010). Based on our results, average annual coccolithophore bloom area was more than two times greater in the southern hemisphere compared to the northern hemi- sphere with values of 2.00 106 km2 and 0.75 106 km2, respectively. The new algorithm detects larger bloom areas in the Southern Ocean compared to the default algorithm, and our revised global annual average of 2.75106 km2 is dominated by contributions from the Southern Ocean.

Interactions between the antimicrobial agent triclosan and the bloom-forming cyanobacteria Microcystis aeruginosa

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Huang, Xiaolong; Tu, Yenan; Song, Chaofeng; Li, Tiancui; Lin, Juan; Wu, Yonghong; Liu, Jiantong; Wu, Chenxi

2016-01-01

Highlights: • Triclosan inhibit the growth and photosynthesis of M. aeruginosa at environmental relevant level. • TEM imaging showed destruction of M. aeruginosa cell ultrastructure during triclosan exposure. • Triclosan can be biotransformed by M. aeruginosa with methylation as a major pathway. • Presence of M. aeruginosa enhanced the photodegradation of triclosan. - Abstract: Cyanobacteria can co-exist in eutrophic waters with chemicals or other substances derived from personal care products discharged in wastewater. In this work, we investigate the interactions between the antimicrobial agent triclosan (TCS) and the bloom-forming cyanobacteria Microcystis aeruginosa. M. aeruginosa was very sensitive to TCS with the 96 h lowest observed effect concentration of 1.0 and 10 μg/L for inhibition of growth and photosynthetic activity, respectively. Exposure to TCS at environmentally relevant levels (0.1–2.0 μg/L) also affected the activities of superoxide dismutase (SOD) and the generation of reduced glutathione (GSH), while microcystin production was not affected. Transmission electron microscope (TEM) examination showed the destruction of M. aeruginosa cell ultrastructure during TCS exposure. TCS however, can be biotransformed by M. aeruginosa with methylation as a major biotransformation pathway. Furthermore, the presence of M. aeruginosa in solution promoted the photodegradation of TCS. Overall, our results demonstrate that M. aeruginosa plays an important role in the dissipation of TCS in aquatic environments but high residual TCS can exert toxic effects on M. aeruginosa.

Interactions between the antimicrobial agent triclosan and the bloom-forming cyanobacteria Microcystis aeruginosa

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Huang, Xiaolong [State Key Laboratory of Freshwater Ecology and Biotechnology, Institute of Hydrobiology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Wuhan 430072 (China); Wuhan Zhongke Hydrobiological Environment Engineering Co., Ltd, Wuhan 430071 (China); Tu, Yenan; Song, Chaofeng; Li, Tiancui; Lin, Juan [State Key Laboratory of Freshwater Ecology and Biotechnology, Institute of Hydrobiology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Wuhan 430072 (China); Graduate University of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049 (China); Wu, Yonghong [State Key Laboratory of Soil and Sustainable Agriculture, Institute of Soil Sciences, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Nanjing 210008 (China); Liu, Jiantong [State Key Laboratory of Freshwater Ecology and Biotechnology, Institute of Hydrobiology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Wuhan 430072 (China); Wu, Chenxi, E-mail: chenxi.wu@ihb.ac.cn [State Key Laboratory of Freshwater Ecology and Biotechnology, Institute of Hydrobiology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Wuhan 430072 (China)

2016-03-15

Highlights: • Triclosan inhibit the growth and photosynthesis of M. aeruginosa at environmental relevant level. • TEM imaging showed destruction of M. aeruginosa cell ultrastructure during triclosan exposure. • Triclosan can be biotransformed by M. aeruginosa with methylation as a major pathway. • Presence of M. aeruginosa enhanced the photodegradation of triclosan. - Abstract: Cyanobacteria can co-exist in eutrophic waters with chemicals or other substances derived from personal care products discharged in wastewater. In this work, we investigate the interactions between the antimicrobial agent triclosan (TCS) and the bloom-forming cyanobacteria Microcystis aeruginosa. M. aeruginosa was very sensitive to TCS with the 96 h lowest observed effect concentration of 1.0 and 10 μg/L for inhibition of growth and photosynthetic activity, respectively. Exposure to TCS at environmentally relevant levels (0.1–2.0 μg/L) also affected the activities of superoxide dismutase (SOD) and the generation of reduced glutathione (GSH), while microcystin production was not affected. Transmission electron microscope (TEM) examination showed the destruction of M. aeruginosa cell ultrastructure during TCS exposure. TCS however, can be biotransformed by M. aeruginosa with methylation as a major biotransformation pathway. Furthermore, the presence of M. aeruginosa in solution promoted the photodegradation of TCS. Overall, our results demonstrate that M. aeruginosa plays an important role in the dissipation of TCS in aquatic environments but high residual TCS can exert toxic effects on M. aeruginosa.

Subsurface phytoplankton blooms fuel pelagic production in the North Sea

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Richardson, Kathrine; Visser, Andre; Pedersen, Flemming

2000-01-01

The seasonal phytoplankton biomass distribution pattern in stratified temperate marine waters is traditionally depicted as consisting of spring and autumn blooms. The energy source supporting pelagic summer production is believed to be the spring bloom. However, the spring bloom disappears...... relatively quickly from the water column and a large proportion of the material sedimenting to the bottom following the spring bloom is often comprised of intact phytoplankton cells. Thus, it is easy to argue that the spring bloom is fueling the energy demands of the benthos, but more difficult to argue...... convincingly that energy fixed during the spring bloom is fueling the pelagic production occurring during summer months. We argue here that periodic phytoplankton blooms are occurring during the summer in the North Sea at depths of >25 m and that the accumulated new production [sensu (Dugdale and Goering...

El Niño-related offshore phytoplankton bloom events around the Spratley Islands in the South China Sea

Science.gov (United States)

Isoguchi, Osamu; Kawamura, Hiroshi; Ku-Kassim, Ku-Yaacob

2005-11-01

Satellite chlorophyll-a (Chl-a) observations reveal offshore phytoplankton bloom events with high Chl-a (>1 mg m-3) spreading over 300 km off the coasts around the Spratley Islands in the South China Sea (SCS) during the spring of 1998. The bloom entails anomalous wind jet and sea surface temperature (SST) cooling, suggesting that the wind jet-induced mixing and/or offshore upwelling bring about the cooling and the bloom through the supply of nutrient-rich waters into the euphotic zone. The strong wind jet is orographically formed responding to shifts in wind direction over the eastern SCS. The wind shift is connected with the Philippine Sea anomalous anticyclone that is established during El Niño, indicating the El Niño-related offshore bloom. The long-term reanalysis winds over the eastern SCS demonstrates that wind jet formation and associated offshore cooling/bloom are expected to occur in most cases of the subsequent El Niño years.

sxtA-based quantitative molecular assay to identify saxitoxin-producing harmful algal blooms in marine waters.

Science.gov (United States)

Murray, Shauna A; Wiese, Maria; Stüken, Anke; Brett, Steve; Kellmann, Ralf; Hallegraeff, Gustaaf; Neilan, Brett A

2011-10-01

The recent identification of genes involved in the production of the potent neurotoxin and keystone metabolite saxitoxin (STX) in marine eukaryotic phytoplankton has allowed us for the first time to develop molecular genetic methods to investigate the chemical ecology of harmful algal blooms in situ. We present a novel method for detecting and quantifying the potential for STX production in marine environmental samples. Our assay detects a domain of the gene sxtA that encodes a unique enzyme putatively involved in the sxt pathway in marine dinoflagellates, sxtA4. A product of the correct size was recovered from nine strains of four species of STX-producing Alexandrium and Gymnodinium catenatum and was not detected in the non-STX-producing Alexandrium species, other dinoflagellate cultures, or an environmental sample that did not contain known STX-producing species. However, sxtA4 was also detected in the non-STX-producing strain of Alexandrium tamarense, Tasmanian ribotype. We investigated the copy number of sxtA4 in three strains of Alexandrium catenella and found it to be relatively constant among strains. Using our novel method, we detected and quantified sxtA4 in three environmental blooms of Alexandrium catenella that led to STX uptake in oysters. We conclude that this method shows promise as an accurate, fast, and cost-effective means of quantifying the potential for STX production in marine samples and will be useful for biological oceanographic research and harmful algal bloom monitoring.

Fish Kill Incidents and Harmful Algal Blooms in Omani Waters

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Hamed Mohammed Al Gheilani

2011-01-01

Full Text Available Red tide, one of the harmful algal blooms (HABs is a natural ecological phenomenon and often this event is accompanied by severe impacts on coastal resources, local economies, and public health. The occurrence of red tides has become more frequent in Omani waters in recent years. Some of them caused fish kill, damaged fishery resources and mariculture, threatened the marine environment and the osmosis membranes of desalination plants. However, a number of them have been harmless. The most common dinoflagellate Noctiluca scintillans is associated with the red tide events in Omani waters. Toxic species like Karenia selliformis, Prorocentrum arabianum, and Trichodesmium erythraeum have also been reported recently. Although red tides in Oman have been considered a consequence of upwelling in the summer season (May to September, recent phytoplankton outbreaks in Oman are not restricted to summer. Frequent algal blooms have been reported during winter (December to March. HABs may have contributed to hypoxia and/or other negative ecological impacts.

Algal blooms: a perspective from the coasts of India

Digital Repository Service at National Institute of Oceanography (India)

DeSilva, M.S.; Anil, A.C.; Naik, R.K.; DeCosta, P.M.

Algal blooms have been documented along the west and east coasts of India. A review of bloom occurrences in Indian waters from 1908 to 2009 points out that a total of 101 cases have been reported. A comparison of the bloom cases reported before...

Bacterial community transcription patterns during a marine phytoplankton bloom.

Science.gov (United States)

Rinta-Kanto, Johanna M; Sun, Shulei; Sharma, Shalabh; Kiene, Ronald P; Moran, Mary Ann

2012-01-01

Bacterioplankton consume a large proportion of photosynthetically fixed carbon in the ocean and control its biogeochemical fate. We used an experimental metatranscriptomics approach to compare bacterial activities that route energy and nutrients during a phytoplankton bloom compared with non-bloom conditions. mRNAs were sequenced from duplicate bloom and control microcosms 1 day after a phytoplankton biomass peak, and transcript copies per litre of seawater were calculated using an internal mRNA standard. Transcriptome analysis revealed a potential novel mechanism for enhanced efficiency during carbon-limited growth, mediated through membrane-bound pyrophosphatases [V-type H(+)-translocating; hppA]; bloom bacterioplankton participated less in this metabolic energy scavenging than non-bloom bacterioplankton, with possible implications for differences in growth yields on organic substrates. Bloom bacterioplankton transcribed more copies of genes predicted to increase cell surface adhesiveness, mediated by changes in bacterial signalling molecules related to biofilm formation and motility; these may be important in microbial aggregate formation. Bloom bacterioplankton also transcribed more copies of genes for organic acid utilization, suggesting an increased importance of this compound class in the bioreactive organic matter released during phytoplankton blooms. Transcription patterns were surprisingly faithful within a taxon regardless of treatment, suggesting that phylogeny broadly predicts the ecological roles of bacterial groups across 'boom' and 'bust' environmental backgrounds. © 2011 Society for Applied Microbiology and Blackwell Publishing Ltd.

Experiment, modeling and optimization of liquid phase adsorption of Cu(II) using dried and carbonized biomass of Lyngbya majuscula

Science.gov (United States)

Kushwaha, Deepika; Dutta, Susmita

2017-05-01

The present work aims at evaluation of the potential of cyanobacterial biomass to remove Cu(II) from simulated wastewater. Both dried and carbonized forms of Lyngbya majuscula, a cyanobacterial strain, have been used for such purpose. The influences of different experimental parameters viz., initial Cu(II) concentration, solution pH and adsorbent dose have been examined on sorption of Cu(II). Kinetic and equilibrium studies on Cu(II) removal from simulated wastewater have been done using both dried and carbonized biomass individually. Pseudo-second-order model and Langmuir isotherm have been found to fit most satisfactorily to the kinetic and equilibrium data, respectively. Maximum 87.99 and 99.15 % of Cu(II) removal have been achieved with initial Cu(II) concentration of 10 and 25 mg/L for dried and carbonized algae, respectively, at an adsorbent dose of 10 g/L for 20 min of contact time and optimum pH 6. To optimize the removal process, Response Surface Methodology has been employed using both the dried and carbonized biomass. Removal with initial Cu(II) concentration of 20 mg/L, with 0.25 g adsorbent dose in 50 mL solution at pH 6 has been found to be optimum with both the adsorbents. This is the first ever attempt to make a comparative study on Cu(II) removal using both dried algal biomass and its activated carbon. Furthermore, regeneration of matrix was attempted and more than 70% and 80% of the adsorbent has been regenerated successfully in the case of dried and carbonized biomass respectively upto the 3rd cycle of regeneration study.

Effect of mustard gas hydrolysis products on the development of water-bloom forming cyanobacteria

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Zaytseva Tatyana

2017-03-01

Full Text Available Mustard gas and its hydrolysis products (MGHP belong to stable organochlorine compounds with high toxicity and broad spectrum of activity. Since the Second World War many aquatic ecosystems including the Baltic and the Adriatic Sea as well as the coastal waters of Japan, the USA, the UK, Australia have been contaminated with mustard gas due to the dumping of chemical weapon. Mustard gas and its hydrolysis products have a negative impact on aquatic life including microbiota. The aim of this work was to define the effect of MGHP on the growth, photosynthetic activity and synthesis of secondary metabolites by water-bloom forming cyanobacteria Trichormus variabilis, Aphanizomenon flos-aquae, Microcystis aeruginosa, Nodularia spumigena. Microbiological, chromatographic, spectrophotometric methods were used. The growth inhibition test with MGHP on cyanobacteria showed influence on the concentration EC50 within the range of 5.5 – 11.2 mg of organochlorine compounds (ОCC per liter. The synthesis of chlorophyll a was also decreased. It was shown that the chlorophyll synthesis was more sensitive to MGHP than the growth of cyanobacteria. NGHP induced enhanced excretion of exopolysaccharides. Low concentration of MGHP – 0.3 mg OCC/l - promoted the growth of toxigenic cyanobacterium Microcystis aeruginosa and increased microcystin-LR concentration in the environment. enhanced excretion of such metabolites as polysaccharides and cyanotoxins has a serious negative impact on water pollution due to MGHP.

Detection of surface algal blooms using the newly developed algorithm surface algal bloom index SABI)

OpenAIRE

Alawadi, Fahad

2010-01-01

Quantifying ocean colour properties has evolved over the past two decades from being able to merely detect their biological activity to the ability to estimate chlorophyll concentration using optical satellite sensors like MODIS and MERIS. The production of chlorophyll spatial distribution maps is a good indicator of plankton biomass (primary production) and is useful for the tracing of oceanographic currents, jets and blooms, including harmful algal blooms (HABs). Depending on the type of HA...

Influence of Didymosphenia geminata blooms on prey composition and associated diet and growth of Brown Trout

Science.gov (United States)

James, Daniel A.; Chipps, Steven R.

2016-01-01

We compared diet, stomach fullness, condition, and growth of Brown Trout Salmo trutta among streams with or without blooms of the benthic diatom Didymosphenia geminata in the Black Hills, South Dakota. In Rapid Creek, where D. geminata blooms covered ∼30% of the stream bottom, Brown Trout consumed fewer ephemeropterans (6–8% by weight) than individuals from two stream sections that have not had D. geminatablooms (Castle and Spearfish creeks; 13–39% by weight). In contrast, dipterans (primarily Chironomidae) represented a larger percentage of Brown Trout diets from Rapid Creek (D. geminata blooms present; 16–28% dry weight) compared with diets of trout from streams without D. geminata blooms (6–19% dry weight). Diets of small Brown Trout (100–199 mm TL) reflected the invertebrate species composition in benthic stream samples; in Rapid Creek, ephemeropterans were less abundant whereas dipterans were more abundant than in streams without D. geminata blooms. Stomach fullness and condition of Brown Trout from Rapid Creek were generally greater than those of Brown Trout from other populations. Linkages among invertebrate availability, diet composition, and condition of Brown Trout support the hypothesis that changes in invertebrate assemblages associated with D. geminata (i.e., more Chironomidae) could be contributing to high recruitment success for small Brown Trout in Rapid Creek.

Bacterial and protist community changes during a phytoplankton bloom

KAUST Repository

Pearman, John K.

2015-10-01

The present study aims to characterize the change in the composition and structure of the bacterial and microzooplankton planktonic communities in relation to the phytoplankton community composition during a bloom. High-throughput amplicon sequencing of regions of the 16S and 18S rRNA gene was undertaken on samples collected during a 20 day (d) mesocosm experiment incorporating two different nutrient addition treatments [Nitrate and Phosphate (NPc) and Nitrate, Phosphate and Silicate (NPSc)] as well as a control. This approach allowed us to discriminate the changes in species composition across a broad range of phylogenetic groups using a common taxonomic level. Diatoms dominated the bloom in the NPSc treatment while dinoflagellates were the dominant phytoplankton in the control and NPc treatment. Network correlations highlighted significant interactions between OTUs within each treatment including changes in the composition of Paraphysomonas OTUs when the dominant Chaetoceros OTU switched. The microzooplankton community composition responded to changes in the phytoplankton composition while the prokaryotic community responded more to changes in ammonia concentration.

Distribution and recurrence of phytoplankton blooms around South Georgia, Southern Ocean

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I. Borrione

2013-01-01

Full Text Available South Georgia phytoplankton blooms are amongst the largest of the Southern Ocean and are associated with a rich ecosystem and strong atmospheric carbon drawdown. Both aspects depend on the intensity of blooms, but also on their regularity. Here we use data from 12 yr of SeaWiFS (Sea-viewing Wide Field-of-view Sensor ocean colour imagery and calculate the frequency of bloom occurrence (FBO to re-examine spatial and temporal bloom distributions. We find that upstream of the island and outside the borders of the Georgia Basin, blooms occurred in less than 4 out of the 12 yr (FBO < 4. In contrast, FBO was mostly greater than 8 downstream of the island, i.e., to the north and northwest, and in places equal to 12, indicating that blooms occurred every year. The typical bloom area, defined as the region where blooms occurred in at least 8 out of the 12 yr, covers the entire Georgia Basin and the northern shelf of the island. The time series of surface chlorophyll a (Chl a concentrations averaged over the typical bloom area shows that phytoplankton blooms occurred in every year between September 1997 and September 2010, and that Chl a values followed a clear seasonal cycle, with concentration peaks around December followed in many years by a second peak during late austral summer or early autumn, suggesting a bi-modal bloom pattern. The bloom regularity we describe here is in contrast with results of Park et al. (2010 who used a significantly different study area including regions that almost never exhibit bloom conditions.

Selective algicidal action of peptides against harmful algal bloom species.

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Seong-Cheol Park

Full Text Available Recently, harmful algal bloom (HAB, also termed "red tide", has been recognized as a serious problem in marine environments according to climate changes worldwide. Many novel materials or methods to prevent HAB have not yet been employed except for clay dispersion, in which can the resulting sedimentation on the seafloor can also cause alteration in marine ecology or secondary environmental pollution. In the current study, we investigated that antimicrobial peptide have a potential in controlling HAB without cytotoxicity to harmless marine organisms. Here, antimicrobial peptides are proposed as new algicidal compounds in combating HAB cells. HPA3 and HPA3NT3 peptides which exert potent antimicrobial activity via pore forming action in plasma membrane showed that HPA3NT3 reduced the motility of algal cells, disrupted their plasma membrane, and induced the efflux of intracellular components. Against raphidoflagellate such as Heterosigma akashiwo, Chattonella sp., and C. marina, it displayed a rapid lysing action in cell membranes at 1~4 µM within 2 min. Comparatively, its lysing effects occurred at 8 µM within 1 h in dinoflagellate such as Cochlodium polykrikoides, Prorocentrum micans, and P. minimum. Moreover, its lysing action induced the lysis of chloroplasts and loss of chlorophyll a. In the contrary, this peptide was not effective against Skeletonema costatum, harmless algal cell, even at 256 µM, moreover, it killed only H. akashiwo or C. marina in co-cultivation with S. costatum, indicating to its selective algicidal activity between harmful and harmless algal cells. The peptide was non-hemolytic against red blood cells of Sebastes schlegeli, the black rockfish, at 120 µM. HAB cells were quickly and selectively lysed following treatment of antimicrobial peptides without cytotoxicity to harmless marine organisms. Thus, the antibiotic peptides examined in our study appear to have much potential in effectively controlling HAB with minimal

A multiomics approach to study the microbiome response to phytoplankton blooms.

Science.gov (United States)

Song, Liyan

2017-06-01

Phytoplankton blooms are predictable features of marine and freshwater habitats. Despite a good knowledge base of the environmental factors controlling blooms, complex interactions between the bacterial and archaeal communities and phytoplankton bloom taxa are only now emerging. Here, the current research on bacterial community's structural and functional response to phytoplankton blooms is reviewed and discussed and further research is proposed. More attention should be paid on structure and function of autotrophic bacteria and archaea during phytoplankton blooms. A multiomics integration approach is needed to investigate bacterial and archaeal communities' diversity, metabolic diversity, and biogeochemical functions of microbial interactions during phytoplankton blooms.

Analysis of Microcystins in Cyanobacterial Blooms from Freshwater Bodies in England

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Andrew D. Turner

2018-01-01

Full Text Available Cyanobacterial blooms in freshwater bodies in England are currently monitored reactively, with samples containing more than 20,000 cells/mL of potentially toxin-producing species by light microscopy resulting in action by the water body owner. Whilst significantly reducing the risk of microcystin exposure, there is little data describing the levels of these toxins present in cyanobacterial blooms. This study focused on the quantitative LC-MS/MS analysis of microcystins in freshwater samples, collected across England during 2016 and found to contain potentially toxin-producing cyanobacteria. More than 50% of samples contained quantifiable concentrations of microcystins, with approximately 13% exceeding the WHO medium health threshold of 20 μg/L. Toxic samples were confirmed over a nine-month period, with a clear increase in toxins during late summer, but with no apparent geographical patterns. No statistical relationships were found between total toxin concentrations and environmental parameters. Complex toxin profiles were determined and profile clusters were unrelated to cyanobacterial species, although a dominance of MC-RR was determined in water samples from sites associated with lower rainfall. 100% of samples with toxins above the 20 μg/L limit contained cell densities above 20,000 cells/mL or cyanobacterial scum, showing the current regime is suitable for public health. Conversely, with only 18% of cell density threshold samples having total microcystins above 20 μg/L, there is the potential for reactive water closures to unnecessarily impact upon the socio-economics of the local population. In the future, routine analysis of bloom samples by LC-MS/MS would provide a beneficial confirmatory approach to the current microscopic assessment, aiding both public health and the needs of water users and industry.

Prevention of Cyanobacterial Blooms Using Nanosilica: A Biomineralization-Inspired Strategy.

Science.gov (United States)

Xiong, Wei; Tang, Yiming; Shao, Changyu; Zhao, Yueqi; Jin, Biao; Huang, Tingting; Miao, Ya'nan; Shu, Lei; Ma, Weimin; Xu, Xurong; Tang, Ruikang

2017-11-07

Cyanobacterial blooms represent a significant threat to global water resources because blooming cyanobacteria deplete oxygen and release cyanotoxins, which cause the mass death of aquatic organisms. In nature, a large biomass volume of cyanobacteria is a precondition for a bloom, and the cyanobacteria buoyancy is a key parameter for inducing the dense accumulation of cells on the water surface. Therefore, blooms will likely be curtailed if buoyancy is inhibited. Inspired by diatoms with naturally generated silica shells, we found that silica nanoparticles can be spontaneously incorporated onto cyanobacteria in the presence of poly(diallyldimethylammonium chloride), a cationic polyelectrolyte that can simulate biosilicification proteins. The resulting cyanobacteria-SiO 2 complexes can remain sedimentary in water. This strategy significantly inhibited the photoautotrophic growth of the cyanobacteria and decreased their biomass accumulation, which could effectively suppress harmful bloom events. Consequently, several of the adverse consequences of cyanobacteria blooms in water bodies, including oxygen consumption and microcystin release, were significantly alleviated. Based on the above results, we propose that the silica nanoparticle treatment has the potential for use as an efficient strategy for preventing cyanobacteria blooms.

Synergistic and species-specific effects of climate change and water colour on cyanobacterial toxicity and bloom formation

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Ekvall, M.K.; Faassen, E.J.; Gustafsson, J.A.; Lurling, M.; Hansson, L.

2013-01-01

Cyanobacterial blooms are a worldwide phenomenon in both marine and freshwater ecosystems and are predicted to occur more frequently due to global climate change. However, our future water resources may also simultaneously suffer from other environmental threats such as elevated amounts of humic

Harmful Algal Blooms

Science.gov (United States)

Graham, Jennifer L.

2007-01-01

What are Harmful Algal Blooms (HABs)? Freshwater and marine harmful algal blooms (HABs) can occur anytime water use is impaired due to excessive accumulations of algae. HAB occurrence is affected by a complex set of physical, chemical, biological, hydrological, and meteorological conditions making it difficult to isolate specific causative environmental factors. Potential impairments include reduction in water quality, accumulation of malodorous scums in beach areas, algal production of toxins potent enough to poison both aquatic and terrestrial organisms, and algal production of taste-and-odor compounds that cause unpalatable drinking water and fish. HABs are a global problem, and toxic freshwater and (or) marine algae have been implicated in human and animal illness and death in over 45 countries worldwide and in at least 27 U.S. States (Yoo and others, 1995; Chorus and Bartram, 1999; Huisman and others, 2005).

The Blooming Anatomy Tool (BAT): A Discipline-Specific Rubric for Utilizing Bloom's Taxonomy in the Design and Evaluation of Assessments in the Anatomical Sciences

Science.gov (United States)

Thompson, Andrew R.; O'Loughlin, Valerie D.

2015-01-01

Bloom's taxonomy is a resource commonly used to assess the cognitive level associated with course assignments and examination questions. Although widely utilized in educational research, Bloom's taxonomy has received limited attention as an analytical tool in the anatomical sciences. Building on previous research, the Blooming Anatomy Tool (BAT)…

Toxic cyanobacteria blooms in the Lithuanian part of the Curonian Lagoon

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Artūras Razinkovas

2009-06-01

Full Text Available The phenomenon of cyanobacteria (blue-green algae blooms in the Baltic and the surrounding freshwater bodies has been known for several decades. The presence of cyanobacterial toxic metabolites in the Curonian Lagoon has been investigated and demonstrated for the first time in this work (2006-2007. Microcystis aeruginosa was the most common and widely distributed species in the 2006 blooms. Nodularia spumigena was present in the northern part of the Curonian Lagoon, following the intrusion of brackish water from the Baltic Sea; this is the first time that this nodularin-(NOD-producing cyanobacterium has been recorded in the lagoon. With the aid of high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC, four microcystins (MC-LR, MC-RR, MC-LY, MC-YR and nodularin were detected in 2006. The presence of these cyanobacterial hepatotoxic cyclic peptides was additionally confirmed by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA and protein phosphatase inhibition assay (PP1. Microcystin-LR, the most frequent of them, was present in every sample at quite high concentrations (from <0.1 to 134.2 µg dm-3. In 2007, no cyanobacterial bloom was recorded and cyanotoxins were detected in only 4% of the investigated samples. A comparably high concentration of nodularin was detected in the northern part of the Curonian Lagoon. In one sample dimethylated MC-RR was also detected (concentration 7.5 µg dm-3.

Byatt versus Bloom

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Børch, Marianne

2016-01-01

Antonia Byatt's Possession takes issue with Harold Bloom's famous claim that creation - including an author's creative reading of an intertext - entails a violent encounter. Byatt's book suggests a more positive Construction of the process by which tradition is transformed in transmission....

Aerial Images and Convolutional Neural Network for Cotton Bloom Detection.

Science.gov (United States)

Xu, Rui; Li, Changying; Paterson, Andrew H; Jiang, Yu; Sun, Shangpeng; Robertson, Jon S

2017-01-01

Monitoring flower development can provide useful information for production management, estimating yield and selecting specific genotypes of crops. The main goal of this study was to develop a methodology to detect and count cotton flowers, or blooms, using color images acquired by an unmanned aerial system. The aerial images were collected from two test fields in 4 days. A convolutional neural network (CNN) was designed and trained to detect cotton blooms in raw images, and their 3D locations were calculated using the dense point cloud constructed from the aerial images with the structure from motion method. The quality of the dense point cloud was analyzed and plots with poor quality were excluded from data analysis. A constrained clustering algorithm was developed to register the same bloom detected from different images based on the 3D location of the bloom. The accuracy and incompleteness of the dense point cloud were analyzed because they affected the accuracy of the 3D location of the blooms and thus the accuracy of the bloom registration result. The constrained clustering algorithm was validated using simulated data, showing good efficiency and accuracy. The bloom count from the proposed method was comparable with the number counted manually with an error of -4 to 3 blooms for the field with a single plant per plot. However, more plots were underestimated in the field with multiple plants per plot due to hidden blooms that were not captured by the aerial images. The proposed methodology provides a high-throughput method to continuously monitor the flowering progress of cotton.

Summer heatwaves promote blooms of harmful cyanobacteria

NARCIS (Netherlands)

K.D Joehnk; J. Huisman; J. Sharples; B.P. Sommeijer (Ben); P.M. Visser (Petra); J.M. Stroom

2008-01-01

htmlabstractDense surface blooms of toxic cyanobacteria in eutrophic lakes may lead to mass mortalities of fish and birds, and provide a serious health threat for cattle, pets, and humans. It has been argued that global warming may increase the incidence of harmful algal blooms. Here, we report on a

Summer heatwaves promote blooms of harmful cyanobacteria

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Jöhnk, K.D.; Huisman, J.; Sharples, J.; Sommeijer, B.; Visser, P.M.; Stroom, J.M.

2008-01-01

Dense surface blooms of toxic cyanobacteria in eutrophic lakes may lead to mass mortalities of fish and birds, and provide a serious health threat for cattle, pets, and humans. It has been argued that global warming may increase the incidence of harmful algal blooms. Here, we report on a lake

Deep-Learning-Based Approach for Prediction of Algal Blooms

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Feng Zhang

2016-10-01

Full Text Available Algal blooms have recently become a critical global environmental concern which might put economic development and sustainability at risk. However, the accurate prediction of algal blooms remains a challenging scientific problem. In this study, a novel prediction approach for algal blooms based on deep learning is presented—a powerful tool to represent and predict highly dynamic and complex phenomena. The proposed approach constructs a five-layered model to extract detailed relationships between the density of phytoplankton cells and various environmental parameters. The algal blooms can be predicted by the phytoplankton density obtained from the output layer. A case study is conducted in coastal waters of East China using both our model and a traditional back-propagation neural network for comparison. The results show that the deep-learning-based model yields better generalization and greater accuracy in predicting algal blooms than a traditional shallow neural network does.

The effect of environmental parameters and cyanobacterial blooms on phytoplankton dynamics of a Portuguese temperate lake

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

De Figueiredo, Daniela R.; P. S. Reboleira, Ana Sofia; Antunes, Sara C.

2006-01-01

The increasing occurrence of cyanobacterial blooms in freshwaters is of great concern due to the ability of many cyanobacteria to produce cyanotoxins. In the present work, the eutrophied Vela Lake (Central Portugal), used for recreational purposes and as a water source for agriculture, was monito...... for the phytoplanktonic assemblage during the study period was increased in about 7% achieving a total of 61.0%, indicating a correlation that may be due to the known competitive advantage and/or allelopathy of the bloom-forming cyanobacteria towards microalgae....

Effects of fertilizers used in agricultural fields on algal blooms

Science.gov (United States)

Chakraborty, Subhendu; Tiwari, P. K.; Sasmal, S. K.; Misra, A. K.; Chattopadhyay, Joydev

2017-06-01

The increasing occurrence of algal blooms and their negative ecological impacts have led to intensified monitoring activities. This needs the proper identification of the most responsible factor/factors for the bloom formation. However, in natural systems, algal blooms result from a combination of factors and from observation it is difficult to identify the most important one. In the present paper, using a mathematical model we compare the effects of three human induced factors (fertilizer input in agricultural field, eutrophication due to other sources than fertilizers, and overfishing) on the bloom dynamics and DO level. By applying a sophisticated sensitivity analysis technique, we found that the increasing use of fertilizers in agricultural field causes more rapid algal growth and decreases DO level much faster than eutrophication from other sources and overfishing. We also look at the mechanisms how fertilizer input rate affects the algal bloom dynamics and DO level. The model can be helpful for the policy makers in determining the influential factors responsible for the bloom formation.

The influence of oral Veillonella species on biofilms formed by Streptococcus species.

Science.gov (United States)

Mashima, Izumi; Nakazawa, Futoshi

2014-08-01

Oral Veillonella, Veillonella atypica, Veillonella denticariosi, Veillonella dispar, Veillonella parvula, Veillonella rogosae, and Veillonella tobetsuensis are known as early colonizers in oral biofilm formation. To investigate the role of oral Veillonella, biofilms formed by the co-culture of Streptococcus gordonii, Streptococcus mutans, Streptococcus salivarius, or Streptococcus sanguinis, with oral Veillonella were examined at the species level. The amount of biofilm formed by S. mutans, S. gordonii, and S. salivarius in the presence of the six Veillonella species was greater than that formed in the control experiments, with the exception of S. mutans with V. dispar. In contrast, in the case of biofilm formation by S. sanguinis, the presence of Veillonella species reduced the amount of the biofilm, with the exception of V. parvula and V. dispar. The time-dependent changes in the amount of biofilm and the number of planktonic cells were grouped into four patterns over the 24 combinations. Only that of S. gordonii with V. tobetsuensis showed a unique pattern. These results indicate that the mode of action of this combination differed from that of the other combinations with respect to biofilm formation. It is possible that there may be several factors involved in the interaction between Streptococcus and Veillonella species. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

sxtA-Based Quantitative Molecular Assay To Identify Saxitoxin-Producing Harmful Algal Blooms in Marine Waters ▿ †

Science.gov (United States)

Murray, Shauna A.; Wiese, Maria; Stüken, Anke; Brett, Steve; Kellmann, Ralf; Hallegraeff, Gustaaf; Neilan, Brett A.

2011-01-01

The recent identification of genes involved in the production of the potent neurotoxin and keystone metabolite saxitoxin (STX) in marine eukaryotic phytoplankton has allowed us for the first time to develop molecular genetic methods to investigate the chemical ecology of harmful algal blooms in situ. We present a novel method for detecting and quantifying the potential for STX production in marine environmental samples. Our assay detects a domain of the gene sxtA that encodes a unique enzyme putatively involved in the sxt pathway in marine dinoflagellates, sxtA4. A product of the correct size was recovered from nine strains of four species of STX-producing Alexandrium and Gymnodinium catenatum and was not detected in the non-STX-producing Alexandrium species, other dinoflagellate cultures, or an environmental sample that did not contain known STX-producing species. However, sxtA4 was also detected in the non-STX-producing strain of Alexandrium tamarense, Tasmanian ribotype. We investigated the copy number of sxtA4 in three strains of Alexandrium catenella and found it to be relatively constant among strains. Using our novel method, we detected and quantified sxtA4 in three environmental blooms of Alexandrium catenella that led to STX uptake in oysters. We conclude that this method shows promise as an accurate, fast, and cost-effective means of quantifying the potential for STX production in marine samples and will be useful for biological oceanographic research and harmful algal bloom monitoring. PMID:21841034

Bloom's Taxonomy: Improving Assessment and Teaching-Learning Process

Science.gov (United States)

Chandio, Muhammad Tufail; Pandhiani, Saima Murtaza; Iqbal, Rabia

2016-01-01

This research study critically analyzes the scope and contribution of Bloom's Taxonomy in both assessment and teaching-learning process. Bloom's Taxonomy consists of six stages, namely; remembering, understanding, applying, analyzing, evaluating and creating and moves from lower degree to the higher degree. The study applies Bloom's Taxonomy to…

Emergence of Algal Blooms: The Effects of Short-Term Variability in Water Quality on Phytoplankton Abundance, Diversity, and Community Composition in a Tidal Estuary

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Todd A. Egerton

2014-01-01

Full Text Available Algal blooms are dynamic phenomena, often attributed to environmental parameters that vary on short timescales (e.g., hours to days. Phytoplankton monitoring programs are largely designed to examine long-term trends and interannual variability. In order to better understand and evaluate the relationships between water quality variables and the genesis of algal blooms, daily samples were collected over a 34 day period in the eutrophic Lafayette River, a tidal tributary within Chesapeake Bay’s estuarine complex, during spring 2006. During this period two distinct algal blooms occurred; the first was a cryptomonad bloom and this was followed by a bloom of the mixotrophic dinoflagellate, Gymnodinium instriatum. Chlorophyll a, nutrient concentrations, and physical and chemical parameters were measured daily along with phytoplankton abundance and community composition. While 65 phytoplankton species from eight major taxonomic groups were identified in samples and total micro- and nano-phytoplankton cell densities ranged from 5.8 × 106 to 7.8 × 107 cells L−1, during blooms, cryptomonads and G. instriatum were 91.6% and 99.0%, respectively, of the total phytoplankton biomass during blooms. The cryptomonad bloom developed following a period of rainfall and concomitant increases in inorganic nitrogen concentrations. Nitrate, nitrite and ammonium concentrations 0 to 5 days prior were positively lag-correlated with cryptomonad abundance. In contrast, the G. insriatum bloom developed during periods of low dissolved nitrogen concentrations and their abundance was negatively correlated with inorganic nitrogen concentrations.

Aerosol Emissions from Great Lakes Harmful Algal Blooms

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

May, Nathaniel W. [Department; Olson, Nicole E. [Department; Panas, Mark [Department; Axson, Jessica L. [Department; Tirella, Peter S. [Department; Kirpes, Rachel M. [Department; Craig, Rebecca L. [Department; Gunsch, Matthew J. [Department; China, Swarup [William; Laskin, Alexander [William; Ault, Andrew P. [Department; Department; Pratt, Kerri A. [Department; Department

2017-12-20

In freshwater lakes, harmful algal blooms (HABs) of Cyanobacteria (blue-green algae) produce toxins that impact human health. However, little is known about the chemical species present in lake spray aerosol (LSA) produced from wave-breaking in freshwater HABs. In this study, a laboratory LSA generator produced aerosols from freshwater samples collected from Lake Michigan and Lake Erie during HAB and non-bloom conditions. Particles were analyzed for size and chemical composition by single particle mass spectrometry, electron microscopy, and fluorescence microscopy, with three distinct types of LSA identified with varying levels of organic carbon and biological material associated with calcium salts. LSA autofluorescence increases with blue-green algae concentration, showing that organic molecules of biological origin are incorporated in LSA from HABs. The number fraction of LSA with biological mass spectral markers also increases with particle diameter (greater than 0.5 μm), showing that HABs have size-dependent impacts on aerosol composition. The highest number fraction of LSA enriched in organic carbon were observed in particles less than 0.5 μm in diameter. Understanding the transfer of organic and biogenic material from freshwater to the atmosphere via LSA particles is crucial for determining health and climate effects due to HABs.

Assessment of the phytochemical constituents and antioxidant activity of a bloom forming microalgae Euglena tuba

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Dipankar Chaudhuri

2014-01-01

Full Text Available BACKGROUND: Unstable generation of free radicals in the body are responsible for many degenerative diseases. A bloom forming algae Euglena tuba growing abundantly in the aquatic habitats of Cachar district in the state of Assam in North-East India was analysed for its phytochemical contents, antioxidant activity as well as free radical scavenging potentials. RESULTS: Based on the ability of the extract in ABTS•+ radical cation inhibition and Fe3+ reducing power, the obtained results revealed the prominent antioxidant activity of the algae, with high correlation coefficient of its TEAC values to the respective phenolic and flavonoid contents. The extract had shown its scavenging activity for different free radicals and 41.89 ± 0.41 µg/ml, 5.83 ± 0.07 µg/ml, 278.46 ± 15.02 µg/ml and 223.25 ± 4.19 µg/ml were determined as the IC50 values for hydroxyl, superoxide, nitric oxide and hypochlorous acid respectively, which are lower than that of the corresponding reference standards. The phytochemical analysis also revealed that the phenolics, flavonoids, alkaloids, tannins and carbohydrates are present in adequate amount in the extract which was confirmed by HPLC analysis. CONCLUSIONS: The results showed that 70% methanol extract of the algae possesses excellent antioxidant and free radical scavenging properties.

A major seasonal phytoplankton bloom in the Madagascar Basin

Science.gov (United States)

Longhurst, Alan

2001-11-01

A hitherto-unnoticed phytoplankton bloom, of dimension 3000×1500 km, occupies the Madagascar Basin in late austral summer, being a prominent feature in SeaWiFS images. A first-order interpretation of the bloom mechanism invokes the seasonal deepening of the mixed layer within a strong mesoscale eddy-field and the consequent entrainment of nutrients into the photic zone. Features of the bloom correspond closely and appropriately with features of the eddy-field as observed by TOPEX-POSEIDON sea level anomalies. The bloom failed to develop in 1998, the second year of a two-year ENSO episode, when anomalously weak Southeast Trades will have failed to deepen the mixed layer as in other years.

Heterosigma bloom and associated fish kill

Science.gov (United States)

Hershberger, P.K.; Rensel, J.E.; Postel, J.R.; Taub, F.B.

1997-01-01

A bloom of the harmful marine phytoplankton, Heterosigma carterae occurred in upper Case Inlet, south Puget Sound, Washington in late September, 1994, correlating with the presence of at least 35 dead salmon. This marks the first time that this alga has been closely correlated with a wild fish kill; in the past it was thought to be associated with kills of penned fish at fish farms only. We were informed of the presence of a possible harmful algal bloom and dead salinois Ilear the town of Allyn on 27 September and a team was formed to investigate. We arrived at the Allyn waterfront at 17:30 hours the same day. Prior to our arrival, state agency personnel walked approximatcly two miles of shoreline from the powerlines north of the dock, to the mouth of Sherwood Creek and conducted the only official count of dead fish present along the shore consisting of 12 coho salmon (Oncorhynchus kisutch), 11 chum salmon (Oncorhynchus keta), 12 chinook salmon (Oncorhynchus tschawytscha), one flat fish, and one sculpin on the morning of 9/27. Since previous harmful blooms of Heterosigma have resultedin the majority of net penreared salmon sinking to the bottom of pens, and only approximately two miles of shoreline were sampled, it is suspected that many more exposed fish may have succumbed than were counted. Witnesses who explored the east side of the bay reported seeing many dead salmon there as well, but no counts were made. State agency personnel who observed the fish kill reported seeing “dying fish coming to the beach, gulping at the surface, trying to get out of the water” Scavengers were seen consuming the salmon carcasses; these included two harbor seals, a house cat, and Hymenopteran insects. None suffered any noticeable acute ill effects. Although precise cause of death has not been ascertained, visual inspection of the reproductive organs from a deceased male chum salmon found on the shore at Allyn confirmed that the fish was not yet reproductively mature and

Polyp Removal of a Bloom Forming Jellyfish, Aurelia coerulea, in Korean Waters and Its Value Evaluation

Science.gov (United States)

Yoon, Wonduk; Chae, Jinho; Koh, Byoung-Seol; Han, Changhoon

2018-04-01

Aurelia coerulea is a bloom forming jellyfish that first appeared before 1980 in the western and southern Korean seas and which has been blamed for huge economical losses in all fields of marine activities. As a preventive measure to reduce economical losses, polyp removal was undertaken at Lake Shihwa, Lake Saemangeum, and Masan Bay, Korea. In the course of efforts during 2 years to remove polyps, polyps were surveyed, quantified, and removed. In these areas, the initial total polyp abundance was 5.04 × 109 and 46.25% of them were removed; Lake Shihwa the highest rates of removal and Lake Saemangeum the lowest. These efforts to remove polyps prevented the appearance of 1.20 × 109 medusae, corresponding to 78.28 × 106 kg. The cost of polyp removal was evaluated and compared with that of medusae removal. The ratio between the cost of polyp removal and that of medusae removal ranged between 0.78-3.14%, indicating large cost savings for polyp removal undertakings. However, the effect of polyp removal varied from positive to none, and we assumed that the cleared surface for polyp removal, quantity of removed polyp, and existence of polyps' hotspots in neighboring areas were the causes of the non-effectiveness of polyp removal undertakings.

Mitigating Harmful Cyanobacterial Blooms in a Human- and Climatically-Impacted World

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Hans W. Paerl

2014-12-01

Full Text Available Bloom-forming harmful cyanobacteria (CyanoHABs are harmful from environmental, ecological and human health perspectives by outcompeting beneficial phytoplankton, creating low oxygen conditions (hypoxia, anoxia, and by producing cyanotoxins. Cyanobacterial genera exhibit optimal growth rates and bloom potentials at relatively high water temperatures; hence, global warming plays a key role in their expansion and persistence. CyanoHABs are regulated by synergistic effects of nutrient (nitrogen:N and phosphorus:P supplies, light, temperature, vertical stratification, water residence times, and biotic interactions. In most instances, nutrient control strategies should focus on reducing both N and P inputs. Strategies based on physical, chemical (nutrient and biological manipulations can be effective in reducing CyanoHABs; however, these strategies are largely confined to relatively small systems, and some are prone to ecological and environmental drawbacks, including enhancing release of cyanotoxins, disruption of planktonic and benthic communities and fisheries habitat. All strategies should consider and be adaptive to climatic variability and change in order to be effective for long-term control of CyanoHABs. Rising temperatures and greater hydrologic variability will increase growth rates and alter critical nutrient thresholds for CyanoHAB development; thus, nutrient reductions for bloom control may need to be more aggressively pursued in response to climatic changes globally.

Eddy-driven stratification initiates North Atlantic spring phytoplankton blooms.

Science.gov (United States)

Mahadevan, Amala; D'Asaro, Eric; Lee, Craig; Perry, Mary Jane

2012-07-06

Springtime phytoplankton blooms photosynthetically fix carbon and export it from the surface ocean at globally important rates. These blooms are triggered by increased light exposure of the phytoplankton due to both seasonal light increase and the development of a near-surface vertical density gradient (stratification) that inhibits vertical mixing of the phytoplankton. Classically and in current climate models, that stratification is ascribed to a springtime warming of the sea surface. Here, using observations from the subpolar North Atlantic and a three-dimensional biophysical model, we show that the initial stratification and resulting bloom are instead caused by eddy-driven slumping of the basin-scale north-south density gradient, resulting in a patchy bloom beginning 20 to 30 days earlier than would occur by warming.

Climate Change and Algal Blooms =

Science.gov (United States)

Lin, Shengpan

Algal blooms are new emerging hazards that have had important social impacts in recent years. However, it was not very clear whether future climate change causing warming waters and stronger storm events would exacerbate the algal bloom problem. The goal of this dissertation was to evaluate the sensitivity of algal biomass to climate change in the continental United States. Long-term large-scale observations of algal biomass in inland lakes are challenging, but are necessary to relate climate change to algal blooms. To get observations at this scale, this dissertation applied machine-learning algorithms including boosted regression trees (BRT) in remote sensing of chlorophyll-a with Landsat TM/ETM+. The results show that the BRT algorithm improved model accuracy by 15%, compared to traditional linear regression. The remote sensing model explained 46% of the total variance of the ground-measured chlorophyll- a in the first National Lake Assessment conducted by the US Environmental Protection Agency. That accuracy was ecologically meaningful to study climate change impacts on algal blooms. Moreover, the BRT algorithm for chlorophyll- a would not have systematic bias that is introduced by sediments and colored dissolved organic matter, both of which might change concurrently with climate change and algal blooms. This dissertation shows that the existing atmospheric corrections for Landsat TM/ETM+ imagery might not be good enough to improve the remote sensing of chlorophyll-a in inland lakes. After deriving long-term algal biomass estimates from Landsat TM/ETM+, time series analysis was used to study the relations of climate change and algal biomass in four Missouri reservoirs. The results show that neither temperature nor precipitation was the only factor that controlled temporal variation of algal biomass. Different reservoirs, even different zones within the same reservoir, responded differently to temperature and precipitation changes. These findings were further

Linking climate change and progressive eutrophication to incidents of clustered animal mortalities in different geographical regions of South Africa

CSIR Research Space (South Africa)

Oberholster, Paul J

2009-11-01

Full Text Available of cyanobacteria species that have previously been hampered to form blooms due to low temperature and nutrient concentrations, may form mix blooms with existing species which potentially can lead to the simultaneous occurrence of both neuro and hepatic biotoxins...

An Ephemeral Dinoflagellate Bloom during Summer Season in Nearshore Water of Puri, East Coast of India

Science.gov (United States)

Baliarsingh, Sanjiba Kumar; Dwivedi, Rashmin; Lotliker, Aneesh A.; Jayashankar, Reeta; Sahu, Biraja Kumar; Srichandan, Suchismita; Samanta, Alakes; Parida, Chandanlal; Srinivasakumar, Tummala; Sahu, Kali Charan

2018-03-01

The present paper reports on the phenomenon of pinkish-red discoloration of the nearshore water of Puri, Odisha on 12th May 2016. Many local newspapers covered this event, as Puri city is a major tourist and pilgrimage place on the east coast of India. Field observations were carried out in order to provide a scientific basis to the event and to elicit possible causes of this discoloration. Taxonomic analysis of the phytoplankton samples revealed the dominance of red colored dinoflagellate species Gonyaulax polygramma, contributing 90% to total phytoplankton population. The localized concentration of G. polygramma was responsible for the pinkish-red discoloration of nearshore water. The exact factor that lay behind the genesis of this bloom could not be delineated due to the short period of its persistence. But two factors - upwelling and anthropogenic nutrient influx - can be viewed as the main cause for this ephemeral bloom. Non-hypoxic conditions in the coastal water following the ephemeral bloom event indicated no significant risk of ecological deterioration to the ambient medium.

Rethinking Bloom's Taxonomy: Implications for Testing and Assessment.

Science.gov (United States)

Anderson, Lorin W.

This paper describes a work in progress on a second edition of "Taxonomy of Educational Objectives, The Classification of Educational Goals, Handbook I: Cognitive Domain," also known as "Bloom's Taxonomy" (B. Bloom and others, Eds., 1956). The new edition will be grounded in the collective wisdom of the original…

Under-Ice Phytoplankton Blooms Inhibited by Spring Convective Mixing in Refreezing Leads

Science.gov (United States)

Lowry, Kate E.; Pickart, Robert S.; Selz, Virginia; Mills, Matthew M.; Pacini, Astrid; Lewis, Kate M.; Joy-Warren, Hannah L.; Nobre, Carolina; van Dijken, Gert L.; Grondin, Pierre-Luc; Ferland, Joannie; Arrigo, Kevin R.

2018-01-01

Spring phytoplankton growth in polar marine ecosystems is limited by light availability beneath ice-covered waters, particularly early in the season prior to snowmelt and melt pond formation. Leads of open water increase light transmission to the ice-covered ocean and are sites of air-sea exchange. We explore the role of leads in controlling phytoplankton bloom dynamics within the sea ice zone of the Arctic Ocean. Data are presented from spring measurements in the Chukchi Sea during the Study of Under-ice Blooms In the Chukchi Ecosystem (SUBICE) program in May and June 2014. We observed that fully consolidated sea ice supported modest under-ice blooms, while waters beneath sea ice with leads had significantly lower phytoplankton biomass, despite high nutrient availability. Through an analysis of hydrographic and biological properties, we attribute this counterintuitive finding to springtime convective mixing in refreezing leads of open water. Our results demonstrate that waters beneath loosely consolidated sea ice (84-95% ice concentration) had weak stratification and were frequently mixed below the critical depth (the depth at which depth-integrated production balances depth-integrated respiration). These findings are supported by theoretical model calculations of under-ice light, primary production, and critical depth at varied lead fractions. The model demonstrates that under-ice blooms can form even beneath snow-covered sea ice in the absence of mixing but not in more deeply mixed waters beneath sea ice with refreezing leads. Future estimates of primary production should account for these phytoplankton dynamics in ice-covered waters.

Harmful algal bloom smart device application: using image analysis and machine learning techniques for early classification of harmful algal blooms (SETAC presentation)

Science.gov (United States)

Reports of toxic cyanobacterial blooms, also known as Harmful Algal Blooms (HABS) have increased drastically in recent years. HABS impact human health from causing mild allergies to liver damage and death. The Ecological Stewardship Institute (ESI) at Northern Kentucky Universi...

Hydrodynamic control of microphytoplankton bloom in a coastal sea

Indian Academy of Sciences (India)

Hydrodynamic control of microphytoplankton bloom in a coastal sea ... many times more than what could be accounted for by solar insolation and nutrient levels. ... and stable water column and weak winds left undisturbed, the transient bloom.

Temporal variation in density and diversity of cyanobacteria and cyanotoxins in lakes at Nagpur (Maharashtra State), India.

Science.gov (United States)

Maske, Sarika S; Sangolkar, Lalita Narendra; Chakrabarti, Tapan

2010-10-01

Toxic cyanobacteria (TCB) are known worldwide for the adverse impacts on humans and animals. Species composition and the seasonal variation of TCB in water bodies depend on interactions between physical and chemical factors. The present investigation delineates temporal variations in physico-chemical water quality parameters, viz. nutrients and density, diversity, and distribution of toxic cyanobacteria and cyanotoxins in Lake Ambazari (21 degrees 7'52''N, 79 degrees 2'22''E) and Lake Phutala (21 degrees 9'18''N, 79 degrees 2'37''E) at Nagpur (Maharashtra State), India. These lakes are important sources of recreational activities and fisheries. Toxic cyanobacterial diversity comprised Anabaena, Oscillatoria, Lyngbya, Phormidium, and Microcystis, a well-known toxic cyanobacterial genus, as dominant. Chlorophyll-a concentrations in the lakes ranged from 1.44 to 71.74 mg/m(3). A positive correlation of Microcystis biomass existed with orthophosphate-P (p 0.05). Identification and quantification of microcystin variants were carried out by high performance liquid chromatography equipped with photodiode array detector. Among all the tested toxin variants, microcystin-RR (arginine-arginine) was consistently recorded and exhibited a positive correlation (p < 0.05) with Microcystis in both the water bodies. Microcystis bloom formation was remarkable between post-monsoon and summer. Besides nutrient concentrations governing bloom formation, the allelopathic role of microcystins needs to be established.

An Artificial Neural Network Based Short-term Dynamic Prediction of Algae Bloom

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Yao Junyang

2014-06-01

Full Text Available This paper proposes a method of short-term prediction of algae bloom based on artificial neural network. Firstly, principal component analysis is applied to water environmental factors in algae bloom raceway ponds to get main factors that influence the formation of algae blooms. Then, a model of short-term dynamic prediction based on neural network is built with the current chlorophyll_a values as input and the chlorophyll_a values in the next moment as output to realize short-term dynamic prediction of algae bloom. Simulation results show that the model can realize short-term prediction of algae bloom effectively.

The Haber Bosch-harmful algal bloom (HB-HAB) link

Science.gov (United States)

Glibert, Patricia M.; Maranger, Roxane; Sobota, Daniel J.; Bouwman, Lex

2014-10-01

Large-scale commercialization of the Haber-Bosch (HB) process is resulting in intensification of nitrogen (N) fertilizer use worldwide. Globally N fertilizer use is far outpacing that of phosphorus (P) fertilizer. Much of the increase in N fertilizers is also now in the form of urea, a reduced form of N. Incorporation of these fertilizers into agricultural products is inefficient leading to significant environmental pollution and aquatic eutrophication. Of particular concern is the increased occurrence of harmful algal blooms (HABs) in waters receiving nutrient enriched runoff. Many phytoplankton causing HABs have physiological adaptive strategies that make them favored under conditions of elevated N : P conditions and supply of chemically reduced N (ammonium, urea). We propose that the HB-HAB link is a function of (1) the inefficiency of incorporation of N fertilizers in the food supply chain, the leakiness of the N cycle from crop to table, and the fate of lost N relative to P to the environment; and (2) adaptive physiology of many HABs to thrive in environments in which there is excess N relative to classic nutrient stoichiometric proportions and where chemically reduced forms of N dominate. The rate of HAB expansion is particularly pronounced in China where N fertilizer use has escalated very rapidly, where soil retention is declining, and where blooms have had large economic and ecological impacts. There, in addition to increased use of urea and high N : P based fertilizers overall, escalating aquaculture production adds to the availability of reduced forms of N, as does atmospheric deposition of ammonia. HABs in both freshwaters and marginal seas in China are highly related to these overall changing N loads and ratios. Without more aggressive N control the future outlook in terms of HABs is likely to include more events, more often, and they may also be more toxic.

The Haber Bosch–harmful algal bloom (HB–HAB) link

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Glibert, Patricia M; Maranger, Roxane; Sobota, Daniel J; Bouwman, Lex

2014-01-01

Large-scale commercialization of the Haber–Bosch (HB) process is resulting in intensification of nitrogen (N) fertilizer use worldwide. Globally N fertilizer use is far outpacing that of phosphorus (P) fertilizer. Much of the increase in N fertilizers is also now in the form of urea, a reduced form of N. Incorporation of these fertilizers into agricultural products is inefficient leading to significant environmental pollution and aquatic eutrophication. Of particular concern is the increased occurrence of harmful algal blooms (HABs) in waters receiving nutrient enriched runoff. Many phytoplankton causing HABs have physiological adaptive strategies that make them favored under conditions of elevated N : P conditions and supply of chemically reduced N (ammonium, urea). We propose that the HB-HAB link is a function of (1) the inefficiency of incorporation of N fertilizers in the food supply chain, the leakiness of the N cycle from crop to table, and the fate of lost N relative to P to the environment; and (2) adaptive physiology of many HABs to thrive in environments in which there is excess N relative to classic nutrient stoichiometric proportions and where chemically reduced forms of N dominate. The rate of HAB expansion is particularly pronounced in China where N fertilizer use has escalated very rapidly, where soil retention is declining, and where blooms have had large economic and ecological impacts. There, in addition to increased use of urea and high N : P based fertilizers overall, escalating aquaculture production adds to the availability of reduced forms of N, as does atmospheric deposition of ammonia. HABs in both freshwaters and marginal seas in China are highly related to these overall changing N loads and ratios. Without more aggressive N control the future outlook in terms of HABs is likely to include more events, more often, and they may also be more toxic. (paper)

Historical abundance and morphology of Didymosphenia species in Naknek Lake, Alaska

OpenAIRE

Pite, Danielle P.; Lane, Kelly A.; Hermann, Anna K.; Spaulding, Sarah A.; Finney, Bruce P.

2009-01-01

Since the 1980s, nuisance blooms of Didymosphenia geminata (Lyngbye) M. Schmidt have been documented in sites that are warmer and more mesotrophic than historical records indicate. While the invasion of D. geminata in New Zealand is well documented, it is less clear whether nuisance blooms in North America are a new phenomenon. In order to test the hypothesis that D. geminata blooms have increased in recent years, we examined the historical record of this species in sediments of Naknek Lake, ...

The Effect of Sonic Bloom Fertilizing Technology on The Seed Germination and Growth of Acacia mangium Willd Seedling

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Mulyadi A T

2012-11-01

Full Text Available Acacia mangium Willd is one of the promising wood species, it is a fast growing species and can be used as raw materials for pulp, furniture and wood working. Musi Hutan Persada Company has planted Acacia mangium Willd in large scale for pulp processing raw materials and for wood working industry. The faculty of forestry of the Nusa Bangsa University in collaboration with the Musi Hutan Persada have examined  the effect of “Sonic Bloom” to the Acacia mangium Willd germination and seedling growth. The results of the research are the following : (1 The seed germination with “Sonic Bloom” provided percented of germination of 82%, better than those without “Sonic Bloom”, i.e. only 34%; (2 With Sonic Bloom,  the height of 80-days old seedling is 129.6 cm higher than those without “Sonic Bloom”of only 90.7 cm  ; (3 the diameter of 80-days old seedling with “Sonic Bloom” is 0,24 cm higher than those without “Sonic Bloom” harving diameters of only 0.19 cm.The study concludes that sonic bloom treatment is very useful for the seed germination and the growth of Acacia mangium Willd seedling Key Words : Sonic Bloom, persemaian, Acacia mangium, perkecambahan, bibit   Normal 0 false false false IN X-NONE X-NONE

Activity of some nucleases of cotton sorts and species of various radiosensitivity

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Nazirov, N.N.; Arslanova, S.B.

1979-01-01

The activity of some nucleases under the effect of gamma rays was studied on cotton varieties and species differing in radiosensitivity. It was found that acid nuclease was more active in wild cotton forms as compared to the cultivated varieties, whereas with alkaline DNA-ase it was opposite. At the radiation dose of 30 kR the activity of alkaline DNA-ase activated in 26-chromosome wild cotton G. arboreum ssp. alfusifalium and 52-chromosome S.h.ssp.mexicanum, while the activity of acid DNA-ase somewhat decreased. Under irradiating AN-402 variety (produced from ssp. mexicanum by irradiation) the activity of alkaline DNA-ase increased noticeably when budding, whereas the activity of acid DNA-ase was at the level of control. The activity of the alkaline DNA-ase form normalized in the phase of blooming. In C-70-59 variety (G.arboreum) the activity of both DNA-ases increased after irradiation in the phase of blooming. The activity of acid DNA-ase and RNA-ase drastically activated in guza 183 (G. herbaceum) under gamma irradiation, whereas that of alkaline ones remained unchanged

A first report on a bloom of the marine prymnesiophycean, Phaeocystis globosa from the Arabian Sea

Digital Repository Service at National Institute of Oceanography (India)

Madhupratap, M.; Sawant, S.S.; Gauns, M.

A thick bloom of the marine prymnesiophycean, Phaeocystis globosa was observed in the central Arabian Sea during the summer monsoon period (July-August, 1996). The cells were mostly in colonial form, embedded in gelatinous matrics. The cell diameter...

The plankton community on Sukkertop and Fylla Banks off West Greenland during a spring bloom and post-bloom period: Hydrography, phytoplankton and protozooplankton

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Poulsen, Louise K.; Reuss, N.

2002-01-01

The plankton community structure was investigated on Sukkertop and Fylla Banks off West Greenland during the spring bloom in May 2000 and the post-bloom period in June 1999. In May a small change in density, clearly illustrated by the profile of potential energy, was sufficient to support a spring...... the phytoplankton community. Heterotrophic biomass was low (5 +/- 1 mg C m(-3)) and an important part was comprised by heterotrophic nanoflagellates (24 +/- 1%). Protozooplankters (heterotrophic dinoflagellates and ciliates) were important grazers of the phytoplankton community in the post-bloom period (estimated...

Effects of temperature, salinity, and irradiance on the growth of harmful algal bloom species Phaeocystis globosa Scherffel (Prymnesiophyceae) isolated from the South China Sea

Science.gov (United States)

Xu, Ning; Huang, Bozhu; Hu, Zhangxi; Tang, Yingzhong; Duan, Shunshan; Zhang, Chengwu

2017-05-01

Blooms of Phaeocystis globosa have been frequently reported in Chinese coastal waters, causing serious damage to marine ecosystems. To better understand the ecological characteristics of P. globosa in Chinese coastal waters that facilitate its rapid expansion, the effects of temperature, salinity and irradiance on the growth of P. globosa from the South China Sea were examined in the laboratory. The saturating irradiance for the growth of P. globosa ( I s) was 60 μmol/(m2•s), which was lower than those of other harmful algal species (70-114 μmol/(m2•s)). A moderate growth rate of 0.22/d was observed at 2 μmol/(m2•s) (the minimum irradiance in the experiment), and photo-inhibition did not occur at 230 μmol/(m2•s) (the maximum irradiance in the experiment). Exposed to 42 different combinations of temperatures (10-31°C) and salinities (10-40) under saturating irradiance, P. globosa exhibited its maximum specific growth rate of 0.80/d at the combinations of 24°C and 35, and 27°C and 40. The optimum growth rates (>0.80/d) were observed at temperatures ranging from 24 to 27°C and salinities from 35 to 40. While P. globosa was able to grow well at temperatures from 20°C to 31°C and salinities from 20 to 40, it could not grow at temperatures lower than 15°C or salinities lower than 15. Factorial analysis revealed that temperature and salinity has similar influences on the growth of this species. This strain of P. globosa not only prefers higher temperatures and higher salinity, but also possesses a flexible nutrient competing strategy, adapted to lower irradiance. Therefore, the P. globosa population from South China Sea should belong to a new ecotype. There is also a potentially high risk of blooms developing in this area throughout the year.

Export of a Winter Shelf Phytoplankton Bloom at the Shelf Margin of Long Bay (South Atlantic Bight, USA)

Science.gov (United States)

Nelson, J.; Seim, H.; Edwards, C. R.; Lockhart, S.; Moore, T.; Robertson, C. Y.; Amft, J.

2016-02-01

A winter 2012 field study off Long Bay (seaward of Myrtle Beach, South Carolina) investigated exchange processes along the shelf margin. Topics addressed included mechanisms of nutrient input (upper slope to outer shelf), phytoplankton blooms and community characteristics (mid-to-outer shelf), and possible export of shelf bloom material (transport to and across the shelf break to the upper slope). Observations utilized three moorings (mid-shelf, shelf break, upper slope), two gliders and ship operations (repeat cruises with profiling, water sampling and towed body surveys) along with satellite SST and ocean color imagery and near-by NOAA buoy records. Here we focus on the late January to early February period, when a mid-shelf bloom of Phaeocystis globosa (which forms large gelatinous colonies) was transported to the shelf break. The presence of Phaeocystis colonies resulted in strong spiking in chlorophyll (chl) fluorescence profiles. A partitioning approach was adapted to estimate chl in colonies (spikes) and small forms (baseline signal) and to account for an apparent difference in measured in vivo fluorescence per unit chl (lower in colonies). Up to 40-50% of chl in the bloom (surface to bottom on the mid-shelf) was estimated to be in the colonies. In late January, there a pronounced seaward slumping of relatively dense mid-shelf water along the bottom under warmer surface water derived from the inshore edge of a broad jet of Gulf Stream water flowing southwestward along the upper slope. We describe the evolution of this event and the conditions which set up this mechanism for episodic near-bed transport of fresh bloom material produced on the shelf to the upper slope off Long Bay. Down-slope transport may have been enhanced in this case by the high phytoplankton biomass in gelatinous colonies, which appeared to be settling in the water column on the shelf prior to the transport event.

Responses of Lyngbya wollei to exposures of copper-based algaecides: the critical burden concept.

Science.gov (United States)

Bishop, W M; Rodgers, J H

2012-04-01

The formulation of a specific algaecide can greatly influence the bioavailability, uptake, and consequent control of the targeted alga. In this research, three copper-based algaecide formulations were evaluated in terms of copper sorption to a specific problematic alga and amount of copper required to achieve control. The objectives of this study were (1) to compare the masses of copper required to achieve control of Lyngbya wollei using the algaecide formulations Algimycin-PWF, Clearigate, and copper sulfate pentahydrate in laboratory toxicity experiments; (2) to relate the responses of L. wollei to the masses of copper adsorbed and absorbed (i.e., dose) as well as the concentrations of copper in the exposure water; and (3) to discern the relation between the mass of copper required to achieve control of a certain mass of L. wollei among different algaecide formulations. The critical burden of copper (i.e., threshold algaecide concentration that must be absorbed or adsorbed to achieve control) for L. wollei averaged 3.3 and 1.9 mg Cu/g algae for Algimycin-PWF and Clearigate, respectively, in experiments with a series of aqueous copper concentrations, water volumes, and masses of algae. With reasonable exposures in these experiments, control was not achieved with single applications of copper sulfate despite copper sorption >13 mg Cu/g algae in one experiment. Factors governing the critical burden of copper required for control of problematic cyanobacteria include algaecide formulation and concentration, volume of water, and mass of algae. By measuring the critical burden of copper from an algaecide formulation necessary to achieve control of the targeted algae, selection of an effective product and treatment rate can be calculated at a given field site.

Intensive aggregate formation with low vertical flux during an upwelling-induced diatom bloom

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Kiørboe, Thomas; Tiselius, P.; Mitchell-Innes, B.

1998-01-01

of turbulent shear in the ocean such stickiness coefficients predict very high specific coagulation rates (0.3 d(-1)). In situ video observation demonstrated the occurrence of abundant diatom aggregates with surface water concentrations between 1,000 and 3,000 ppm. Despite the very high concentration......The surfaces of most pelagic diatoms are sticky at times and may therefore form rapidly settling aggregates by physical coagulation. Stickiness and aggregate formation may be particularly adaptive in upwelling systems by allowing the retention of diatom populations in the vicinity of the upwelling...... center. We therefore hypothesized that upwelling diatom blooms are terminated by aggregate formation and rapid sedimentation. We monitored the development of a maturing diatom (mainly Chaetoceros spp.) bloom in the Benguela upwelling current during 7 d in February. Chlorophyll concentrations remained...

A review of carbon blooms on JET and TFTR

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ulrickson, M.

1990-01-01

Operation of JET and TFTR at high auxiliary heating power has resulted in the occurrence of phenomena called carbon blooms. The carbon bloom is characterized by a rapid increases in the emission of carbon spectral lines, the Z eff , the radiated power, and the plasma density. There is also a concurrent decrease in the neutron emission rate, stored energy, and plasma pressure. On both machines the source of the carbon is observed to be at localized (both toroidally and polidally) hot spots on either the divertor plates or limiters. The localized hot spots are due to one or more of the following: disruption damage spots, misalignment of tiles, and/or exposed edges of tiles. The occurrence of carbon blooms limits the performance of the highest input power plasmas on both machines. This paper reviews the carbon bloom phenomenon as it occurs on both JET and TFTR. (orig.)

Health risk assessment standards of cyanobacteria bloom occurrence in bathing sites

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Agnieszka Stankiewicz

2011-03-01

Full Text Available Threat for human health appears during a massive cyanobacteria bloom in potable water used for human consumption or in basins used for recreational purposes. General health risk assessment standards and preventive measures to be taken by sanitation service were presented in scope of: – evaluation of cyanobacteria bloom occurrence in bathing sites / water bodies, – procedures in case of cyanobacteria bloom, including health risk assessment and decision making process to protect users’ health at bathing sites, – preventive measures, to be taken in case of cyanobacteria bloom occurrence in bathing sites and basins, where bathing sites are located.

Phytoplankton bloom and subpolar gyre induced dynamics in the North Atlantic

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Ferreira, Ana Sofia; Hátún, H.; Counillon, F.

Several hypotheses have been promoted for phytoplankton bloom onset in the North Atlantic. First we show that the bloom dynamics in the northeastern corner stand out from the rest of the subpolar Atlantic, and thus warrants focused attention. We hypothesized that, for this region, late and weak...... blooms are expected in years of a strong subpolar gyre, i.e. strong atmospheric forcing, and cold and low saline conditions. We apply novel phenology algorithms to satellite ocean colour data, and analyse the outcome together with the subpolar gyre index. We find that the relationship between the bloom...

High export via small particles before the onset of the North Atlantic spring bloom

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Giering, S. L. C.; Sanders, R.; Martin, A. P.

2016-01-01

Sinking organic matter in the North Atlantic Ocean transfers 1-3 Gt carbon yr-1 from the surface ocean to the interior. The majority of this exported material is thought to be in form of large, rapidly sinking particles that aggregate during or after the spring phytoplankton bloom. However, recent...

THE USEFULNESS FOR ENSILING OF CHOSEN PLANT FORMS OF SPECIES OF SILPHIUM GENUS

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Jarosław Piłat

2007-12-01

Full Text Available Chemical composition and usefulness for ensiling of the chosen forms of species: S. perfoliatum was determined in different stages of vegetation. Forage fermantation coefficient of species form: I, II ,III during vegetation period from vegetative phase to seed setting phase was lower than 35. The fermentation coefficient IV form of species during the initial phase of seed setting amounted to 36,54, which ensured the correct fermentation. The high phenol acids content in I, II, III species form limits the possibility of using them for forage purposes. These species may constitute a potentially good raw material for the pharmaceutical industry.

Seasonal morphological variability in an in situ Cyanobacteria monoculture: example from a persistent Cylindrospermopsis bloom in Lake Catemaco, Veracruz, Mexico

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Owen Lind

2016-03-01

Full Text Available The phrase cyanobacteria bloom implies a transient condition in which one to few species dominates communities. In this paper we describe a condition in which the bloom is of multi-year duration consisting of different morphologies of a single cyanobacteria species. Lake Catemaco, Veracruz, México maintained a year-round massive (108 trichomes L-1 population of potentially toxin-producing cyanobacteria, Cylindrospermopsis spp. The trichomes are present as straight and coiled morphotypes.  The relative trichome morphology abundance varied with rainy (June – October and dry seasons (November – May, but total trichome abundance did not vary.  Coiled trichomes and heterocytes (occurring only on coiled trichomes were significantly more abundant, both absolutely and relatively, during the dry season. Both coiled trichome and heterocyte mean volumes were significantly smaller during the rainy season than during the dry season.  Biovolumes were largest in January when water temperature was 5º C cooler suggesting buoyancy as a morphology-determining factor. However, with a more than three-fold lower TIN concentration during the dry season, we hypothesized that the coiled morphotype became abundant primarily because it formed heterocytes, which the straight morphotype did not. Spatial trichome and heterocyte abundance differences were small among the 15 lake sites (average CV for all dates = 20%. However, there was a pattern of increased heterocyte and coiled trichome abundance from lake inflow, as a nitrogen source, to outflow during the rainy season. The total volume of heterocytes per litre of lake water increased progressively four-fold from a minimum early in the rainy season to a maximum at the end of the dry season. Morphological diversity, as seen in Lake Catemaco, can partially compensate for the lack of species diversity in determination of community structure.

Salmon mortalities associated with a bloom of Alexandrium ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

Blue mussels Mytilus edulis analysed from areas affected by the bloom reached levels of 18 000ìg STX equivalents 100g–1 of tissue. As a result of the salmon mortalities, a project was initiated to establish a monitoring approach for harmful algal blooms to provide an early warning of potential events and to act as a tool for ...

A salp bloom (Tunicata, Thaliacea) along the Apulian coast and in the Otranto Channel between March-May 2013.

Science.gov (United States)

Boero, Ferdinando; Belmonte, Genuario; Bracale, Roberta; Fraschetti, Simonetta; Piraino, Stefano; Zampardi, Serena

2013-01-01

Between March-May 2013 a massive Salpa maxima bloom was recorded by a citizen science study along the Ionian and Adriatic coast of the Salento peninsula (Italy). Citizen records were substantiated with field inspections along the coast and during an oceanographic campaign in the Otranto Channel. Salps clogged nets, impairing fishing activities along the coast. Swimmers were scared by the gelatinous appearance of the salps, and thought they were jellyfish. At the end of the bloom the dead bodies of the colonies, that were up to 6-7 m long, were accumulated along the coast and stirred by the waves, forming foams along dozens of kilometers of coast. The bloom also occurred at the Tremiti Islands, north of the Gargano Peninsula. The possible impacts of such events on the  functioning of pelagic systems are discussed.

The antibiotic resistome of free-living and particle-attached bacteria under a reservoir cyanobacterial bloom.

Science.gov (United States)

Guo, Yunyan; Liu, Min; Liu, Lemian; Liu, Xuan; Chen, Huihuang; Yang, Jun

2018-05-04

In freshwater systems, both antibiotic resistance genes (ARGs) and cyanobacterial blooms attract global public health concern. Cyanobacterial blooms can greatly impact bacterial taxonomic communities, but very little is known about the influence of the blooms on antibiotic resistance functional community. In this study, the ARGs in both free-living (FL) and particle-attached (PA) bacteria under bloom and non-bloom conditions were simultaneously investigated in a subtropical reservoir using high-throughput approaches. In total, 145 ARGs and 9 mobile genetic elements (MGEs) were detected. The most diverse and dominant of which (68.93%) were multidrug resistance genes and efflux pump mechanism. The richness of ARGs in both FL and PA bacteria was significantly lower during the bloom period compared with non-bloom period. The abundance of ARGs in FL bacteria was significantly lower under bloom condition than in the non-bloom period, but the abundance of ARGs in PA bacteria stayed constant. More importantly, the resistant functional community in PA bacteria was more strongly influenced by the cyanobacterial bloom than in the FL bacteria, although >96% ARGs were shared in both FL and PA bacteria or both bloom and non-bloom periods. We also compared the community compositions between taxonomy and function, and found antibiotic resistant communities were highly variable and exhibited lower similarity between bloom and non-bloom periods than seen in the taxonomic composition, with an exception of FL bacteria. Altogether, cyanobacterial blooms appear to have stronger inhibitory effect on ARG abundance in FL bacteria, and stronger influence on antibiotic resistant community composition in PA bacteria. Our results further suggested that both neutral and selective processes interactively affected the ARG composition dynamics of the FL and PA bacteria. However, the antibiotic resistant community of FL bacteria exhibited a higher level of temporal stochasticity following the bloom

A Numerical Modeling Study of Mesodinium Bloom Formation and Retention in a River-Dominated Mesotidal Estuary

Science.gov (United States)

Spitz, Y. H.; Cervantes, B.

2016-02-01

The Columbia River estuary experiences extensive seasonal red-colored blooms caused by a mixotrophic ciliate of the genus Mesodinium. Although the blooms are non-toxic, they have a significant influence on the levels of nutrients, light and oxygen in the estuary. Mesodinium spp. displays very particular physiology that makes it one of few planktonic species able to thrive in a highly flushed system: a high growth rate due to its ability to photosynthesize using the photosynthetic organelles of its preys, and complex vertical migration patterns. Knowledge of the migration pattern is based on limited observations of Mesodinium behavior in culture and recent in-situ measurements collected in the Columbia River estuary. A more comprehensive understanding is needed of the mechanisms allowing Mesodinium spp. to be retained and experience rapid growth. To this end, we extended the finite element circulation model SELFE to include a 5-component behavioral model that simulates the relationships between nutrients, detritus, Mesodinium spp. and its cryptophyte prey. We then used the model to investigate various migration patterns and growth scenarios to determine their role in the formation and retention of the Mesodinium spp. bloom in the brackish water of the estuary.

Georges Bank: a leaky incubator of Alexandrium fundyense blooms.

Science.gov (United States)

McGillicuddy, D J; Townsend, D W; Keafer, B A; Thomas, M A; Anderson, D M

2014-05-01

A series of oceanographic surveys on Georges Bank document variability of populations of the toxic dinoflagellate Alexandrium fundyense on time scales ranging from synoptic to seasonal to interannual. Blooms of A. fundyense on Georges Bank can reach concentrations on the order of 10 4 cells l -1 , and are generally bank-wide in extent. Georges Bank populations of A. fundyense appear to be quasi-independent of those in the adjacent coastal Gulf of Maine, insofar as they occupy a hydrographic niche that is colder and saltier than their coastal counterparts. In contrast to coastal populations that rely on abundant resting cysts for bloom initiation, very few cysts are present in the sediments on Georges Bank. Bloom dynamics must therefore be largely controlled by the balance between growth and mortality processes, which are at present largely unknown for this population. Based on correlations between cell abundance and nutrient distributions, ammonium appears to be an important source of nitrogen for A. fundyense blooms on Georges Bank.

Peran Pt.bloom Agro Dalam Implementasi Prinsip Fair Trade Di Indonesia (Studi Kasus: Ekspor Beras Organik Pt.bloom Agro Ke Mancanegara Tahun 2008-2015)

OpenAIRE

Yealta, Den; Ikhsani, Munadia

2016-01-01

This research describes the role of PT.Bloom Agro to do Fair Teade implementation in Indonesia in the case study is the export of PT.Bloom Agros€™s organic rice to foreign country. Fair Trade is the kind of Alternatives trade which populer as donatian movement in 1940. But now in the globalitation era that causes of free trade, fair trade is more popular as alternatives trade movement and as a certification to mark a product has fair tarde guarantee. And in Indonesia PT.Bloom Agro which an ex...

The influence of light, stream gradient, and iron on Didymosphenia geminata bloom development in the Black Hills, South Dakota

Science.gov (United States)

James, Daniel A.; Mosel, Kyle; Chipps, Steven R.

2014-01-01

The aquatic nuisance species Didymosphenia geminata was first documented in Rapid Creek of South Dakota’s Black Hills during 2002. Since then, blooms have occurred primarily in a 39-km section of Rapid Creek while blooms were rarely observed in other Black Hills streams. In this study, we evaluated factors related to the presence and development of visible colonies of D. geminata in four streams of the Black Hills. At the watershed scale, stream gradient was negatively associated with the occurrence of D. geminata whereas stream width was positively related to D. geminata presence. At the stream scale, D. geminata coverage was inversely related to canopy coverage and iron concentration. At the local scale, shading by bridges virtually eliminated growth of D. geminata colonies under bridges. At all three scales, proxy measures of light such as stream width, canopy coverage, and bridge shading revealed that light availability was an important factor influencing the presence and coverage of D. geminata colonies. In general, streams that had relatively wide stream reaches (mean = 9.9 m), shallow gradients (mean = 0.22%), and little canopy cover (mean = 13%) were associated with D. geminata blooms. In addition, iron concentrations in streams with D. geminata colonies were lower than in streams without blooms.

Optical researches for cyanobacteria bloom monitoring in Curonian Lagoon

Science.gov (United States)

Shirshin, Evgeny A.; Budylin, Gleb B.; Yakimov, Boris P.; Voloshina, Olga V.; Karabashev, Genrik S.; Evdoshenko, Marina A.; Fadeev, Victor V.

2016-04-01

Cyanobacteria bloom is a great ecological problem of Curonian Lagoon and Baltic Sea. The development of novel methods for the on-line control of cyanobacteria concentration and, moreover, for prediction of bloom spreading is of interest for monitoring the state of ecosystem. Here, we report the results of the joint application of hyperspectral measurements and remote sensing of Curonian Lagoon in July 2015 aimed at the assessment of cyanobacteria communities. We show that hyperspectral data allow on-line detection and qualitative estimation of cyanobacteria concentration, while the remote sensing data indicate the possibility of cyanobacteria bloom detection using the spectral features of upwelling irradiation.

Succession and fate of the spring diatom bloom in Disko Bay, western Greenland

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Dünweber, Michael; Swalethorp, Rasmus; Kjellerup, Sanne

2010-01-01

Phytoplankton and copepod succession was investigated in Disko Bay, western Greenland from February to July 2008. The spring phytoplankton bloom developed immediately after the breakup of sea ice and reached a peak concentration of 24 mg chl a m–3 2 wk later. The bloom was analyzed during 3 phases...... from the initiation of the bloom but only had a small grazing impact on the phytoplankton. Consequently, there was a close coupling between the spring phytoplankton bloom and sedimentation of particulate organic carbon (POC). Out of 1836 ± 180 mg C m–2 d–1 leaving the upper 50 m, 60% was phytoplankton...... and fate of the phytoplankton spring bloom was controlled by nitrogen limitation and subsequent sedimentation, while grazing-mediated flux by the Calanus-dominated copepod community played a minor role in the termination of the spring bloom of Disko Bay....

Cellular responses and bioremoval of nonylphenol by the bloom-forming cyanobacterium Planktothrix agardhii 1113

Science.gov (United States)

Medvedeva, Nadezda; Zaytseva, Tatyana; Kuzikova, Irina

2017-07-01

Nonylphenol (NP) is extensively used in agricultural, industrial and household applications. Moreover, NP is the major breakdown product of the nonionic surfactants, nonylphenol ethoxylates (NPEOs), the most widely used group of surfactants. Nonylphenol is persistent in the environment, highly toxic to aquatic organisms and is a potential endocrine disruptor. NP and NPEOs have been identified as priority hazardous substances under the Environmental Quality Standards Directive 2013/39/EU and are referred to in the list of substances of particular risk to the Baltic Sea. The toxicity of NP to the bloom-forming cyanobacterium Planktothrix agardhii 1113 isolated from the eastern Gulf of Finland, Baltic Sea and the bioremoval of NP by P. agardhii were studied. NP in concentrations > 0.4 mg L- 1 suppressed cyanobacterial growth. The median effective concentration of NP for P. agardhii after 4 days of treatment (EC50) was 1.5 mg L- 1. The removal of NP from the culture medium was primarily due to abiotic processes and biodegradation by the cyanobacterium rather than sorption by the cells. NP significantly increased the photosynthetic pigments, extracellular proteins and soluble exopolysaccharides content. The cyanobacterial growth inhibition was accompanied by the increased synthesis of microcystin dm-RR and of the odorous metabolites, geosmin and 2-methylisoborneol (MIB), by P. agardhii 1113. NP also notably increased the microcystin released into the environment. Increased levels of extracellular proteins, soluble exopolysaccharides, microcystins and odorous metabolites may affect the microbial loop in aquatic ecosystems. An increased level of malondialdehyde (MDA) was indicative of the formation of free radicals in P. agardhii under NP stress, whereas increased levels of superoxide dismutase (SOD), catalase (CAT), reduced glutathione (GSH) and proline indicated the occurrence of a scavenging mechanism.

Electrophoretic protein profiles of mid-sized copepod Calanoides patagoniensis steadily fed bloom-forming diatoms

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Victor M Aguilera

2015-09-01

Full Text Available Recent field and experimental evidence collected in the southern upwelling region off Concepción (36°5'S, 73°3'W showed an abrupt reduction (<72 h in the egg production rates (EPR of copepods when they were fed steadily and solely with the local bloom-forming diatom Thalassiosira rotula. Because diatoms were biochemically similar to dinoflagellate Prorocentrum minimum, a diet which supported higher reproductive outcomes, the fecundity reduction observed in copepod females fed with the diatom may have obeyed to post-ingestive processes, giving rise to resources reallocation. This hypothesis was tested by comparing feeding (clearance and ingestion rates, reproduction (EPR and hatching success and the structure of protein profiles (i.e., number and intensity of electrophoretic bands of copepods (adults and eggs incubated during 96 h with the two food conditions. The structure of protein profiles included molecular sizes that were calculated from the relative mobility of protein standards against the logarithm of their molecular sizes. After assessing the experimental conditions, feeding decreased over time for those females fed with T. rotula, while reproduction was higher in females fed with P. minimum. Electrophoretic profiles resulted similar mostly at a banding region of 100 to 89-kDa, while they showed partial differences around the region of 56-kDa band, especially in those females fed and eggs produced with T. rotula. Due to reproductive volume was impacted while larvae viability, a physiological processes with specific and high nutritional requirements, was independent on food type; post-ingestive processes, such as expression of stress-related proteins deviating resources to metabolic processes others than reproduction, are discussed under framework of nutritional-toxic mechanisms mediating copepod-diatoms relationships in productive upwelling areas.

Algal blooms: an emerging threat to seawater reverse osmosis desalination

KAUST Repository

Villacorte, Loreen O.

2014-08-04

Seawater reverse osmosis (SWRO) desalination technology has been rapidly growing in terms of installed capacity and global application over the last decade. An emerging threat to SWRO application is the seasonal proliferation of microscopic algae in seawater known as algal blooms. Such blooms have caused operational problems in SWRO plants due to clogging and poor effluent quality of the pre-treatment system which eventually forced the shutdown of various desalination plants to avoid irreversible fouling of downstream SWRO membranes. This article summarizes the current state of SWRO technology and the emerging threat of algal blooms to its application. It also highlights the importance of studying the algal bloom phenomena in the perspective of seawater desalination, so proper mitigation and preventive strategies can be developed in the near future. © 2014 © 2014 Balaban Desalination Publications. All rights reserved.

Algal blooms: an emerging threat to seawater reverse osmosis desalination

KAUST Repository

Villacorte, Loreen O.; Tabatabai, S. Assiyeh Alizadeh; Dhakal, N.; Amy, Gary L.; Schippers, Jan Cornelis; Kennedy, Maria Dolores

2014-01-01

Seawater reverse osmosis (SWRO) desalination technology has been rapidly growing in terms of installed capacity and global application over the last decade. An emerging threat to SWRO application is the seasonal proliferation of microscopic algae in seawater known as algal blooms. Such blooms have caused operational problems in SWRO plants due to clogging and poor effluent quality of the pre-treatment system which eventually forced the shutdown of various desalination plants to avoid irreversible fouling of downstream SWRO membranes. This article summarizes the current state of SWRO technology and the emerging threat of algal blooms to its application. It also highlights the importance of studying the algal bloom phenomena in the perspective of seawater desalination, so proper mitigation and preventive strategies can be developed in the near future. © 2014 © 2014 Balaban Desalination Publications. All rights reserved.

Use of Bloom's Taxonomy in Developing Reading Comprehension Specifications

Science.gov (United States)

Luebke, Stephen; Lorie, James

2013-01-01

This article is a brief account of the use of Bloom's Taxonomy of Educational Objectives (Bloom, Engelhart, Furst, Hill, & Krathwohl, 1956) by staff of the Law School Admission Council in the 1990 development of redesigned specifications for the Reading Comprehension section of the Law School Admission Test. Summary item statistics for the…

Importance of a winter dinoflagellate-microflagellate bloom in the Patuxent River estuary

Science.gov (United States)

Sellner, K. G.; Lacouture, R. V.; Cibik, S. J.; Brindley, A.; Brownlee, S. G.

1991-01-01

A dense bloom of Katodinium rotundatum was observed in the Patuxent River estuary from December to February 1989. The dinoflagellate dominated phytoplankton densities reaching 10 8 cells l -1 and contributed up to 1900 μgC l -1 in near-surface depths. The bloom maintained a distinct patch extending over 10-25 km of the estuary or approximately one-third to one-half of the total estuary (salinities from 5-13 ppt) and was restricted to regions immediately upriver of the transition between the shallow upriver (3-4 m) and deeper lower estuary (10 m). Daily measurements collected in the primary bloom area at the same time each day in the study area indicated 80- and 120-fold variations in chlorophyll and cell densities from day to day. Densities of potential grazers in the region were high with rotifers, primarily Synchaeta baltica, reaching densities of 1000 l -1 in early winter, and the copepod Eurytemora affinis reaching levels exceeding 1·15 × 10 5 m -3 in February. Estimates of grazing pressure by these planktonic herbivores indicated substantial grazing losses for the bloom, with up to 67% of bloom biomass consumed day -1 in February. Nutrient concentrations and ratios of N/P during the bloom suggested potentially N-limited conditions; bloom demise was coincident with a shift to high N/P ratios and high river flows. These data as well as other historical data suggest that dinoflagellate blooms in the lower Patuxent River estuary could be the primary source of carbon to the system during the winter and supply a large reservoir of labile organic matter to planktonic secondary producers prior to annual spring diatom blooms in the region.

OSU MODIS FLH Bloom Product

Data.gov (United States)

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Department of Commerce — Two bloom products were developed for the Oregon coast based on the observed change between running 8-day composite chlorophyll-a (CHL) and fluorescence line-height...

Characteristics of picoplankton abundances during a Thalassiosira diporocyclus bloom in the Taiwan Bank in late winter.

Science.gov (United States)

Jiang, Xin; Li, Jiajun; Ke, Zhixin; Xiang, Chenhui; Tan, Yehui; Huang, Liangmin

2017-04-15

To understand the variations of picoplankton (Prochlorococcus, Synechococcus, picoeukaryotes, and heterotrophic bacteria) abundances during diatom bloom, the distribution of picoplankton in the Taiwan Bank, South China Sea was investigated using flow cytometry during a Thalassiosira diporocyclus bloom in March 2016. The results indicated an abrupt abundance decrease for Prochlorococcus, Synechococcus, and picoeukaryotes within the bloom area while the abundance of heterotrophic bacteria showed no significant difference between the bloom and non-bloom areas. We found two sub-groups of heterotrophic bacteria: high- and low-nucleic acid content (HNA and LNA) bacteria with HNA dominated in the bloom area whereas LNA dominated in the non-bloom area. Among the picoplankton components, HNA represented the highest (61.1%) carbon biomass in the bloom area while picoeukaryotes represented the highest (37.6%) in the non-bloom area. Our findings implied that heterotrophic bacteria, especially HNA, played an essential role during the diatom bloom. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Chytrid parasitism facilitates trophic transfer between bloom-forming cyanobacteria and zooplankton (Daphnia).

Science.gov (United States)

Agha, Ramsy; Saebelfeld, Manja; Manthey, Christin; Rohrlack, Thomas; Wolinska, Justyna

2016-10-13

Parasites are rarely included in food web studies, although they can strongly alter trophic interactions. In aquatic ecosystems, poorly grazed cyanobacteria often dominate phytoplankton communities, leading to the decoupling of primary and secondary production. Here, we addressed the interface between predator-prey and host-parasite interactions by conducting a life-table experiment, in which four Daphnia galeata genotypes were maintained on quantitatively comparable diets consisting of healthy cyanobacteria or cyanobacteria infected by a fungal (chytrid) parasite. In four out of five fitness parameters, at least one Daphnia genotype performed better on parasitised cyanobacteria than in the absence of infection. Further treatments consisting of purified chytrid zoospores and heterotrophic bacteria suspensions established the causes of improved fitness. First, Daphnia feed on chytrid zoospores which trophically upgrade cyanobacterial carbon. Second, an increase in heterotrophic bacterial biomass, promoted by cyanobacterial decay, provides an additional food source for Daphnia. In addition, chytrid infection induces fragmentation of cyanobacterial filaments, which could render cyanobacteria more edible. Our results demonstrate that chytrid parasitism can sustain zooplankton under cyanobacterial bloom conditions, and exemplify the potential of parasites to alter interactions between trophic levels.

RAPD

African Journals Online (AJOL)

STORAGESEVER

2009-03-20

Mar 20, 2009 ... isolates. Key words: Cyanobacteria, phylogenetic analysis, RAPD, PCR, primers. ... For example many species of the genera Oscillatoria,. Lyngbya ..... sequences in eubacteria and application to fingerprinting of bacterial.

Dynamics of cyanobacterial bloom formation during short-term hydrodynamic fluctuation in a large shallow, eutrophic, and wind-exposed Lake Taihu, China.

Science.gov (United States)

Wu, Tingfeng; Qin, Boqiang; Zhu, Guangwei; Luo, Liancong; Ding, Yanqing; Bian, Geya

2013-12-01

Short-term hydrodynamic fluctuations caused by extreme weather events are expected to increase worldwide because of global climate change, and such fluctuations can strongly influence cyanobacterial blooms. In this study, the cyanobacterial bloom disappearance and reappearance in Lake Taihu, China, in response to short-term hydrodynamic fluctuations, was investigated by field sampling, long-term ecological records, high-frequency sensors and MODIS satellite images. The horizontal drift caused by the dominant easterly wind during the phytoplankton growth season was mainly responsible for cyanobacterial biomass accumulation in the western and northern regions of the lake and subsequent bloom formation over relatively long time scales. The cyanobacterial bloom changed slowly under calm or gentle wind conditions. In contrast, the short-term bloom events within a day were mainly caused by entrainment and disentrainment of cyanobacterial colonies by wind-induced hydrodynamics. Observation of a westerly event in Lake Taihu revealed that when the 30 min mean wind speed (flow speed) exceeded the threshold value of 6 m/s (5.7 cm/s), cyanobacteria in colonies were entrained by the wind-induced hydrodynamics. Subsequently, the vertical migration of cyanobacterial colonies was controlled by hydrodynamics, resulting in thorough mixing of algal biomass throughout the water depth and the eventual disappearance of surface blooms. Moreover, the intense mixing can also increase the chance for forming larger and more cyanobacterial colonies, namely, aggregation. Subsequently, when the hydrodynamics became weak, the cyanobacterial colonies continuously float upward without effective buoyancy regulation, and cause cyanobacterial bloom explosive expansion after the westerly. Furthermore, the results of this study indicate that the strong wind happening frequently during April and October can be an important cause of the formation and expansion of cyanobacterial blooms in Lake Taihu.

A conceptual model for the growth, persistence, and blooming behavior of the benthic mat-forming diatom Didymosphenia geminata (Invited)

Science.gov (United States)

Cullis, J. D.; Gillis, C.; Bothwell, M.; Kilroy, C.; Packman, A. I.; Hassan, M. A.

2010-12-01

The nuisance diatom Didymosphenia geminata (didymo) presents an ecological paradox. How can this benthic algae produce such large amounts of biomass in cold, fast flowing, low nutrient streams? The aim of this paper is to present a conceptual model for the growth, persistence, and blooming behavior of this benthic mat-forming diatom that may help to explain this paradox. The conceptual model highlights the importance of distinguishing between mat thickness and cell growth. It presents evidence gathered from a range of existing studies around the world to support the proposed relationship between growth and light, nutrients and temperature as well as the importance of flood events and bed disturbance in mat removal. It is anticipated that this conceptual model will not only help in identifying the key controlling variables and set a framework for future studies but also support the future management of this nuisance algae. Summary of the conceptual model for didymo growth showing the proposed relationships for the growth of cells and mats with nutrients, radiation and water temperature and the dependence of removal on bed shear stress and the potential for physical bed disturbance.

Satellite Evidence that E. huxleyi Phytoplankton Blooms Weaken Marine Carbon Sinks

Science.gov (United States)

Kondrik, D. V.; Pozdnyakov, D. V.; Johannessen, O. M.

2018-01-01

Phytoplankton blooms of the coccolithophore Emiliania huxleyi are known to produce CO2, causing less uptake of atmospheric CO2 by the ocean, but a global assessment of this phenomenon has so far not been quantified. Therefore, here we quantify the increase in CO2 partial pressure (ΔpCO2) at the ocean surface within E. huxleyi blooms for polar and subpolar seas using an 18 year ocean color time series (1998-2015). When normalized to pCO2 in the absence of bloom, the mean and maximum ΔpCO2 values within the bloom areas varied between 21.0%-43.3% and 31.6%-62.5%, respectively. These results might have appreciable implications for climatology, marine chemistry, and ecology.

Relationships among cyanobacteria, zooplankton and fish in sub-bloom conditions in the Sulejow Reservoir

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Zbigniew Kaczkowski

2017-01-01

Full Text Available The occurrence of cyanobacteria is particularly characteristic of shallow eutrophic waters, and they often form massive ‘blooms’ that can affect aquatic invertebrates and fish. However, even a low abundance of cyanobacteria can be hazardous to aquatic organisms, due to the production of toxic metabolites. The aim of this study was to investigate the relationship between cyanobacteria and their toxicity (biological activity towards zooplankton and fish communities, when only low concentrations of cyanobacterial chlorophyll a (less than 20 μg L-1 are detected, i.e. in sub-bloom conditions. Measurements were performed in Sulejow Reservoir (Central Poland, a shallow, lowland, eutrophic reservoir, in which cyanobacterial blooms occur regularly. Fish were assessed using echo-sounding (distribution and by gillnetting (species composition. Simultaneously, zooplankton, cyanobacteria and physico-chemical characteristics were studied at 14 stations situated along hydroacoustic transects. Parameters that characterized the cyanobacteria (cyanobacterial chlorophyll a concentration, the number of 16S rRNA and the mcyA gene copies and microcystin (MC concentration were consistently correlated (based on a principal component analysis, and the highest values were found in the downstream region of the study area. This ‘cyano-complex’ was also positively correlated with oxygen concentration, pH and phosphate levels, but was negatively correlated with temperature and the concentrations of nitrates and nitrites. In Sulejow Reservoir in 2013 the biomass of large zooplankton filter feeders decreased along with increasing MC concentration and fish densities, while small filter feeders did not present such relationships with regards to fish densities. Fish abundance tended to decrease at stations with a lower abundance of cyanobacteria and with growing toxic genotype copies and MC concentration.

New Coccolithophore Bloom in Bering Sea

Science.gov (United States)

2002-01-01

For the fourth year in a row it appears as if there is a bloom of coccolithophores-marine single-celled plants with calcite scales-in the Bering Sea off the coast of Alaska. Similar blooms were rare before 1997, but they have appeared every year since then. Scientists believe the coccolithophore blooms are the result of changing wind patterns in the region. Weaker than normal winds fail to mix the water of the Bering Sea, resulting in the growth of coccolithophores instead of other types of phytoplankton. Seabird populations have also been changing as a result of this climate change. The Sea-Viewing Wide Field-of-View Sensor (SeaWiFS), flying aboard the OrbView-2 satellite, saw the coccolith-brightened waters of the Bering Sea in 1997, 1998, and 1999. The waters have looked fairly bright again this winter and spring, as seen in this SeaWiFS image acquired April 29, 2000. But scientists are unsure whether this year's phenomenon is caused by living coccolithophorids, re-suspended coccoliths, or something else. Like all phytoplankton, coccolithophores contain chlorophyll and have the tendency to multiply rapidly near the surface. Yet, in large numbers, coccolithophores periodically shed their tiny scales, called 'coccoliths,' by the bucketful into the surrounding waters. The calcium-rich coccoliths turn the normally dark water a bright, milky aquamarine, making coccolithophore blooms easy to spot in satellite imagery. The edge of the whitish cloud in the water seen in this image is roughly 50 kilometers off the West Coast of Alaska. For more information see: SeaWiFS home page Changing Currents Color the Bering Sea a New Shade of Blue Image courtesy SeaWiFS project

Algal blooms increase heterotrophy at the base of boreal lake food webs-Evidence from fatty acid biomarkers

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Johansson, K.S.L.; Trigal, C.; Vrede, T.; van Rijswijk, P.; Goedkoop, W.; Johnson, R.K.

2016-01-01

Physical defenses and grazer avoidance of the bloom-forming microalga Gonyostomum semen may reduce the direct coupling between phytoplankton and higher trophic levels and result in an increased importance of alternative basal food resources such as bacteria and heterotrophic protozoans. To assess

Biofouling in capillary and spiral wound membranes facilitated by marine algal bloom

KAUST Repository

Villacorte, L.O.

2017-10-11

Algal-derived organic matter (AOM), particularly transparent exopolymer particles, has been suspected to facilitate biofilm development in membrane systems (e.g., seawater reverse osmosis). This study demonstrates the possible role of AOM on biofouling in membrane systems affected by marine algal blooms. The tendency of AOM from bloom-forming marine algae to adhere to membranes and its ability to enhance biofilm growth were measured using atomic force microscopy, flow cytometry, liquid chromatography and accelerated membrane biofouling experiments. Adhesion force measurements indicate that AOM tends to adhere to clean membranes and even more strongly to AOM-fouled membranes. Batch growth tests illustrate that the capacity of seawater to support bacterial growth can significantly increase with AOM concentration. Biofouling experiments with spiral wound and capillary membranes illustrate that when nutrients availability are not limited in the feed water, a high concentration of AOM – whether in suspension or attached to the membrane – can substantially accelerates biofouling. A significantly lower biofouling rate was observed on membranes exposed to feed water spiked only with AOM or easily biodegradable nutrients. The abovementioned findings indicate that AOM facilitates the onset of membrane biofouling primarily as a conditioning platform and to some extent as a nutrient source for biofilm-forming bacteria.

Biofouling in capillary and spiral wound membranes facilitated by marine algal bloom

KAUST Repository

Villacorte, L.O.; Ekowati, Y.; Calix-Ponce, H.N.; Kisielius, V.; Kleijn, J.M.; Vrouwenvelder, Johannes S.; Schippers, J.C.; Kennedy, M.D.

2017-01-01

Algal-derived organic matter (AOM), particularly transparent exopolymer particles, has been suspected to facilitate biofilm development in membrane systems (e.g., seawater reverse osmosis). This study demonstrates the possible role of AOM on biofouling in membrane systems affected by marine algal blooms. The tendency of AOM from bloom-forming marine algae to adhere to membranes and its ability to enhance biofilm growth were measured using atomic force microscopy, flow cytometry, liquid chromatography and accelerated membrane biofouling experiments. Adhesion force measurements indicate that AOM tends to adhere to clean membranes and even more strongly to AOM-fouled membranes. Batch growth tests illustrate that the capacity of seawater to support bacterial growth can significantly increase with AOM concentration. Biofouling experiments with spiral wound and capillary membranes illustrate that when nutrients availability are not limited in the feed water, a high concentration of AOM – whether in suspension or attached to the membrane – can substantially accelerates biofouling. A significantly lower biofouling rate was observed on membranes exposed to feed water spiked only with AOM or easily biodegradable nutrients. The abovementioned findings indicate that AOM facilitates the onset of membrane biofouling primarily as a conditioning platform and to some extent as a nutrient source for biofilm-forming bacteria.

Environmental dynamics of red Noctiluca scintillans bloom in tropical coastal waters.

Science.gov (United States)

Baliarsingh, S K; Lotliker, Aneesh A; Trainer, Vera L; Wells, Mark L; Parida, Chandanlal; Sahu, Biraja K; Srichandan, Suchismita; Sahoo, Subhashree; Sahu, K C; Kumar, T Sinivasa

2016-10-15

An intense bloom of red Noctiluca scintillans (NS) occurred off the Rushikulya estuarine region along the east coast of India, an important site for mass nesting events of the vulnerable Olive Ridley sea turtle. At its peak, densities of NS were 3.3×10(5) cells-l(-1), with low relative abundance of other phytoplankton. The peak bloom coincided with high abundance of gelatinous planktivores which may have facilitated bloom development by their grazing on other zooplankton, particularly copepods. Ammonium concentrations increased by approximately 4-fold in the later stages of bloom, coincident with stable NS abundance and chlorophyll concentrations in the nano- and microplankton. This increase likely was attributable to release of intracellular ammonium accumulated through NS grazing. Dissolved oxygen concentrations decreased in sub-surface waters to near hypoxia. Micro-phytoplankton increasingly dominated chlorophyll-a biomass as the bloom declined, with diminishing picoplankton abundance likely the result of high predation by the ciliate Mesodinium rubrum. Together, these data illustrate factors that can disrupt ecosystem balance in this critically important Indian coastal region. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

The Effect of Various Species of Macroalgae on the Growth, Survival, and Toxicity of Karenia brevis

Science.gov (United States)

Gardner, K. G.; Lovko, V. J.; Henry, M. S.

2016-02-01

Harmful algal blooms (HABs) caused by the dinoflagellate Karenia brevis produce toxins that result in negative impacts to both humans and the environment. Little is known about the termination stages of these blooms, and few viable control mechanisms have been suggested. Natural, algae derived compounds have been proposed as a way to limit bloom growth and reduce brevetoxins in the water column. The work presented here examines the ability of macroalgae to inhibit the growth or survival of K. brevis, similar to what has been demonstrated with other red tide species. Additionally, we attempted to determine if macroalgae decreases water column brevetoxins which, to our knowledge, has not been tested with macroalgae but has been demonstrated in other studies with microalgal species. The macroalgae species Dictyota sp. and Gracilaria sp. caused 100% mortality of K. brevis in under 24 hours. Compared to the control, 7 other species significantly decreased the growth rate of K. brevis. The Dictyota treatments showed significant toxin reduction and increase of the antitoxin brevanol. These results indicate that some combination of compounds produced by macroalgae inhibit growth and survival of K. brevis and possibly limit their toxin production. Future studies will attempt to isolate and identify these compounds and test their effects on other marine organisms such as diatoms. Determining the interactions between HAB species K. brevis and macroalgal species will provide insights on the mechanism of bloom termination and a potential control method.

An overview of cyanobacterial bloom occurrences and research in Africa over the last decade.

Science.gov (United States)

Ndlela, L L; Oberholster, P J; Van Wyk, J H; Cheng, P H

2016-12-01

Cyanobacterial blooms are a current cause for concern globally, with vital water sources experiencing frequent and increasingly toxic blooms in the past decade. These increases are resultant of both anthropogenic and natural factors, with climate change being the central concern. Of the more affected parts of the world, Africa has been considered particularly vulnerable due to its historical predisposition and lag in social economic development. This review collectively assesses the available information on cyanobacterial blooms in Africa as well as any visible trends associated with reported occurrences over the last decade. Of the 54 countries in Africa, only 21 have notable research information in the area of cyanobacterial blooms within the last decade, although there is substantial reason to attribute these blooms as some of the major water quality threats in Africa collectively. The collected information suggests that civil wars, disease outbreaks and inadequate infrastructure are at the core of Africa's delayed advancement. This is even more so in the area of cyanobacteria related research, with 11 out of 21 countries having recorded toxicity and physicochemical parameters related to cyanobacterial blooms. Compared to the rest of the continent, peripheral countries are at the forefront of research related to cyanobacteria, with countries such as Angola having sufficient rainfall, but poor water quality with limited information on bloom occurrences. An assessment of the reported blooms found nitrogen concentrations to be higher in the water column of more toxic blooms, validating recent global studies and indicating that phosphorous is not the only factor to be monitored in bloom mitigation. Blooms occurred at low TN: TP ratios and at temperatures above 12°C. Nitrogen was linked to toxicity and temperature also had a positive effect on bloom occurrence and toxicity. Microcystis was the most ubiquitous of the cyanobacterial strains reported in Africa and the

Calculation of pion form factor

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Vahedi, N.; Amirarjomand, S.

1975-09-01

The pion form factor is calculated using the structure function Wsub(2), which incorporates kinematical constraints, threshold behaviour and scaling. The Bloom-Gilman sum rule is used and only the two leading Regge trajectories are taken into account

Efficiency Analysis of the access method with the cascading Bloom filter to the data warehouse on the parallel computing platform

Science.gov (United States)

Grigoriev, Yu A.; Proletarskaya, V. A.; Ermakov, E. Yu; Ermakov, O. Yu

2017-10-01

A new method was developed with a cascading Bloom filter (CBF) for executing SQL queries in the Apache Spark parallel computing environment. It includes the representation of the original query in the form of several subqueries, the development of a connection graph and the transformation of subqueries, the definition of connections where it is necessary to use Bloom filters, the representation of the graph in terms of Spark. On the example of the query Q3 of the TPC-H test, full-scale experiments were carried out, which confirmed the effectiveness of the developed method.

Robust photosystem I activity by Cyanothece sp. (Cyanobacteria) and its role in prolonged bloom persistence in lake St Lucia, South Africa.

Science.gov (United States)

du Plooy, Schalk J; Anandraj, Akash; White, Sarah; Perissinotto, Renzo; du Preez, Derek R

2018-04-12

Worldwide, cyanobacterial blooms are becoming more frequent, exacerbated by eutrophication, anthropogenic effects, and global climate change. Environmental factors play a direct role in photosynthesis of cyanobacteria and subsequent cellular changes, growth, and bloom dynamics. This study investigated the photosynthetic functioning of a persistent bloom-forming (18 months) cyanobacterium, Cyanothece sp., isolated from Lake St Lucia, South Africa. DUAL-PAM fluorometric methods were used to observe physiological responses in Cyanothece sp. photosystems I and II. Results show that photosystem I activity was maintained under all environmental conditions tested, while photosystem II activity was not observed at all. Out of the environmental factors tested (temperature, salinity, and nitrogen presence), only temperature significantly influenced photosystem I activity. In particular, high temperature (40 °C) facilitated faster electron transport rates, while effects of salinity and nitrogen were variable. Cyanothece sp. has shown to sustain bloom status for long periods largely because of the essential role of photosystem I activity during highly dynamic and even extreme (e.g., salinities higher than 200) environmental conditions. This ensures the continual supply of cellular energy (e.g. ATP) to important processes such as nitrogen assimilation, which is essential for protein synthesis, cell growth and, therefore, bloom maintenance.

The costs of respiratory illnesses arising from Florida gulf coast Karenia brevis blooms.

Science.gov (United States)

Hoagland, Porter; Jin, Di; Polansky, Lara Y; Kirkpatrick, Barbara; Kirkpatrick, Gary; Fleming, Lora E; Reich, Andrew; Watkins, Sharon M; Ullmann, Steven G; Backer, Lorraine C

2009-08-01

Algal blooms of Karenia brevis, a harmful marine algae, occur almost annually off the west coast of Florida. At high concentrations, K. brevis blooms can cause harm through the release of potent toxins, known as brevetoxins, to the atmosphere. Epidemiologic studies suggest that aerosolized brevetoxins are linked to respiratory illnesses in humans. We hypothesized a relationship between K. brevis blooms and respiratory illness visits to hospital emergency departments (EDs) while controlling for environmental factors, disease, and tourism. We sought to use this relationship to estimate the costs of illness associated with aerosolized brevetoxins. We developed a statistical exposure-response model to express hypotheses about the relationship between respiratory illnesses and bloom events. We estimated the model with data on ED visits, K. brevis cell densities, and measures of pollen, pollutants, respiratory disease, and intra-annual population changes. We found that lagged K. brevis cell counts, low air temperatures, influenza outbreaks, high pollen counts, and tourist visits helped explain the number of respiratory-specific ED diagnoses. The capitalized estimated marginal costs of illness for ED respiratory illnesses associated with K. brevis blooms in Sarasota County, Florida, alone ranged from $0.5 to $4 million, depending on bloom severity. Blooms of K. brevis lead to significant economic impacts. The costs of illness of ED visits are a conservative estimate of the total economic impacts. It will become increasingly necessary to understand the scale of the economic losses associated with K. brevis blooms to make rational choices about appropriate mitigation.

A reading list for Bill Gates--and you. A conversation with literary critic Harold Bloom. Interview by Diane L. Coutu.

Science.gov (United States)

Bloom, H

2001-05-01

In today's technology-driven world, who has time to pick up a 400-page novel? Most executives don't--they have urgent e-mails to answer, training seminars to attend, meetings to lead, and trade publications to scan. But according to Harold Bloom, one of America's most influential scholars, they should make time in their hectic schedules to read great works. In a wide-ranging conversation with HBR senior editor Diane Coutu, Bloom discusses the importance of literature: every individual--regardless of profession--needs to stretch his or her mind and reflect now and again on the human condition. "By reading great imaginative literature, you can prepare yourself for surprise and even get a kind of strength that welcomes and exploits the unexpected," he says. Because there are so many great works and there is so little time, Bloom presents a reading list for busy executives. Shakespeare's King Lear can teach businesspeople about change. Ralph Waldo Emerson's essays capture the ethos of the American spirit--individualism and inventiveness. Bloom says Sigmund Freud's conceptions "form the only Western mythology that contemporary intellectuals have in common." And people will never fully understand some aspects of themselves until they read Miguel de Cervantes's Don Quixote. In short, Bloom believes the humanities have much to offer businesspeople: great books broaden their awareness and their range of sensibility, he says. But reading literature will not make businesspeople more moral, he cautions. Bloom also discusses other topics such as how to read well, the state of popular fiction, the role of irony, and the subject of change.

Viral attack exacerbates the susceptibility of a bloom-forming alga to ocean acidification.

Science.gov (United States)

Chen, Shanwen; Gao, Kunshan; Beardall, John

2015-02-01

Both ocean acidification and viral infection bring about changes in marine phytoplankton physiological activities and community composition. However, little information is available on how the relationship between phytoplankton and viruses may be affected by ocean acidification and what impacts this might have on photosynthesis-driven marine biological CO2 pump. Here, we show that when the harmful bloom alga Phaeocystis globosa is infected with viruses under future ocean conditions, its photosynthetic performance further decreased and cells became more susceptible to stressful light levels, showing enhanced photoinhibition and reduced carbon fixation, up-regulation of mitochondrial respiration and decreased virus burst size. Our results indicate that ocean acidification exacerbates the impacts of viral attack on P. globosa, which implies that, while ocean acidification directly influences marine primary producers, it may also affect them indirectly by altering their relationship with viruses. Therefore, viruses as a biotic stressor need to be invoked when considering the overall impacts of climate change on marine productivity and carbon sequestration. © 2014 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

Deep carbon export from a Southern Ocean iron-fertilized diatom bloom

Digital Repository Service at National Institute of Oceanography (India)

Smetacek, V.; Klaas, C.; Strass, V.H.; Assmy, P.; Montresor, M.; Cisewski, B.; Savoye, N.; Webb, A.; d’Ovidio, F.; Arrieta, J.M.; Bathmann, U.; Bellerby, R.; Berg, G.M.; Croot, P.; Gonzalez, S.; Henjes, J.; Herndl, G.J.; Hoffmann, L.J.; Leach, H.; Losch, M.; Mills, M.M.; Neill, C.; Peeken, I.; Rottgers, R.; Sachs, O.; Sauter, E.; Schmidt, M.M.; Schwarz, J.; Terbruggen, A.; Wolf-Gladrow, D.

Fertilization of the ocean by adding iron compounds has induced diatom-dominated phytoplankton blooms accompanied by considerable carbon dioxide drawdown in the ocean surface layer. However, because the fate of bloom biomass could not be adequately...

Species Diversity and Growth Forms in Tropical American Palm Communities

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Balslev, Henrik; Kahn, Francis; Millán, Betty

2011-01-01

To advance our understanding of the processes that govern the assembly of palm communities and the local coexistence of numerous palm species, we here synthesize available information in the literature on species diversity and growth-form composition in palm communities across the Americas. Ameri...

Harmful algal blooms of the Southern Benguela current: A review ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

Harmful algal blooms of the Southern Benguela current: A review and appraisal of monitoring from 1989 to 1997. ... The Benguela upwelling system is subjected to blooms of harmful and toxic algae, the incidence and consequences of which are documented here. Red tides are common and usually attributed to members of ...

Effect of Zeolite Treatment on the Blooming Behavior of Paraffin Wax in Natural Rubber Composites

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Bryan B. Pajarito

2016-06-01

Full Text Available The blooming behavior of paraffin wax in natural rubber (NR composites was studied as function of zeolite treatment. Three types of zeolite treatment were treated as factors: acid activation using hydrochloric acid (HCl solution, ion exchange using tetradecyldimethyl amine (TDA chloride salt, and organic modification using glycerol monostearate (GMS. The zeolite was treated according to a 23 full factorial design of experiment. Attenuated total reflectance – Fourier transform infrared (ATR-FTIR spectroscopy was used to characterize the chemical structure of treated zeolite. Treated zeolite was applied as filler to NR composites deliberately compounded with high amount of paraff in wax. The amount of bloomed wax in surface of NR composite sheets was monitored with time at 50oC. Results show the bloom amount to be linear with the square root of time. NR composites reinforced with untreated, acid-activated, and ion-exchanged zeolite fillers indicate reduction in wax blooming as compared to unfilled NR. The bloom rate (slope and initial bloom (y-intercept were determined from the experimental plots. Analysis of variance (ANOVA shows the bloom rate to be signif icantly increased when zeolite fillers are treated with GMS. Meanwhile, initial bloom was significantly enhanced when zeolite fillers are treated with TDA chloride salt and GMS. The significant increase in bloom rate and initial bloom can be attributed to the softening of the NR matrix at high amounts of TDA chloride salt and GMS.

Harmful Algal Blooms of the West Florida Shelf and Campeche Bank: Visualization and Quantification using Remote Sensing Methods

Science.gov (United States)

Soto Ramos, Inia Mariel

Harmful Algal Blooms (HABs) in the Gulf of Mexico (GOM) are natural phenomena that can have negative impacts on marine ecosystems on which human health and the economy of some Gulf States depends. Many of the HABs in the GOM are dominated by the toxic dinoflagellate Karenia brevis. Non-toxic phytoplankton taxa such as Scrippsiella sp. also form intense blooms off the Mexican coast that result in massive fish mortality and economic losses, particularly as they may lead to anoxia. The main objectives of this dissertation were to (1) evaluate and improve the techniques developed for detection of Karenia spp. blooms on the West Florida Shelf (WFS) using satellite remote sensing methods, (2) test the use of these methods for waters in the GOM, and (3) use the output of these techniques to better understand the dynamics and evolution of Karenia spp. blooms in the WFS and off Mexico. The first chapter of this dissertation examines the performance of several Karenia HABs detection techniques using Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) satellite images and historical ground truth observations collected on the WFS from August 2002 to December 2011. A total of 2323 in situ samples collected by the Florida Fish and Wildlife Research Institute to test for Karenia spp. matched pixels with valid ocean color satellite observations over this period. This dataset was used to systematically optimize variables and coefficients used in five published HAB detection methods. Each technique was tested using a set of metrics that included the F-Measure (FM). Before optimization, the average FM for all techniques was 0.47. After optimization, the average FM increased to 0.59, and false positives decreased ~50%. The addition of a Fluorescence Line Height (FLH) criterion improved the performance of every method. A new practical method was developed using a combination of FLH and Remote Sensing Reflectance at 555 nm (Rrs555-FLH). The new method resulted in an FM of 0.62 and 3

Contributions of meteorology to the phenology of cyanobacterial blooms: implications for future climate change.

Science.gov (United States)

Zhang, Min; Duan, Hongtao; Shi, Xiaoli; Yu, Yang; Kong, Fanxiang

2012-02-01

Cyanobacterial blooms are often a result of eutrophication. Recently, however, their expansion has also been found to be associated with changes in climate. To elucidate the effects of climatic variables on the expansion of cyanobacterial blooms in Taihu, China, we analyzed the relationships between climatic variables and bloom events which were retrieved by satellite images. We then assessed the contribution of each climate variable to the phenology of blooms using multiple regression models. Our study demonstrates that retrieving ecological information from satellite images is meritorious for large-scale and long-term ecological research in freshwater ecosystems. Our results show that the phenological changes of blooms at an inter-annual scale are strongly linked to climate in Taihu during the past 23 yr. Cyanobacterial blooms occur earlier and last longer with the increase of temperature, sunshine hours, and global radiation and the decrease of wind speed. Furthermore, the duration increases when the daily averages of maximum, mean, and minimum temperature each exceed 20.3 °C, 16.7 °C, and 13.7 °C, respectively. Among these factors, sunshine hours and wind speed are the primary contributors to the onset of the blooms, explaining 84.6% of their variability over the past 23 yr. These factors are also good predictors of the variability in the duration of annual blooms and determined 58.9% of the variability in this parameter. Our results indicate that when nutrients are in sufficiently high quantities to sustain the formation of cyanobacterial blooms, climatic variables become crucial in predicting cyanobacterial bloom events. Climate changes should be considered when we evaluate how much the amount of nutrients should be reduced in Taihu for lake management. Copyright © 2011 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Contrasting the Genetic Patterns of Microbial Communities in Soda Lakes with and without Cyanobacterial Bloom.

Science.gov (United States)

Andreote, Ana P D; Dini-Andreote, Francisco; Rigonato, Janaina; Machineski, Gabriela Silva; Souza, Bruno C E; Barbiero, Laurent; Rezende-Filho, Ary T; Fiore, Marli F

2018-01-01

Soda lakes have high levels of sodium carbonates and are characterized by salinity and elevated pH. These ecosystems are found across Africa, Europe, Asia, Australia, North, Central, and South America. Particularly in Brazil, the Pantanal region has a series of hundreds of shallow soda lakes (ca. 600) potentially colonized by a diverse haloalkaliphilic microbial community. Biological information of these systems is still elusive, in particular data on the description of the main taxa involved in the biogeochemical cycling of life-important elements. Here, we used metagenomic sequencing to contrast the composition and functional patterns of the microbial communities of two distinct soda lakes from the sub-region Nhecolândia, state of Mato Grosso do Sul, Brazil. These two lakes differ by permanent cyanobacterial blooms (Salina Verde, green-water lake) and by no record of cyanobacterial blooms (Salina Preta, black-water lake). The dominant bacterial species in the Salina Verde bloom was Anabaenopsis elenkinii . This cyanobacterium altered local abiotic parameters such as pH, turbidity, and dissolved oxygen and consequently the overall structure of the microbial community. In Salina Preta, the microbial community had a more structured taxonomic profile. Therefore, the distribution of metabolic functions in Salina Preta community encompassed a large number of taxa, whereas, in Salina Verde, the functional potential was restrained across a specific set of taxa. Distinct signatures in the abundance of genes associated with the cycling of carbon, nitrogen, and sulfur were found. Interestingly, genes linked to arsenic resistance metabolism were present at higher abundance in Salina Verde and they were associated with the cyanobacterial bloom. Collectively, this study advances fundamental knowledge on the composition and genetic potential of microbial communities inhabiting tropical soda lakes.

Contrasting the Genetic Patterns of Microbial Communities in Soda Lakes with and without Cyanobacterial Bloom

Science.gov (United States)

Andreote, Ana P. D.; Dini-Andreote, Francisco; Rigonato, Janaina; Machineski, Gabriela Silva; Souza, Bruno C. E.; Barbiero, Laurent; Rezende-Filho, Ary T.; Fiore, Marli F.

2018-01-01

Soda lakes have high levels of sodium carbonates and are characterized by salinity and elevated pH. These ecosystems are found across Africa, Europe, Asia, Australia, North, Central, and South America. Particularly in Brazil, the Pantanal region has a series of hundreds of shallow soda lakes (ca. 600) potentially colonized by a diverse haloalkaliphilic microbial community. Biological information of these systems is still elusive, in particular data on the description of the main taxa involved in the biogeochemical cycling of life-important elements. Here, we used metagenomic sequencing to contrast the composition and functional patterns of the microbial communities of two distinct soda lakes from the sub-region Nhecolândia, state of Mato Grosso do Sul, Brazil. These two lakes differ by permanent cyanobacterial blooms (Salina Verde, green-water lake) and by no record of cyanobacterial blooms (Salina Preta, black-water lake). The dominant bacterial species in the Salina Verde bloom was Anabaenopsis elenkinii. This cyanobacterium altered local abiotic parameters such as pH, turbidity, and dissolved oxygen and consequently the overall structure of the microbial community. In Salina Preta, the microbial community had a more structured taxonomic profile. Therefore, the distribution of metabolic functions in Salina Preta community encompassed a large number of taxa, whereas, in Salina Verde, the functional potential was restrained across a specific set of taxa. Distinct signatures in the abundance of genes associated with the cycling of carbon, nitrogen, and sulfur were found. Interestingly, genes linked to arsenic resistance metabolism were present at higher abundance in Salina Verde and they were associated with the cyanobacterial bloom. Collectively, this study advances fundamental knowledge on the composition and genetic potential of microbial communities inhabiting tropical soda lakes. PMID:29520256

Contrasting the Genetic Patterns of Microbial Communities in Soda Lakes with and without Cyanobacterial Bloom

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Ana P. D. Andreote

2018-02-01

Full Text Available Soda lakes have high levels of sodium carbonates and are characterized by salinity and elevated pH. These ecosystems are found across Africa, Europe, Asia, Australia, North, Central, and South America. Particularly in Brazil, the Pantanal region has a series of hundreds of shallow soda lakes (ca. 600 potentially colonized by a diverse haloalkaliphilic microbial community. Biological information of these systems is still elusive, in particular data on the description of the main taxa involved in the biogeochemical cycling of life-important elements. Here, we used metagenomic sequencing to contrast the composition and functional patterns of the microbial communities of two distinct soda lakes from the sub-region Nhecolândia, state of Mato Grosso do Sul, Brazil. These two lakes differ by permanent cyanobacterial blooms (Salina Verde, green-water lake and by no record of cyanobacterial blooms (Salina Preta, black-water lake. The dominant bacterial species in the Salina Verde bloom was Anabaenopsis elenkinii. This cyanobacterium altered local abiotic parameters such as pH, turbidity, and dissolved oxygen and consequently the overall structure of the microbial community. In Salina Preta, the microbial community had a more structured taxonomic profile. Therefore, the distribution of metabolic functions in Salina Preta community encompassed a large number of taxa, whereas, in Salina Verde, the functional potential was restrained across a specific set of taxa. Distinct signatures in the abundance of genes associated with the cycling of carbon, nitrogen, and sulfur were found. Interestingly, genes linked to arsenic resistance metabolism were present at higher abundance in Salina Verde and they were associated with the cyanobacterial bloom. Collectively, this study advances fundamental knowledge on the composition and genetic potential of microbial communities inhabiting tropical soda lakes.

Climate Adaptation and Harmful Algal Blooms

Science.gov (United States)

EPA supports local, state and tribal efforts to maintain water quality. A key element of its efforts is to reduce excess nutrient pollution and the resulting adverse impacts, including harmful algal blooms.

Identification of Phytoplankton Blooms under the Index of Inherent Optical Properties (IOP Index in Optically Complex Waters

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Jesús A. Aguilar-Maldonado

2018-01-01

Full Text Available Phytoplankton blooms are sporadic events in time and are isolated in space. This complex phenomenon is produced by a variety of both natural and anthropogenic causes. Early detection of this phenomenon, as well as the classification of a water body under conditions of bloom or non-bloom, remains an unresolved problem. This research proposes the use of Inherent Optical Properties (IOPs in optically complex waters to detect the bloom or non-bloom state of the phytoplankton community. An IOP index is calculated from the absorption coefficients of the colored dissolved organic matter (CDOM, the phytoplankton (phy and the detritus (d, using the wavelength (λ 443 nm. The effectiveness of this index is tested in five bloom events in different places and with different characteristics from Mexican seas: 1. Dzilam (Caribbean Sea, Atlantic Ocean, a diatom bloom (Rhizosolenia hebetata; 2. Holbox (Caribbean Sea, Atlantic Ocean, a mixed bloom of dinoflagellates (Scrippsiella sp. and diatoms (Chaetoceros sp.; 3. Campeche Bay in the Gulf of Mexico (Atlantic Ocean, a bloom of dinoflagellates (Karenia brevis; 4. Upper Gulf of California (UGC (Pacific Ocean, a diatom bloom (Coscinodiscus and Pseudo-nitzschia and 5. Todos Santos Bay, Ensenada (Pacific Ocean, a dinoflagellate bloom (Lingulodinium polyedrum. The diversity of sites show that the IOP index is a suitable method to determine the phytoplankton bloom conditions.

Unpacking the Revised Bloom's Taxonomy: Developing Case-Based Learning Activities

Science.gov (United States)

Nkhoma, Mathews Zanda; Lam, Tri Khai; Sriratanaviriyakul, Narumon; Richardson, Joan; Kam, Booi; Lau, Kwok Hung

2017-01-01

Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to propose the use of case studies in teaching an undergraduate course of Internet for Business in class, based on the revised Bloom's taxonomy. The study provides the empirical evidence about the effect of case-based teaching method integrated the revised Bloom's taxonomy on students' incremental learning,…

Development of the composition of chocolate mass that resistant to bloom

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M. E. Tkeshelashvili

2017-01-01

Full Text Available Chocolate or used as a coating on the surface of the sweets chocolate mass when exposed to a temperature drop and/or a drop in the humidity of the environment, change color, lose gloss and acquire an unwanted grayish-white surface. The loss of the appearance of chocolate – the effect of bloom is the reason for the return of products from the trading network causing highly tangible the economic damage to the producers. In this connection, experimental researches devoted to the problem of preventing bloom and developing consist of chocolate masses preclusion to bloom appear to be an urgent task. The purpose of the research is develop consist of chocolate and covering chocolate resistant to bloom. The work is performed at the Scientific research institute of «Applied research of innovative technologies and food quality» of Plekhanov Russian University of Economics. For an investigation, samples of chocolate and covering chocolate based on cocoa butter were made in the formulation of which an additive including milk fat/isomalt/polydextrose. The control samples were dark chocolate and covering chocolate prepared according to a unified formula. For the formation of blooming, the samples were exposed to temperature fluctuations and relative humidity. The measurement of the color of chocolate is implementation by an instrumental method based on the analysis of the optical characteristics of the product. The coefficients of reflection spectra of samples of chocolate were converted into color coordinates of space CIEL ? a ? b* 1976. The emergence of a bloom of chocolate by changing the parameter lightness L ? (CIEL ? a ? b* was diagnosed. The effect of introducing an additive, including milk fat/isomalt/polydextrose on fat and sugar bloom, was determined in the formulation of chocolate masses. Based on research the consist of the chocolate mass has been developed which practically does not change the taste of the finished chocolate products

Properties of light absorption in a highly coloured estuarine system in south-east Australia which is prone to blooms of the toxic dinoflagellate Gymnodinium catenatum

Science.gov (United States)

Clementson, Lesley A.; Parslow, John S.; Turnbull, Alison R.; Bonham, Pru I.

2004-05-01

The Huon Estuary in south-east Tasmania is an important site in Australia's aquaculture and finfish industries. Atlantic salmon and shellfish are farmed in the Huon River Estuary, which drains a catchment that includes both areas of pristine wilderness and agriculture. The estuary experiences algal blooms, including blooms of the toxic dinoflagellate Gymnodinium catenatum, which can cause considerable problems for the aquaculture industry. The freshwater input is highly coloured due to high levels of humic material and this combined with intrusions of clearer oceanic water and the occurrence of algal blooms makes this estuary optically complex. Between November 1996 and September 1998 samples for pigment and optical analyses were collected weekly from five sites within the mid to lower regions of the estuary. In addition, every three months (beginning July 1996), samples were collected from 30 sites within the full river/estuary system. Early in December 1997 a bloom of Gymnodinium catenatum occurred throughout the estuary and persisted until June 1998. Chromophoric dissolved organic matter (CDOM) was found to dominate the total absorption of the water throughout the entire estuary and over the two-year duration of the study. The occurrence of algal blooms showed no correlation with the optical characteristics of the estuary, suggesting that optical parameters cannot be used to predict the occurrence of algal blooms in this estuary. Blooms of different algal species, such as diatoms and dinoflagellates, may be able to be distinguished by their absorption spectra in the UV region rather than the visible region. To date, this study is the most detailed spatial and temporal study of the characteristics of light absorption in an estuarine system within Australia.

The Cyanobacteria Assessment Network - Recent Success in Harmful Algal Bloom Detection

Science.gov (United States)

Cyanobacteria blooms, which can become harmful algal blooms (HABs), are a huge environmental problem across the United States. They are capable of producing dangerous toxins that threaten the health of humans and animals, quality of drinking water supplies, and the ecosystem in w...

Service discovery using Bloom filters

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Goering, P.T.H.; Heijenk, Geert; Lelieveldt, B.P.F.; Haverkort, Boudewijn R.H.M.; de Laat, C.T.A.M.; Heijnsdijk, J.W.J.

A protocol to perform service discovery in adhoc networks is introduced in this paper. Attenuated Bloom filters are used to distribute services to nodes in the neighborhood and thus enable local service discovery. The protocol has been implemented in a discrete event simulator to investigate the

Analysis of algal bloom risk with uncertainties in lakes by integrating self-organizing map and fuzzy information theory

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Chen, Qiuwen, E-mail: qchen@rcees.ac.cn [RCEES, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shuangqinglu 18, Beijing 10085 (China); China Three Gorges University, Daxuelu 8, Yichang 443002 (China); CEER, Nanjing Hydraulics Research Institute, Guangzhoulu 223, Nanjing 210029 (China); Rui, Han; Li, Weifeng; Zhang, Yanhui [RCEES, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shuangqinglu 18, Beijing 10085 (China)

2014-06-01

Algal blooms are a serious problem in waters, which damage aquatic ecosystems and threaten drinking water safety. However, the outbreak mechanism of algal blooms is very complex with great uncertainty, especially for large water bodies where environmental conditions have obvious variation in both space and time. This study developed an innovative method which integrated a self-organizing map (SOM) and fuzzy information diffusion theory to comprehensively analyze algal bloom risks with uncertainties. The Lake Taihu was taken as study case and the long-term (2004–2010) on-site monitoring data were used. The results showed that algal blooms in Taihu Lake were classified into four categories and exhibited obvious spatial–temporal patterns. The lake was mainly characterized by moderate bloom but had high uncertainty, whereas severe blooms with low uncertainty were observed in the northwest part of the lake. The study gives insight on the spatial–temporal dynamics of algal blooms, and should help government and decision-makers outline policies and practices on bloom monitoring and prevention. The developed method provides a promising approach to estimate algal bloom risks under uncertainties. - Highlights: • An innovative method is developed to analyze algal bloom risks with uncertainties. • The algal blooms in Taihu Lake showed obvious spatial and temporal patterns. • The lake is mainly characterized as moderate bloom but with high uncertainty. • Severe bloom with low uncertainty appeared occasionally in the northwest part. • The results provide important information to bloom monitoring and management.

Hydrodynamic control of microphytoplankton bloom in a coastal sea

Science.gov (United States)

Murty, K. Narasimha; Sarma, Nittala S.; Pandi, Sudarsana Rao; Chiranjeevulu, Gundala; Kiran, Rayaprolu; Muralikrishna, R.

2017-08-01

The influence of hydrodynamics on phytoplankton bloom occurrence/formation has not been adequately reported. Here, we document diurnal observations in the tropical Bay of Bengal's mid-western shelf region which reveal microphytoplankton cell density maxima in association with neap tide many times more than what could be accounted for by solar insolation and nutrient levels. When in summer, phytoplankton cells were abundant and the cell density of Guinardia delicatula reached critical value by tide caused zonation, aggregation happened to an intense bloom. Mucilaginous exudates from the alga due to heat and silicate stress likely promoted and stable water column and weak winds left undisturbed, the transient bloom. The phytoplankton aggregates have implication as food resource in the benthic region implying higher fishery potential, in carbon dioxide sequestration (carbon burial) and in efforts towards improving remote sensing algorithms for chlorophyll in the coastal region.

Climbing Bloom's taxonomy pyramid: Lessons from a graduate histology course.

Science.gov (United States)

Zaidi, Nikki B; Hwang, Charles; Scott, Sara; Stallard, Stefanie; Purkiss, Joel; Hortsch, Michael

2017-09-01

Bloom's taxonomy was adopted to create a subject-specific scoring tool for histology multiple-choice questions (MCQs). This Bloom's Taxonomy Histology Tool (BTHT) was used to analyze teacher- and student-generated quiz and examination questions from a graduate level histology course. Multiple-choice questions using histological images were generally assigned a higher BTHT level than simple text questions. The type of microscopy technique (light or electron microscopy) used for these image-based questions did not result in any significant differences in their Bloom's taxonomy scores. The BTHT levels for teacher-generated MCQs correlated positively with higher discrimination indices and inversely with the percent of students answering these questions correctly (difficulty index), suggesting that higher-level Bloom's taxonomy questions differentiate well between higher- and lower-performing students. When examining BTHT scores for MCQs that were written by students in a Multiple-Choice Item Development Assignment (MCIDA) there was no significant correlation between these scores and the students' ability to answer teacher-generated MCQs. This suggests that the ability to answer histology MCQs relies on a different skill set than the aptitude to construct higher-level Bloom's taxonomy questions. However, students significantly improved their average BTHT scores from the midterm to the final MCIDA task, which indicates that practice, experience and feedback increased their MCQ writing proficiency. Anat Sci Educ 10: 456-464. © 2017 American Association of Anatomists. © 2017 American Association of Anatomists.

Current-oriented swimming by jellyfish and its role in bloom maintenance.

Science.gov (United States)

Fossette, Sabrina; Gleiss, Adrian Christopher; Chalumeau, Julien; Bastian, Thomas; Armstrong, Claire Denise; Vandenabeele, Sylvie; Karpytchev, Mikhail; Hays, Graeme Clive

2015-02-02

Cross-flows (winds or currents) affect animal movements [1-3]. Animals can temporarily be carried off course or permanently carried away from their preferred habitat by drift depending on their own traveling speed in relation to that of the flow [1]. Animals able to only weakly fly or swim will be the most impacted (e.g., [4]). To circumvent this problem, animals must be able to detect the effects of flow on their movements and respond to it [1, 2]. Here, we show that a weakly swimming organism, the jellyfish Rhizostoma octopus, can orientate its movements with respect to currents and that this behavior is key to the maintenance of blooms and essential to reduce the probability of stranding. We combined in situ observations with first-time deployment of accelerometers on free-ranging jellyfish and simulated the behavior observed in wild jellyfish within a high-resolution hydrodynamic model. Our results show that jellyfish can actively swim countercurrent in response to current drift, leading to significant life-history benefits, i.e., increased chance of survival and facilitated bloom formation. Current-oriented swimming may be achieved by jellyfish either directly detecting current shear across their body surface [5] or indirectly assessing drift direction using other cues (e.g., magnetic, infrasound). Our coupled behavioral-hydrodynamic model provides new evidence that current-oriented swimming contributes to jellyfish being able to form aggregations of hundreds to millions of individuals for up to several months, which may have substantial ecosystem and socioeconomic consequences [6, 7]. It also contributes to improve predictions of jellyfish blooms' magnitude and movements in coastal waters. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Rising CO2 levels will intensify phytoplankton blooms in eutrophic and hypertrophic lakes.

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Jolanda M H Verspagen

Full Text Available Harmful algal blooms threaten the water quality of many eutrophic and hypertrophic lakes and cause severe ecological and economic damage worldwide. Dense blooms often deplete the dissolved CO2 concentration and raise pH. Yet, quantitative prediction of the feedbacks between phytoplankton growth, CO2 drawdown and the inorganic carbon chemistry of aquatic ecosystems has received surprisingly little attention. Here, we develop a mathematical model to predict dynamic changes in dissolved inorganic carbon (DIC, pH and alkalinity during phytoplankton bloom development. We tested the model in chemostat experiments with the freshwater cyanobacterium Microcystis aeruginosa at different CO2 levels. The experiments showed that dense blooms sequestered large amounts of atmospheric CO2, not only by their own biomass production but also by inducing a high pH and alkalinity that enhanced the capacity for DIC storage in the system. We used the model to explore how phytoplankton blooms of eutrophic waters will respond to rising CO2 levels. The model predicts that (1 dense phytoplankton blooms in low- and moderately alkaline waters can deplete the dissolved CO2 concentration to limiting levels and raise the pH over a relatively wide range of atmospheric CO2 conditions, (2 rising atmospheric CO2 levels will enhance phytoplankton blooms in low- and moderately alkaline waters with high nutrient loads, and (3 above some threshold, rising atmospheric CO2 will alleviate phytoplankton blooms from carbon limitation, resulting in less intense CO2 depletion and a lesser increase in pH. Sensitivity analysis indicated that the model predictions were qualitatively robust. Quantitatively, the predictions were sensitive to variation in lake depth, DIC input and CO2 gas transfer across the air-water interface, but relatively robust to variation in the carbon uptake mechanisms of phytoplankton. In total, these findings warn that rising CO2 levels may result in a marked

Chaos Theory and James Joyce's "ulysses": Leopold Bloom as a Human COMPLEX@SYSTEM^

Science.gov (United States)

Mackey, Peter Francis

1995-01-01

These four ideas apply as much to our lives as to the life of Leopold Bloom: (1) A trivial decision can wholly change a life. (2) A chance encounter can dramatically alter life's course. (3) A contingent nexus exists between consciousness and environment. (4) A structure of meaning helps us interpret life's chaos. These ideas also relate to a contemporary science called by some "chaos theory." The connection between Ulysses and chaos theory enhances our understanding of Bloom's day; it also suggests that this novel may be about the real process of life itself. The first chapter explains how Joyce's own essays and comments to friends compel attention to the links between Ulysses and chaos theory. His scientific contemporaries anticipated chaos theory, and their ideas seem to have rubbed off on him. We see this in his sense of trivial things and chance, his modernistic organizational impulses, and the contingent nature of Bloom's experience. The second chapter studies what chaos theory and Joyce's ideas tell us about "Ithaca," the episode which particularly implicates our processes of interpreting this text as well as life itself as we face their chaos. The third chapter examines Bloom's close feel for the aboriginal world, a contingency that clarifies his vulnerability to trivial changes. The fourth chapter studies how Bloom's stream of consciousness unfolds--from his chance encounters with trivial things. Beneath this stream's seeming chaos, Bloom's distinct personality endures, similar to how Joyce's schemas give Ulysses an imbedded, underlying order. The fifth chapter examines how trivial perturbations, such as Lyons' misunderstanding about "Throwaway," produce small crises for Bloom, exacerbating his seeming impotence before his lonely "fate.". The final chapter analyzes Bloom's views that fate and chance dictate his life. His views provide an opportunity to explore the implications chaos theory has for our understanding of free will and determinism. Ultimately

Rising CO2 Levels Will Intensify Phytoplankton Blooms in Eutrophic and Hypertrophic Lakes

Science.gov (United States)

Verspagen, Jolanda M. H.; Van de Waal, Dedmer B.; Finke, Jan F.; Visser, Petra M.; Van Donk, Ellen; Huisman, Jef

2014-01-01

Harmful algal blooms threaten the water quality of many eutrophic and hypertrophic lakes and cause severe ecological and economic damage worldwide. Dense blooms often deplete the dissolved CO2 concentration and raise pH. Yet, quantitative prediction of the feedbacks between phytoplankton growth, CO2 drawdown and the inorganic carbon chemistry of aquatic ecosystems has received surprisingly little attention. Here, we develop a mathematical model to predict dynamic changes in dissolved inorganic carbon (DIC), pH and alkalinity during phytoplankton bloom development. We tested the model in chemostat experiments with the freshwater cyanobacterium Microcystis aeruginosa at different CO2 levels. The experiments showed that dense blooms sequestered large amounts of atmospheric CO2, not only by their own biomass production but also by inducing a high pH and alkalinity that enhanced the capacity for DIC storage in the system. We used the model to explore how phytoplankton blooms of eutrophic waters will respond to rising CO2 levels. The model predicts that (1) dense phytoplankton blooms in low- and moderately alkaline waters can deplete the dissolved CO2 concentration to limiting levels and raise the pH over a relatively wide range of atmospheric CO2 conditions, (2) rising atmospheric CO2 levels will enhance phytoplankton blooms in low- and moderately alkaline waters with high nutrient loads, and (3) above some threshold, rising atmospheric CO2 will alleviate phytoplankton blooms from carbon limitation, resulting in less intense CO2 depletion and a lesser increase in pH. Sensitivity analysis indicated that the model predictions were qualitatively robust. Quantitatively, the predictions were sensitive to variation in lake depth, DIC input and CO2 gas transfer across the air-water interface, but relatively robust to variation in the carbon uptake mechanisms of phytoplankton. In total, these findings warn that rising CO2 levels may result in a marked intensification of

Trophic linkage of a temperate intertidal macrobenthic food web under opportunistic macroalgal blooms: A stable isotope approach

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Park, Hyun Je; Han, Eunah; Lee, Young-Jae; Kang, Chang-Keun

2016-01-01

The effects of blooms of opportunistic green macroalgae, Ulva prolifera, on the trophic structure of the macrobenthic food web in a temperate intertidal zone on the western coast of Korea were evaluated using carbon and nitrogen stable isotopes. Biomasses of Ulva and microphytobenthos (MPB) increased significantly at the macroalgae-bloom and the non-bloom sites, respectively, from March to September 2011. The δ 13 C values of most the consumers were arrayed between those of MPB and Ulva at both sites, and differed according to feeding strategies at the macroalgae-bloom site. Seasonally increasing magnitudes in δ 13 C and δ 15 N values of consumers were much steeper at the macroalgae-bloom site than at the non-bloom site. Our findings provide evidence that blooming green macroalgae play a significant role as a basal resource supporting the intertidal macrobenthic food web and their significance varies with feeding strategies of consumers as well as the resource availability. - Highlights: • Trophic effects of Ulva blooms on intertidal macrobenthic food web were evaluated. • Biomasses of Ulva increased at the macroalgae-bloom from March to September. • δ 13 C and δ 15 N values of consumers differed with feeding strategy and season. • Trophic significance of blooming macroalgae varies with feeding strategies of consumers. • Ulva blooms play a significant role as a basal resource supporting the intertidal food web.

Wintertime pytoplankton bloom in the Subarctic Pacific supportedby continental margin iron

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Lam, Phoebe J.; Bishop, James K.B.; Henning, Cara C.; Marcus,Matthew A.; Waychunas, Glenn A.; Fung, Inez

2004-06-08

Heightened biological activity was observed in February 1996in the high-nutrient low-chlorophyll (HNLC) subarctic North PacificOcean, a region that is thought to beiron-limited. Here we provideevidence supporting the hypothesis that Ocean Station Papa (OSP) in thesubarctic Pacific received a lateral supply of particulate iron from thecontinental margin off the Aleutian Islands in the winter, coincidentwith the observed biological bloom. Synchrotron X-ray analysis was usedto describe the physical form, chemistry, and depth distributions of ironin size fractionated particulate matter samples. The analysis revealsthat discrete micron-sized iron-rich hotspots are ubiquitous in the upper200m at OSP, more than 900km from the closest coast. The specifics of thechemistry and depth profiles of the Fe hot spots trace them to thecontinental margins. We thus hypothesize that iron hotspots are a markerfor the delivery of iron from the continental margin. We confirm thedelivery of continental margin iron to the open ocean using an oceangeneral circulation model with an iron-like tracer source at thecontinental margin. We suggest that iron from the continental marginstimulated a wintertime phytoplankton bloom, partially relieving the HNLCcondition.

Effects of fertilizers used in agricultural fields on algal blooms

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Chakraborty, Subhendu; Tiwari, P. K.; Sasmal, S. K.

2017-01-01

of factors and from observation it is difficult to identify the most important one. In the present paper, using a mathematical model we compare the effects of three human induced factors (fertilizer input in agricultural field, eutrophication due to other sources than fertilizers, and overfishing......) on the bloom dynamics and DO level. By applying a sophisticated sensitivity analysis technique, we found that the increasing use of fertilizers in agricultural field causes more rapid algal growth and decreases DO level much faster than eutrophication from other sources and overfishing. We also look...... at the mechanisms how fertilizer input rate affects the algal bloom dynamics and DO level. The model can be helpful for the policy makers in determining the influential factors responsible for the bloom formation....

Evaluation of fatty acids as biomarkers for a natural plankton community. A field study of a spring bloom and a post-bloom period off West Greenland

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Reuss, N.; Poulsen, Louise K.

2002-01-01

community were taken at the depth of fluorescence maximum. High biomass and diatom dominance during the spring bloom and low biomass and flagellate dominance in the post-bloom period were reflected by the fatty acid profiles. The total amount of fatty acid ranged from 55 to 132 mug 1(-1) during the spring...

Insights into toxic Prymnesium parvum blooms: the role of sugars and algal viruses.

Science.gov (United States)

Wagstaff, Ben A; Hems, Edward S; Rejzek, Martin; Pratscher, Jennifer; Brooks, Elliot; Kuhaudomlarp, Sakonwan; O'Neill, Ellis C; Donaldson, Matthew I; Lane, Steven; Currie, John; Hindes, Andrew M; Malin, Gill; Murrell, J Colin; Field, Robert A

2018-04-17

Prymnesium parvum is a toxin-producing microalga that causes harmful algal blooms globally, which often result in large-scale fish kills that have severe ecological and economic implications. Although many toxins have previously been isolated from P. parvum , ambiguity still surrounds the responsible ichthyotoxins in P. parvum blooms and the biotic and abiotic factors that promote bloom toxicity. A major fish kill attributed to P. parvum occurred in Spring 2015 on the Norfolk Broads, a low-lying set of channels and lakes (Broads) found on the East of England. Here, we discuss how water samples taken during this bloom have led to diverse scientific advances ranging from toxin analysis to discovery of a new lytic virus of P. parvum , P. parvum DNA virus (PpDNAV-BW1). Taking recent literature into account, we propose key roles for sialic acids in this type of viral infection. Finally, we discuss recent practical detection and management strategies for controlling these devastating blooms. © 2018 The Author(s).

Petal Thicknesses and Shape Transformations in Blooming Lilies

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Portet, Thomas; Holmes, Peter N.; Bowden, Mark E.; Stephens, Sean A.; Varga, Tamas; Keller, Sarah L.

2013-01-29

During blooming, flower petals undergo significant shape changes. For lilies, various different mechanisms responsible for the change have been suggested [1,2]. One is that cell growth along the edge of a petal, or, more generally, a tepal, drives a transition from a cup shape (within a bud) to a saddle shape (within a bloom). This mechanism has been previously considered for tepals modeled as shallow elliptical shells whose thickness from the center, t, falls off at least as fast as t = t0 (1 - x2/a2 - y2/b2 ) [1]. Here t0 is the maximum thickness of the shell, a and b are the semimajor and semiminoraxes, x and y are the coordinates along the longitudinal and lateral axes. By measuring tepal thicknesses from images collected by x-ray tomography of intact buds and by photography of microtomed buds, we find that this condition is indeed met for both Lilium casablanca and Lilium lancifolium. [1] Liang and Mahadevan. Growth, geometry, and mechanics of a blooming lily.

Importance of deep mixing for initiating the North Atlantic spring bloom

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Riisgaard, Karen; Paulsen, Maria Lund; Thingstad, T. Frede

The phytoplankton spring bloom is one of the most important recurrent events in the sup-polar part of the Atlantic Ocean. The classical idea is that the bloom is controlled by nutrients and light, but recent observations challenge this hypothesis. During repeated visits to stations in the deep...

A toxic cyanobacterial bloom in an urban coastal lake, Rio Grande do Sul state, Southern Brazil

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Luciana Retz de Carvalho

2008-12-01

Full Text Available Reports of cyanobacterial blooms developing worldwide have considerably increased, and, in most cases, the predominant toxins are microcystins. The present study reports a cyanobacterial bloom in Lake Violão, Torres, Rio Grande do Sul State, in January 2005. Samples collected on January 13, 2005, were submitted to taxonomical, toxicological, and chemical studies. The taxonomical analysis showed many different species of cyanobacteria, and that Microcystis protocystis and Sphaerocavum cf. brasiliense were dominant. Besides these, Microcystis panniformis, Anabaena oumiana,Cylindrospermopsis raciborskii, and Anabaenopsis elenkinii f. circularis were also present. The toxicity of the bloom was confirmed through intraperitoneal tests in mice, and chemical analyses of bloom extracts showed that the major substance was anabaenopeptin F, followed by anabaenopeptin B, microcystin-LR, and microcystin-RR.O número de relatos de ocorrências de florações de cianobactérias em todo o mundo vem aumentando consideravelmente e na maioria desses episódios, as toxinas dominantes são as microcistinas. O presente estudo relata a ocorrência de floração na Lagoa do Violão, município de Torres, RS, em janeiro de 2005. As amostras coletadas em 13/01/2005 foram submetidas a estudos taxonômicos, toxicológicos e químicos. O exame microscópico do fitoplancton mostrou a dominância das espécies Microcystis protocystis e Sphaerocavum cf. brasiliense; foram observadas, também, Microcystis panniformis, Anabaena oumiana,Cylindrospermopsis raciborskii e Anabaenopsis elenkinii f. circularis. A toxicidade da floração foi confirmada através de ensaio intraperitonial em camundongos e a análise química de extratos obtidos da biomassa liofilizada mostrou que a substância majoritária era a anabaenopeptina F, seguida por anabaenopeptina B, microcistina-LR e microcistina-RR.

An integrated method for removal of harmful cyanobacterial blooms in eutrophic lakes

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Wang Zhicong; Li Dunhai; Qin Hongjie; Li Yinxia

2012-01-01

As the eutrophication of lakes becomes an increasingly widespread phenomenon, cyanobacterial blooms are occurring in many countries. Although some research has been reported, there is currently no good method for bloom removal. We propose here a new two-step integrated approach to resolve this problem. The first step is the inactivation of the cyanobacteria via the addition of H 2 O 2 . We found 60 mg/L was the lowest effective dose for a cyanobacterial concentration corresponding to 100 μg/L chlorophyll-a. The second step is the flocculation and sedimentation of the inactivated cyanobacteria. We found the addition of lake sediment clay (2 g/L) plus polymeric ferric sulfate (20 mg/L) effectively deposited them on the lake bottom. Since algaecides and flocculants had been used separately in previous reports, we innovatively combined these two types of reagents to remove blooms from the lake surface and to improve the dissolved oxygen content of lake sediments. - Graphical abstract: The mechanism for the removal of cyanobacterial blooms by using H 2 O 2 , polymeric ferric sulfate (PFS) and lake sediment clay. Display Omitted Highlights: ► We combined algaecide and flocculants together to control cyanobacterial blooms. ► H 2 O 2 was used to irreversibly inactivate the photosynthesis of cyanobacteria. ► Lake sediment clay and polymeric ferric sulfate were used to deposit cyanobacteria. ► Removal rate was very high and re-suspension rate was very low under disturbance. ► The inactivated cyanobacteria could not serve as a seed source for the next bloom. - Inactivation by H 2 O 2 and sedimentation using polymeric ferric sulfate and sediment clay demonstrated high integrated efficiency in removal of cyanobacterial blooms.

A Preliminary Bloom's Taxonomy Assessment of End-of-Chapter Problems in Business School Textbooks

Science.gov (United States)

Marshall, Jennings B.; Carson, Charles M.

2008-01-01

This article examines textbook problems used in a sampling of some of the most common core courses found in schools of business to ascertain what level of learning, as defined by Bloom's Taxonomy, is required to provide a correct answer. A set of working definitions based on Bloom's Taxonomy (Bloom & Krathwohl, 1956) was developed for the six…

Factors affecting outbreaks of Cochlodinium polykrikoides blooms in coastal areas of Korea

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Lee, Young Sik . E-mail leeyodk@hanmail.net; Lee, Sang Yong

2006-01-01

We evaluated the causes of the first outbreak of Cochlodinium polykrikoides blooms in Narodo and the Southern coast of Namhaedo on the South Sea, as well as the outbreak of C. polykrikoides blooms in the East Sea and around Wando. From the results of AGP tests using diverse seawater types, we identified seawaters in which C. polykrikoides grow well and those in which they do not, depending on the sampling time and location. The reason for C. polykrikoides blooms initially occurring in Narodo, Namhaedo, and Gujaedo seems to be because the seawater that promotes the growth of C. polykrikoides is transported to the areas of primary generation, such as these three areas, by the influence of the Tsushima Warm Current. The reason that C. polykrikoides blooms occur in the coastal area of Wando and the East Sea is because after the seawater promoting the growth of C. polykrikoides is transported to these areas, the amount of sun radiation increases, and abundant nutrients flow in from heavy rains, resulting in mass propagation of C. polykrikoides. The origin of the seawater that promotes the growth of C. polykrikoides is assumed to be the southern section of the southern coastal area of Narodo, Namhaedo, and Gujaedo, in which C. polykrikoides blooms were initially discovered. The components of the f/2 medium (N, P, Fe, Mn, Co, Cu, Zn, Mo, B12, biotin, thiamine) do not seem to trigger the occurrence of C. polykrikoides blooms

Retrieved bacteria from Noctiluca miliaris (green) bloom of the northeastern Arabian Sea

Digital Repository Service at National Institute of Oceanography (India)

Basu, S.; Matondkar, S.G.P.; Furtado, I.

In recent years, seasonal blooms of the dinoflagellate Noctiluca miliaris have appeared in the open-waters of the northern Arabian Sea (NAS). This study provides the first characterization of bacteria from a seasonal bloom of green Noctiluca of NAS...

Cyanobacterial blooms in lake Atitlan, Guatemala

Czech Academy of Sciences Publication Activity Database

Rejmánková, E.; Komárek, Jiří; Dix, M.; Komárková, Jaroslava; Girón, N.

2011-01-01

Roč. 41, č. 4 (2011), s. 296-302 ISSN 0075-9511 Institutional research plan: CEZ:AV0Z60050516; CEZ:AV0Z60170517 Keywords : water blooms * plancton * Guatemala Subject RIV: EH - Ecology, Behaviour Impact factor: 1.527, year: 2011

Comparative genomics reveals diversified CRISPR-Cas systems of globally distributed Microcystis aeruginosa, a freshwater bloom-forming cyanobacterium

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Chen eYang

2015-05-01

Full Text Available Microcystis aeruginosa is one of the most common and dominant bloom-forming cyanobacteria in freshwater lakes around the world. Microcystis cells can produce toxic secondary metabolites, such as microcystins, which are harmful to human health. Two M. aeruginosa strains were isolated from two highly eutrophic lakes in China and their genomes were sequenced. Comparative genomic analysis was performed with the 12 other available M. aeruginosa genomes and closely related unicellular cyanobacterium. Each genome of M. aeruginosa containing at least one clustered regularly interspaced short palindromic repeat (CRISPR locus and total 71 loci were identified, suggesting it is ubiquitous in M. aeruginosa genomes. In addition to the previously reported subtype I-D cas gene sets, three CAS subtypes I-A, III-A and III-B were identified and characterized in this study. Seven types of CRISPR direct repeat have close association with CAS subtype, confirming that different and specific secondary structures of CRISPR repeats are important for the recognition, binding and process of corresponding cas gene sets. Homology search of the CRISPR spacer sequences provides a history of not only resistance to bacteriophages and plasmids known to be associated with M. aeruginosa, but also the ability to target much more exogenous genetic material in the natural environment. These adaptive and heritable defense mechanisms play a vital role in keeping genomic stability and self-maintenance by restriction of horizontal gene transfer. Maintaining genomic stability and modulating genomic plasticity are both important evolutionary strategies for M. aeruginosa in adaptation and survival in various habitats.

After effects of a dinoflagellate bloom on the hard bottom community in Kalpakkam coastal waters

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Sasikumar, N.; Azariah, J.; Venugopalan, V.P.; Nair, K.V.K.

1989-01-01

A bloom of the dinoflagellate, Noctiluca scintillans (Macartney) was observed in Kalpakkam coastal waters during the second and third week of October, 1988. Associated with the incidence of the bloom, signficant variations in the distribution of intertidal hard bottom communities were observed. Considerable difference in the dissolved oxygen content was also recorded during the bloom period. A sudden disapperance of grazers like limpets was observed after the onset of the bloom. Subsequent to this, there was a recolonization process, which showed a regular succession. Following limpet disappearance there was a rapid 'greening' of the surface by Enteromorpha Later, Dictyota dichotoma excluded Enteromorpha. Experimental teak wood panels also showed a decline in cy prid settlement during the bloom. (author). 3 tabs., 19 refs

Preferences for different nitrogen forms by coexisting plant species and soil microbes.

Science.gov (United States)

Harrison, Kathryn A; Bol, Roland; Bardgett, Richard D

2007-04-01

The growing awareness that plants might use a variety of nitrogen (N) forms, both organic and inorganic, has raised questions about the role of resource partitioning in plant communities. It has been proposed that coexisting plant species might be able to partition a limited N pool, thereby avoiding competition for resources, through the uptake of different chemical forms of N. In this study, we used in situ stable isotope labeling techniques to assess whether coexisting plant species of a temperate grassland (England, UK) display preferences for different chemical forms of N, including inorganic N and a range of amino acids of varying complexity. We also tested whether plants and soil microbes differ in their preference for different N forms, thereby relaxing competition for this limiting resource. We examined preferential uptake of a range of 13C15N-labeled amino acids (glycine, serine, and phenylalanine) and 15N-labeled inorganic N by coexisting grass species and soil microbes in the field. Our data show that while coexisting plant species simultaneously take up a variety of N forms, including inorganic N and amino acids, they all showed a preference for inorganic N over organic N and for simple over the more complex amino acids. Soil microbes outcompeted plants for added N after 50 hours, but in the long-term (33 days) the proportion of added 15N contained in the plant pool increased for all N forms except for phenylalanine, while the proportion in the microbial biomass declined relative to the first harvest. These findings suggest that in the longer-term plants become more effective competitors for added 15N. This might be due to microbial turnover releasing 15N back into the plant-soil system or to the mineralization and subsequent plant uptake of 15N transferred initially to the organic matter pool. We found no evidence that soil microbes preferentially utilize any of the N forms added, despite previous studies showing that microbial preferences for N forms

The biogenic reefs formed by the alien polychaete Hydroides dianthus (Serpulidae, Annelida) favor the polyp stage of Aurelia coerulea (Cnidaria, Scyphozoa) in a coastal artificial lake.

Science.gov (United States)

Dong, Zhijun; Sun, Tingting; Wang, Lei

2018-04-01

Blooms of the moon jellyfish Aurelia coerulea frequently occur in coastal waters. The increased availability of substrates for the settlement and proliferation of polyps due to the expansion of artificial structures in coastal areas has been proposed as a possible contributing factor in jellyfish blooms. This paper investigates whether a marine artificial lake (Fenghuang Lake) provides additional substrates for A. coerulea polyps and contributes to jellyfish blooms. High densities of A. coerulea ephyrae were discovered in this lake, with a mean density of 41 individuals/m 3 and a maximum measured density of 128 individuals/m 3 . Meanwhile, A. coerulea ephyrae were also found in the two emptying channels outside the lake, with a mean density of 13 individuals/m 3 . Underwater surveys revealed that dense colonies of A. coerulea polyps occurred mainly on biogenic reefs formed by a polychaete, which was identified as an invasive serpulid species Hydroides dianthus, based on the phylogenetic analysis of mitochondrial COI gene sequences. Our study highlights the potential modification of habitats by the alien polychaete H. dianthus, which might provide complex benthic habits suitable for the settlement and proliferation of A. coerulea polyps and may contribute to jellyfish blooms in the marine artificial lake and nearby coastal waters. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Parametric scaling from species to growth-form diversity: an interesting analogy with multifractal functions.

Science.gov (United States)

Ricotta, Carlo; Pacini, Alessandra; Avena, Giancarlo

2002-01-01

We propose a measure of divergence from species to life-form diversity aimed at summarizing the ecological similarity among different plant communities without losing information on traditional taxonomic diversity. First, species and life-form relative abundances within a given plant community are determined. Next, using Rényi's generalized entropy, the diversity profiles of the analyzed community are computed both from species and life-form relative abundances. Finally, the speed of decrease from species to life-form diversity is obtained by combining the outcome of both profiles. Interestingly, the proposed measure shows some formal analogies with multifractal functions developed in statistical physics for the analysis of spatial patterns. As an application for demonstration, a small data set from a plant community sampled in the archaeological site of Paestum (southern Italy) is used.

State of knowledge and concerns on cyanobacterial blooms and cyanotoxins.

OpenAIRE

Merel , Sylvain; Walker , David; Chicana , Ruth; Snyder , Shane; Baurès , Estelle; Thomas , Olivier

2013-01-01

International audience; Cyanobacteria are ubiquitous microorganisms considered as important contributors to the formation of Earth's atmosphere and nitrogen fixation. However, they are also frequently associated with toxic blooms. Indeed, the wide range of hepatotoxins, neurotoxins and dermatotoxins synthesized by these bacteria is a growing environmental and public health concern. This paper provides a state of the art on the occurrence and management of harmful cyanobacterial blooms in surf...

Historical abundance and morphology of Didymosphenia species in Naknek Lake, Alaska

Science.gov (United States)

Pite, D.P.; Lane, K.A.; Hermann, A.K.; Spaulding, S.A.; Finney, B.P.

2009-01-01

Since the 1980s, nuisance blooms of Didymosphenia geminata (Lyngbye) M. Schmidt have been documented in sites that are warmer and more mesotrophic than historical records indicate. While the invasion of D. geminata in New Zealand is well documented, it is less clear whether nuisance blooms in North America are a new phenomenon. In order to test the hypothesis that D. geminata blooms have increased in recent years, we examined the historical record of this species in sediments of Naknek Lake, in Katmai National Park, Alaska. Chronological control was established by relating the presence of two ash layers to known volcanic eruptions. We identified two species of Didymosphenia within the sediment record: D. geminata and D. clavaherculis (Ehrenberg) Metzeltin et Lange-Bertalot. This is the first published record of D. clavaherculis in North America. We found no statistically significant change in the numerical presence of D. geminata or D. clavaherculis, as a group, in Naknek Lake between the years 1218 and 2003. While there has been no sudden, or recent, increase in abundance of Didymosphenia in Naknek Lake, morphological features of D. geminata populations in Naknek Lake are distinct compared to morphological features of D. geminata in streams containing nuisance blooms from sites in North America and New Zealand. Variance in the morphology of Didymosphenia cells may help determine relationships between distinct sub-populations and establish the history of habitat invasion.

Allan Bloom, America, and Education.

Science.gov (United States)

West, Thomas

2000-01-01

Refutes the claims of Allan Bloom that the source of the problem with today's universities is modern philosophy, that the writings and ideas of Hobbes and Locke planted the seeds of relativism in American culture, and that the cure is Great Books education. Suggests instead that America's founding principles are the only solution to the failure of…

The first recorded bloom of Pseudochattonella farcimen (Dictyochophyceae, Heterokonta, (Riisberg I., 2008 in the Gulf of Gdańsk

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Maria Łotocka

2009-03-01

Full Text Available In April 2001 a local bloom of the heterokont phytoflagellate Pseudochattonella farcimen (Riisberg I., 2008 (initially named Chattonella aff. verruculosa was observed for the first time in the southern part of the Gulf of Gdańsk.The species occurred in high cell densities: the count was 11.5 × 106 cells dm-3 and the biomass 927.5 µgC dm-3.

Recruitment of bloom-forming cyanobacteria and its driving factors ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

Based on most of the literature, this paper reviewed the progress made in following aspects: cognition to cyanobacteria recruitment, various traps for studying cyanobacteria recruitment in lakes, recruitment patterns of some species of cyanobacteria, and the driving factors for recruitment. Additionally, perspective studies of ...

Dynamic Changes in Bacterial Population and Corresponding Exoenzyme Activity in Response to a Tropical Phytoplankton Bloom Chattonella marina

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Anit M. Thomas

2014-01-01

Full Text Available The raphidophyte Chattonella marina (Subrahmanyan Hara & Chihara bloom which causes lethal effects on marine ecosystem has been reported intermittently from Indian waters. In the present study, periodic samplings were made in a Chattonella marina bloom area, off Mahe, on 27 and 29 October and 1 November 2011 (in different phases of the bloom to assess the associated bacterial population and their exoenzyme activity. Microbial community composition of Chattonella marina bloom revealed a twentyfold increase in bacterial load over the nonbloom area. The bacterial genera, Micrococcus, Flavobacterium, Vibrio, and Pseudomonas, increased significantly during the declining phase of the bloom. An assessment of the extracellular enzyme production also showed a marked increase in percentage of bacterial strains, potent in protease production, suggesting the possible role of proteolytic bacteria in bloom crash. This study reveals the bacterial community succession during the bloom and indicates that bacteria play an important role in bloom regulation.

Challenges in modeling spatiotemporally varying phytoplankton blooms in the Northwestern Arabian Sea and Gulf of Oman

Science.gov (United States)

Sedigh Marvasti, S.; Gnanadesikan, A.; Bidokhti, A. A.; Dunne, J. P.; Ghader, S.

2016-02-01

Recent years have shown an increase in harmful algal blooms in the Northwest Arabian Sea and Gulf of Oman, raising the question of whether climate change will accelerate this trend. This has led us to examine whether the Earth System Models used to simulate phytoplankton productivity accurately capture bloom dynamics in this region - both in terms of the annual cycle and interannual variability. Satellite data (SeaWIFS ocean color) show two climatological blooms in this region, a wintertime bloom peaking in February and a summertime bloom peaking in September. On a regional scale, interannual variability of the wintertime bloom is dominated by cyclonic eddies which vary in location from one year to another. Two coarse (1°) models with the relatively complex biogeochemistry (TOPAZ) capture the annual cycle but neither eddies nor the interannual variability. An eddy-resolving model (GFDL CM2.6) with a simpler biogeochemistry (miniBLING) displays larger interannual variability, but overestimates the wintertime bloom and captures eddy-bloom coupling in the south but not in the north. The models fail to capture both the magnitude of the wintertime bloom and its modulation by eddies in part because of their failure to capture the observed sharp thermocline and/or nutricline in this region. When CM2.6 is able to capture such features in the Southern part of the basin, eddies modulate diffusive nutrient supply to the surface (a mechanism not previously emphasized in the literature). For the model to simulate the observed wintertime blooms within cyclones, it will be necessary to represent this relatively unusual nutrient structure as well as the cyclonic eddies. This is a challenge in the Northern Arabian Sea as it requires capturing the details of the outflow from the Persian Gulf - something that is poorly done in global models.

Challenges in modelling spatiotemporally varying phytoplankton blooms in the Northwestern Arabian Sea and Gulf of Oman

Science.gov (United States)

Sedigh Marvasti, S.; Gnanadesikan, A.; Bidokhti, A. A.; Dunne, J. P.; Ghader, S.

2015-07-01

We examine interannual variability of phytoplankton blooms in northwestern Arabian Sea and Gulf of Oman. Satellite data (SeaWIFS ocean color) shows two climatological blooms in this region, a wintertime bloom peaking in February and a summertime bloom peaking in September. A pronounced anti-correlation between the AVISO sea surface height anomaly (SSHA) and chlorophyll is found during the wintertime bloom. On a regional scale, interannual variability of the wintertime bloom is thus dominated by cyclonic eddies which vary in location from one year to another. These results were compared against the outputs from three different 3-D Earth System models. We show that two coarse (1°) models with the relatively complex biogeochemistry (TOPAZ) capture the annual cycle but neither eddies nor the interannual variability. An eddy-resolving model (GFDL CM2.6) with a simpler biogeochemistry (miniBLING) displays larger interannual variability, but overestimates the wintertime bloom and captures eddy-bloom coupling in the south but not in the north. The southern part of the domain is a region with a much sharper thermocline and nutricline relatively close to the surface, in which eddies modulate diffusive nutrient supply to the surface (a mechanism not previously emphasized in the literature). We suggest that for the model to simulate the observed wintertime blooms within cyclones, it will be necessary to represent this relatively unusual nutrient structure as well as the cyclonic eddies. This is a challenge in the Northern Arabian Sea as it requires capturing the details of the outflow from the Persian Gulf.

Analysis of algal bloom risk with uncertainties in lakes by integrating self-organizing map and fuzzy information theory.

Science.gov (United States)

Chen, Qiuwen; Rui, Han; Li, Weifeng; Zhang, Yanhui

2014-06-01

Algal blooms are a serious problem in waters, which damage aquatic ecosystems and threaten drinking water safety. However, the outbreak mechanism of algal blooms is very complex with great uncertainty, especially for large water bodies where environmental conditions have obvious variation in both space and time. This study developed an innovative method which integrated a self-organizing map (SOM) and fuzzy information diffusion theory to comprehensively analyze algal bloom risks with uncertainties. The Lake Taihu was taken as study case and the long-term (2004-2010) on-site monitoring data were used. The results showed that algal blooms in Taihu Lake were classified into four categories and exhibited obvious spatial-temporal patterns. The lake was mainly characterized by moderate bloom but had high uncertainty, whereas severe blooms with low uncertainty were observed in the northwest part of the lake. The study gives insight on the spatial-temporal dynamics of algal blooms, and should help government and decision-makers outline policies and practices on bloom monitoring and prevention. The developed method provides a promising approach to estimate algal bloom risks under uncertainties. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

The impacts of a massive harmful algal bloom along the US west coast in 2015

Science.gov (United States)

Kudela, R. M.; Trainer, V. L.; McCabe, R. M.; Hickey, B. M.; Negrey, K.

2016-02-01

In 2015, a massive bloom of the marine diatom Pseudo-nitzschia, stretching from southern California to southern Alaska, resulted in significant impacts to coastal resources and marine life. This bloom was first detected in early May 2015, when Washington closed its scheduled razor clam digs on coastal beaches. It is the largest and longest-lasting bloom in at least the past 15 years, and concentrations of domoic acid in seawater, some forage fish, and crab samples have been among the highest ever reported for this region. By mid-May, domoic acid concentrations in Monterey Bay, California were 10 to 30 times the level that would be considered high for a normal Pseudo-nitzschia bloom. Impacts to coastal communities and marine life include shellfish and Dungeness crab closures in multiple states, impacting commercial, recreational and subsistence harvesters, anchovy and sardine fishery health advisories in some areas of California, and sea lion strandings in California and Washington. Other marine mammal and bird mortalities have been reported in multiple states, and domoic acid poisoning is a suspected cause. In addition to the spatial extent and toxicity, the bloom has also lasted for many months (ongoing as of September 2015). While the exact causes of the bloom's severity and early onset are not yet known, unusually warm surface water in the Pacific Ocean may be a contributing factor. Here we present an overview of the bloom dynamics and impacts, and preliminary analysis about the bloom initiation and relationship to unusual ocean conditions in 2014-2015.

Climbing Bloom's Taxonomy Pyramid: Lessons from a Graduate Histology Course

Science.gov (United States)

Zaidi, Nikki B.; Hwang, Charles; Scott, Sara; Stallard, Stefanie; Purkiss, Joel; Hortsch, Michael

2017-01-01

Bloom's taxonomy was adopted to create a subject-specific scoring tool for histology multiple-choice questions (MCQs). This Bloom's Taxonomy Histology Tool (BTHT) was used to analyze teacher- and student-generated quiz and examination questions from a graduate level histology course. Multiple-choice questions using histological images were…

Harmful algal blooms and Vibrio spp. association in fishing and marine farming areas of mollusk bivalves in Sechura and Pisco bays, Peru

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Rita Orozco

2017-04-01

Full Text Available Between February 2010 and May 2014, 22 surveys in Pisco and 16 in Sechura were conducted; both are major areas for shellfish production and mariculture in Peru. The incidence of Vibrio in seawater was monitored during algal blooms and in their absence. Environmental parameters such as temperature and nutrients were measured. In Sechura, Pseudo-nitzschia seriata and Protoperidinium depressum caused algal blooms and were dominant throughout the evaluation period. The temperatures in this area ranged from 21.8 to 25.3 °C. In Pisco, the harmful algal bloom-forming Akashiwo sanguinea, Messodinium rubrum, and Prorocentrum minimum and the dinoflagellate Cochlodinium polikrykoides were most prevalent. Harmful algal blooms occurred when temperatures were between 17.1 and 23.3 °C, with phosphates ranging 1.22 - 6.85 µM and nitrates 0.15 - 7.85 µM. In May 2012, the dinoflagellate Alexandrium peruvianum caused an algal bloom, with temperatures ranging 18.0 to 23.2 °C, phosphate values from 0.73 to 11.56 µM, and nitrates from 0.76 to 9.81 µM. Coliforms were low, < 2 - 23 MPN/100 ml, in both bays throughout the study period. Vibrio alginolyticus was the dominant Vibrio spp. predominated in both bays, while V. vulnificus and V. parahaemolyticus were detected in Pisco, where warmer sea temperatures are common and severe infections cases by seafood ingestion has been associated with a pathogen V. parahaemolyticus.

Spatio-temporal interdependence of bacteria and phytoplankton during a Baltic Sea spring bloom

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Carina eBunse

2016-04-01

Full Text Available In temperate systems, phytoplankton spring blooms deplete inorganic nutrients and are major sources of organic matter for the microbial loop. In response to phytoplankton exudates and environmental factors, heterotrophic microbial communities are highly dynamic and change their abundance and composition both on spatial and temporal scales. Yet, most of our understanding about these processes comes from laboratory model organism studies, mesocosm experiments or single temporal transects. Spatial-temporal studies examining interactions of phytoplankton blooms and bacterioplankton community composition and function, though being highly informative, are scarce. In this study, pelagic microbial community dynamics (bacteria and phytoplankton and environmental variables were monitored during a spring bloom across the Baltic Proper (two cruises between North Germany to Gulf of Finland. To test to what extent bacterioplankton community composition relates to the spring bloom, we used next generation amplicon sequencing of the 16S rRNA gene, phytoplankton diversity analysis based on microscopy counts and population genotyping of the dominating diatom Skeletonema marinoi. Several phytoplankton bloom related and environmental variables were identified to influence bacterial community composition. Members of Bacteroidetes and Alphaproteobacteria dominated the bacterial community composition but the bacterial groups showed no apparent correlation with direct bloom related variables. The less abundant bacterial phyla Actinobacteria, Planctomycetes, and Verrucomicrobia, on the other hand, were strongly associated with phytoplankton biomass, diatom:dinoflagellate ratio and colored dissolved organic matter (cDOM. Many bacterial operational taxonomic units (OTUs showed high niche specificities. For example, particular Bacteroidetes OTUs were associated with two distinct genetic clusters of S. marinoi. Our study revealed the complexity of interactions of bacterial

Cadmium and phosphate variability during algal blooms of the dinoflagellate Lingulodinium polyedrum in Todos Santos Bay, Baja California, Mexico

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Gutierrez-Mejia, E.; Lares, M.L.; Huerta-Diaz, M.A.; Delgadillo-Hinojosa, F.

2016-01-01

Dinoflagellate algal blooms (DABs), with Lingulodinium polyedrum as the dominant species, have increased over the past few years in coastal areas off Baja California, Mexico. Vertical and temporal variability of particulate cadmium (Cd_p), dissolved Cd (Cd_d), PO_4"3"− and Cd_d/PO_4"3"− were investigated during two intense DABs of L. polyedrum that occurred during the fall of 2011 and 2012 in Todos Santos Bay. Results were then, compared with data gathered in the absence of algal blooms during the autumn of 2013. In both algal blooms, L. polyedrum tended to be concentrated near the surface throughout the duration; however, during DAB 2011 the number of cells was twice as abundant ([10.0 ± 8.0] × 10"5 cells L"−"1) as in DAB 2012 ([5.0 ± 4.4] × 10"5 cells L"−"1). During DAB 2011, Cd_p increased significantly (up to 1.02 ± 0.99 nmol kg"−"1) and was positively correlated with the cell abundance of L. polyedrum, suggesting that this dinoflagellate is able to assimilate and concentrate Cd_d. Likewise, Cd_d (up to 0.71 ± 0.17 nM) increased in the days of highest cell abundance, which could be attributed to uptake and subsequent regeneration of Cd_d resulting from the remineralization of organic particulate matter produced during the bloom, as well as with the presence of organic ligands secreted by L. polyedrum that could keep Cd_d in solution. During DAB 2011, dissolved Cd_d/PO_4"3"− ratios exhibited high vertical and temporal variability in the upper 5 m of the water column, but remained virtually constant near the bottom, suggesting a depth-dependent decoupling between these two dissolved components during the bloom development. Given the observed differences in the vertical and temporal variability of Cd_d, Cd_p, and PO_4"3"− between these two intense DABs, we propose the existence of an abundance threshold of approximately 10"6 cells L"−"1 of L. polyedrum above which Cd and PO_4"3"− significantly increased due to remineralization in coastal

Detecting the Killer Toxin (Harmful Algal Blooms)

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Quevenco, Rodolfo

2011-01-01

IAEA is stepping up efforts to help countries understand the phenomenon and use more reliable methods for early detection and monitoring so as to limit harmful algal blooms (HABs) adverse effects on coastal communities everywhere.

Physical control of interannual variations of the winter chlorophyll bloom in the northern Arabian Sea

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

M. G. Keerthi

2017-08-01

Full Text Available The northern Arabian Sea hosts a winter chlorophyll bloom, triggered by convective overturning in response to cold and dry northeasterly monsoon winds. Previous studies of interannual variations of this bloom only relied on a couple of years of data and reached no consensus on the associated processes. The current study aims at identifying these processes using both  ∼  10 years of observations (including remotely sensed chlorophyll data and physical parameters derived from Argo data and a 20-year-long coupled biophysical ocean model simulation. Despite discrepancies in the estimated bloom amplitude, the six different remotely sensed chlorophyll products analysed in this study display a good phase agreement at seasonal and interannual timescales. The model and observations both indicate that the interannual winter bloom fluctuations are strongly tied to interannual mixed layer depth anomalies ( ∼  0.6 to 0.7 correlation, which are themselves controlled by the net heat flux at the air–sea interface. Our modelling results suggest that the mixed layer depth control of the bloom amplitude ensues from the modulation of nutrient entrainment into the euphotic layer. In contrast, the model and observations both display insignificant correlations between the bloom amplitude and thermocline depth, which precludes a control of the bloom amplitude by daily dilution down to the thermocline depth, as suggested in a previous study.

Economic Cost of an Algae Bloom Cleanup in China's 2008 Olympic Sailing Venue

Science.gov (United States)

Wang, X. H.; Li, L.; Bao, X.; Zhao, L. D.

2009-07-01

In the summer of 2008, an algae bloom struck the coast of Qingdao, China, where the 2008 Olympic sailing events were to be held. The bloom was caused by the drift and proliferation of the green algae Enteromorpha (see http://precedings.nature.com/documents/2352/version/1). It lasted for more than 1 month and covered nearly the entire sailing venue. The Enteromorpha bloom was so intense that national and local governments invested a tremendous amount of labor and resources in a cleanup effort in order to achieve Olympic Games standards [Hu and He, 2008].

Rewiring Host Lipid Metabolism by Large Viruses Determines the Fate of Emiliania huxleyi, a Bloom-Forming Alga in the Ocean[C][W][OPEN

Science.gov (United States)

Rosenwasser, Shilo; Mausz, Michaela A.; Schatz, Daniella; Sheyn, Uri; Malitsky, Sergey; Aharoni, Asaph; Weinstock, Eyal; Tzfadia, Oren; Ben-Dor, Shifra; Feldmesser, Ester; Pohnert, Georg; Vardi, Assaf

2014-01-01

Marine viruses are major ecological and evolutionary drivers of microbial food webs regulating the fate of carbon in the ocean. We combined transcriptomic and metabolomic analyses to explore the cellular pathways mediating the interaction between the bloom-forming coccolithophore Emiliania huxleyi and its specific coccolithoviruses (E. huxleyi virus [EhV]). We show that EhV induces profound transcriptome remodeling targeted toward fatty acid synthesis to support viral assembly. A metabolic shift toward production of viral-derived sphingolipids was detected during infection and coincided with downregulation of host de novo sphingolipid genes and induction of the viral-encoded homologous pathway. The depletion of host-specific sterols during lytic infection and their detection in purified virions revealed their novel role in viral life cycle. We identify an essential function of the mevalonate-isoprenoid branch of sterol biosynthesis during infection and propose its downregulation as an antiviral mechanism. We demonstrate how viral replication depends on the hijacking of host lipid metabolism during the chemical “arms race” in the ocean. PMID:24920329

State of knowledge and concerns on cyanobacterial blooms and cyanotoxins.

Science.gov (United States)

Merel, Sylvain; Walker, David; Chicana, Ruth; Snyder, Shane; Baurès, Estelle; Thomas, Olivier

2013-09-01

Cyanobacteria are ubiquitous microorganisms considered as important contributors to the formation of Earth's atmosphere and nitrogen fixation. However, they are also frequently associated with toxic blooms. Indeed, the wide range of hepatotoxins, neurotoxins and dermatotoxins synthesized by these bacteria is a growing environmental and public health concern. This paper provides a state of the art on the occurrence and management of harmful cyanobacterial blooms in surface and drinking water, including economic impacts and research needs. Cyanobacterial blooms usually occur according to a combination of environmental factors e.g., nutrient concentration, water temperature, light intensity, salinity, water movement, stagnation and residence time, as well as several other variables. These environmental variables, in turn, have promoted the evolution and biosynthesis of strain-specific, gene-controlled metabolites (cyanotoxins) that are often harmful to aquatic and terrestrial life, including humans. Cyanotoxins are primarily produced intracellularly during the exponential growth phase. Release of toxins into water can occur during cell death or senescence but can also be due to evolutionary-derived or environmentally-mediated circumstances such as allelopathy or relatively sudden nutrient limitation. Consequently, when cyanobacterial blooms occur in drinking water resources, treatment has to remove both cyanobacteria (avoiding cell lysis and subsequent toxin release) and aqueous cyanotoxins previously released. Cells are usually removed with limited lysis by physical processes such as clarification or membrane filtration. However, aqueous toxins are usually removed by both physical retention, through adsorption on activated carbon or reverse osmosis, and chemical oxidation, through ozonation or chlorination. While the efficient oxidation of the more common cyanotoxins (microcystin, cylindrospermopsin, anatoxin and saxitoxin) has been extensively reported, the chemical

Toxic Cyanobacterial Bloom Triggers in Missisquoi Bay, Lake Champlain, as Determined by Next-Generation Sequencing and Quantitative PCR

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Nathalie Fortin

2015-05-01

Full Text Available Missisquoi Bay (MB is a temperate eutrophic freshwater lake that frequently experiences toxic Microcystis-dominated cyanobacterial blooms. Non-point sources are responsible for the high concentrations of phosphorus and nitrogen in the bay. This study combined data from environmental parameters, E. coli counts, high-throughput sequencing of 16S rRNA gene amplicons, quantitative PCR (16S rRNA and mcyD genes and toxin analyses to identify the main bloom-promoting factors. In 2009, nutrient concentrations correlated with E. coli counts, abundance of total cyanobacterial cells, Microcystis 16S rRNA and mcyD genes and intracellular microcystin. Total and dissolved phosphorus also correlated significantly with rainfall. The major cyanobacterial taxa were members of the orders Chroococcales and Nostocales. The genus Microcystis was the main mcyD-carrier and main microcystin producer. Our results suggested that increasing nutrient concentrations and total nitrogen:total phosphorus (TN:TP ratios approaching 11:1, coupled with an increase in temperature, promoted Microcystis-dominated toxic blooms. Although the importance of nutrient ratios and absolute concentrations on cyanobacterial and Microcystis dynamics have been documented in other laboratories, an optimum TN:TP ratio for Microcystis dominance has not been previously observed in situ. This observation provides further support that nutrient ratios are an important determinant of species composition in natural phytoplankton assemblages.

Pleurochrysis pseudoroscoffensis (Prymnesiophyceae) blooms on the surface of the Salton Sea, California

Science.gov (United States)

Reifel, K.M.; McCoy, M.P.; Tiffany, M.A.; Rocke, T.E.; Trees, C.C.; Barlow, S.B.; Faulkner, D.J.; Hurlbert, S.H.

2001-01-01

Dense populations of the coccolithophore Pleurochrysis pseudoroscoffensis were found in surface films at several locations around the Salton Sea in February-August, 1999. An unidentified coccolithophorid was also found in low densities in earlier studies of the lake (1955-1956). To our knowledge, this is the first record of this widespread marine species in any lake. Samples taken from surface films typically contained high densities of one or two other phytoplankton species as well as high densities of the coccolithophore. Presence or absence of specific algal pigments was used to validate direct cell counts. In a preliminary screen using a brine shrimp lethality assay, samples showed moderate activity. Extracts were then submitted to a mouse bioassay, and no toxic activity was observed. These results indicate that blooms of P. pseudoroscoffensis are probably not toxic to vertebrates and do not contribute to the various mortality events of birds and fish that occur in the Salton Sea.

Mesoscale Eddies Control the Timing of Spring Phytoplankton Blooms: A Case Study in the Japan Sea

Science.gov (United States)

Maúre, E. R.; Ishizaka, J.; Sukigara, C.; Mino, Y.; Aiki, H.; Matsuno, T.; Tomita, H.; Goes, J. I.; Gomes, H. R.

2017-11-01

Satellite Chlorophyll a (CHL) data were used to investigate the influence of mesoscale anticyclonic eddies (AEs) and cyclonic eddies (CEs) on the timing of spring phytoplankton bloom initiation around the Yamato Basin (133-139°E and 35-39.5°N) in the Japan Sea, for the period 2002-2011. The results showed significant differences between AEs and CEs in the timing and initiation mechanism of the spring phytoplankton bloom. Blooms were initiated earlier in CEs which were characterized by shallow mixed-layer depths (mixed-layer depth. Conversely, blooms appeared in the AEs despite deeper mixed-layer depth (> 100 m) but close to the commencement of positive Q0. This suggests that the relaxation of turbulent mixing is crucial for the bloom initiation in AEs.

Physical and biological data collected along the Texas, Mississippi, and Florida Gulf coasts in the Gulf of Mexico as part of the Harmful Algal BloomS Observing System from 19 Aug 1953 to 11 July 2014 (NODC Accession 0120767)

Data.gov (United States)

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Department of Commerce — HABSOS (Harmful Algal BloomS Observing System) is a data collection and distribution system for harmful algal bloom (HAB) information in the Gulf of Mexico. The goal...

The 1987–1989 Phytoplankton Bloom in Kaneohe Bay

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Edward Laws

2018-06-01

Full Text Available A remarkable bloom of phytoplankton occurred in the southeast sector (SE of Kaneohe Bay from 1987 through 1989. During the bloom, concentrations of chlorophyll a at the former site of the Kaneohe municipal wastewater treatment plant outfall averaged a little more than 2 mg m–3 for a period of 40 months. The increase of chl a was accompanied by a roughly twofold increase in the percentage of chl a accounted for by cells retained on a 35-micron filter, a drawdown of silicate concentrations from roughly 10 μM to 3–4 μM, an increase of nitrate concentrations from roughly 0.5 to more than 3 μM, and an increase of phosphate concentrations from roughly 0.2 to 0.5 μM. Extraordinarily heavy rains on 31 December 1987 led to flooding and land runoff that briefly raised chl a concentrations in the bay to as high as 17 mg m–3, but the bloom in question developed more than one year before the 1987 New Year’s Eve flood. It was not caused by unusually heavy rainfall: the average rainfall during 1987–1989 was only 10% above the long-term average. Instead, the bloom appears to have been caused by a leak in the sanitary sewer line that was previously used to discharge secondary treated sewage into Kaneohe Bay. Ultimately, leaks in the sanitary sewer lines maintained by the City and County of Honolulu led to legal action and a consent decree that required upgrading and the renovation of the wastewater collection system.

Cyanotoxin mixtures and taste-and-odor compounds in cyanobacterial blooms from the midwestern united states

Science.gov (United States)

Graham, J.L.; Loftin, K.A.; Meyer, M.T.; Ziegler, A.C.

2010-01-01

The mixtures of toxins and taste-and-odor compounds present during cyanobacterial blooms are not well characterized and of particular concern when evaluating potential human health risks. Cyanobacterial blooms were sampled in twenty-three Midwestern United States lakes and analyzed for community composition, thirteen cyanotoxins by liquid chromatography/mass spectrometry and immunoassay, and two taste-and-odor compounds by gas chromatography/mass spectrometry. Aphanizomenon, Cylindrospermopsis and/or Microcystis were dominant in most (96%) blooms, but community composition was not strongly correlated with toxin and taste-and-odor occurrence. Microcystins occurred in all blooms. Total microcystin concentrations measured by liquid chromatography/mass spectrometry and immunoassay were linearly related (rs = 0.76, p cyanotoxins occurred in 48% of blooms and 95% had multiple microcystin variants. Toxins and taste-and-odor compounds frequently co-occurred (91% of blooms), indicating odor may serve as a warning that cyanotoxins likely are present. However, toxins occurred more frequently than taste-and-odor compounds, so odor alone does not provide sufficient warning to ensure human-health protection. ?? This article not subject to U.S. Copyright. Published 2010 by the American Chemical Society.

Airborne Hyperspectral Sensing of Monitoring Harmful Algal Blooms in the Great Lakes Region: System Calibration and Validation

Science.gov (United States)

Lekki, John; Anderson, Robert; Avouris, Dulcinea; Becker, RIchard; Churnside, James; Cline, Michael; Demers, James; Leshkevich, George; Liou, Larry; Luvall, Jeffrey;

Warming Affects Growth Rates and Microcystin Production in Tropical Bloom-Forming Microcystis Strains

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Trung Bui

2018-03-01

Full Text Available Warming climate is predicted to promote cyanobacterial blooms but the toxicity of cyanobacteria under global warming is less well studied. We tested the hypothesis that raising temperature may lead to increased growth rates but to decreased microcystin (MC production in tropical Microcystis strains. To this end, six Microcystis strains were isolated from different water bodies in Southern Vietnam. They were grown in triplicate at 27 °C (low, 31 °C (medium, 35 °C (high and 37 °C (extreme. Chlorophyll-a-, particle- and MC concentrations as well as dry-weights were determined. All strains yielded higher biomass in terms of chlorophyll-a concentration and dry-weight at 31 °C compared to 27 °C and then either stabilised, slightly increased or declined with higher temperature. Five strains easily grew at 37 °C but one could not survive at 37 °C. When temperature was increased from 27 °C to 37 °C total MC concentration decreased by 35% in strains with MC-LR as the dominant variant and by 94% in strains with MC-RR. MC quota expressed per particle, per unit chlorophyll-a and per unit dry-weight significantly declined with higher temperatures. This study shows that warming can prompt the growth of some tropical Microcystis strains but that these strains become less toxic.

Monitoring of ocean surface algal blooms in coastal and oceanic waters around India.

Digital Repository Service at National Institute of Oceanography (India)

Tholkapiyan, M.; Shanmugam, P.; Suresh, T.

of the MODIS-Aqua-derived OSABI (ocean surface algal bloom index) and its seasonal composite images report new information and comprehensive pictures of these blooms and their evolution stages in a wide variety of events occurred at different times of the years...

Planning applications in east central Florida. [resources management and planning, land use, and lake algal blooms in Brevard County from Skylab imagery

Science.gov (United States)

Hannah, J. W.; Thomas, G. L.; Esparza, F. (Principal Investigator)

1973-01-01

The author has identified the following significant results. Lake Apopka and three lakes downstream of it (Dora, Eustis, and Griffin) are in an advanced state of eutrophication with high algal concentrations. This feature has shown up consistently on ERTS-1 images in the form of a characteristic water color for those lakes. As expected, EREP photographs also show a characteristic color for those lakes. What was not expected is that Lake Griffin shows a clear pattern of this coloration. Personnel familiar with the lake believe that the photograph does, indeed, show an algal bloom. It is reported that the algal concentration is often significantly higher in the southern portion of the lake. What the photograph shows that was not otherwise known is the pattern of the algal bloom. A similar, but less pronounced, effect is seen in Lake Tohopekaliga. Personnel stationed at Kissimmee reported that there was an algal bloom on that lake at the time of the EREP pass and that its extent corresponded approximately to that shown on the photograph. Again, the EREP photograph gives information about the extent of the bloom that could not be obtained practically by sampling. ERTS-1 images give some indication of this algal distribution on Lake Griffin in some cases, but are inconclusive.

Comparative Analysis of Flower Volatiles from Nine Citrus at Three Blooming Stages

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Muhammad Azam

2013-11-01

Full Text Available Volatiles from flowers at three blooming stages of nine citrus cultivars were analyzed by headspace-solid phase microextraction (HS-SPME-GC-MS. Up to 110 volatiles were detected, with 42 tentatively identified from citrus flowers for the first time. Highest amounts of volatiles were present in fully opened flowers of most citrus, except for pomelos. All cultivars were characterized by a high percentage of either oxygenated monoterpenes or monoterpene hydrocarbons, and the presence of a high percentage of nitrogen containing compounds was also observed. Flower volatiles varied qualitatively and quantitatively among citrus types during blooming. Limonene was the most abundant flower volatile only in citrons; α-citral and β-citral ranked 2nd and 3rd only for Bergamot, and unopened flowers of Ponkan had a higher amount of linalool and β-pinene while much lower amount of γ-terpinene and p-cymene than Satsuma. Taking the average of all cultivars, linalool and limonene were the top two volatiles for all blooming stages; β-pinene ranked 3rd in unopened flowers, while indole ranked 3rd for half opened and fully opened flower volatiles. As flowers bloomed, methyl anthranilate increased while 2-hexenal and p-cymene decreased. In some cases, a volatile could be high in both unopened and fully opened flowers but low in half opened ones. Through multivariate analysis, the nine citrus cultivars were clustered into three groups, consistent with the three true citrus types. Furthermore, an influence of blooming stages on clustering was observed, especially with hybrids Satsuma and Huyou. Altogether, it was suggested that flower volatiles can be suitable markers for revealing the genetic relationships between citrus cultivars but the same blooming stage needs to be strictly controlled.

Adaptive significance of phytoplankton stickiness with emphasis on the diatom Skeletonema costatum

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Hansen, J.L.S.; Timm, U.; Kiørboe, Thomas

1995-01-01

Diatom aggregate formation was analyzed using coagulation theory. Population dynamics models show that coagulation has an important impact on species succession during diatom blooms. When different species collide and form mixed aggregates this process causes interspecific interference competitio...... was tested on field data, and the predicted dynamics of a spring bloom was very similar to that observed...

An Improved Thermal Blooming Model for the Laser Performance Code Anchor

Science.gov (United States)

2016-06-01

over which a laser beam can maintain transverse coherence throughout its propagation distance. Typical values of ro are on the order of a few...G. Gebhardt, “Twenty-five years of thermal blooming: An overview,” in Proceedings of SPIE 1221 Propagation of High-Energy Laser Beams Through the...TERMS thermal blooming, atmospheric propagation , laser , scaling code, Strehl ratio, ANCHOR, COAMPS, NAVSLaM, LEEDR 15. NUMBER OF PAGES 77 16

Genome sequences of lower Great Lakes Microcystis sp. reveal strain-specific genes that are present and expressed in western Lake Erie blooms.

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Kevin Anthony Meyer

Full Text Available Blooms of the potentially toxic cyanobacterium Microcystis are increasing worldwide. In the Laurentian Great Lakes they pose major socioeconomic, ecological, and human health threats, particularly in western Lake Erie. However, the interpretation of "omics" data is constrained by the highly variable genome of Microcystis and the small number of reference genome sequences from strains isolated from the Great Lakes. To address this, we sequenced two Microcystis isolates from Lake Erie (Microcystis aeruginosa LE3 and M. wesenbergii LE013-01 and one from upstream Lake St. Clair (M. cf aeruginosa LSC13-02, and compared these data to the genomes of seventeen Microcystis spp. from across the globe as well as one metagenome and seven metatranscriptomes from a 2014 Lake Erie Microcystis bloom. For the publically available strains analyzed, the core genome is ~1900 genes, representing ~11% of total genes in the pan-genome and ~45% of each strain's genome. The flexible genome content was related to Microcystis subclades defined by phylogenetic analysis of both housekeeping genes and total core genes. To our knowledge this is the first evidence that the flexible genome is linked to the core genome of the Microcystis species complex. The majority of strain-specific genes were present and expressed in bloom communities in Lake Erie. Roughly 8% of these genes from the lower Great Lakes are involved in genome plasticity (rapid gain, loss, or rearrangement of genes and resistance to foreign genetic elements (such as CRISPR-Cas systems. Intriguingly, strain-specific genes from Microcystis cultured from around the world were also present and expressed in the Lake Erie blooms, suggesting that the Microcystis pangenome is truly global. The presence and expression of flexible genes, including strain-specific genes, suggests that strain-level genomic diversity may be important in maintaining Microcystis abundance during bloom events.

Annually recurrent macroalgal blooms (Ulva prolifera) resulting in the world's largest green-tides caused by expansion of coastal aquaculture in the Yellow Sea off China

Science.gov (United States)

Keesing, John; Liu, Dongyan

2013-04-01

The largest macroalgal blooms ever recorded occurred in the Yellow Sea of China in 2008 and 2009 and resulted in extensive green tides along the Shandong Province coastline, including at Qingdao. At their peak these Ulva prolifera blooms covered more than 4,000 km2 and affected 40,000 km2. A smaller bloom was recorded in 2007, but not earlier. Since then massive blooms have occurred annually in summer from 2008 to 2012. Using remote sensing methods, we tracked the source of the 2008 and 2009 blooms to an area along the Jiangsu Province coastline near Yancheng, over 200 km south of Qingdao, where there had been rapid expansion of Porphyra aquaculture to as much as 13 km offshore, prior to the appearance of the first bloom in 2007. Porphyra is grown on rafts which can become heavily fouled with U. prolifera which is disposed of into the sea when the Porphyra is harvested. The timing of the blooms occurred post the April harvest period when daily tidal ranges in this region can be in excess of 7 m. This provides the mechanism for transportation of the floating algae offshore and into the warm nutrient rich waters of the Yellow Sea where it grows rapidly forming large patches. As the patches of algae grow and join, they gradually move north, as a result of wind driven surface currents that prevail in the Yellow Sea in summer, ultimately washing ashore on the Shandong Peninsula. We present a range of oceanographic, biological, ecological and genetic data to support the hypothesis that Porphyra aquaculture provides the source biomass for the Yellow Sea green-tides. Improved aquaculture waste disposal methods in the southern area of Jiangsu Province are likely to reduce or prevent the Yellow Sea green tides and present a feasible solution to a recurrent problem.

Variation in cheliped form in two species of squat lobsters (Decapoda: Anomura from Chile

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Aníbal H. Lezcano

2015-09-01

Full Text Available AbstractThe current study describes the variation in cheliped form of two species of squat lobsters that inhabit the continental margin off Chile: Cervimunida johni and Pleuroncodes monodon. We compared their cheliped form in the context of the reproductive strategy. The general tendency of form variation of both species is similar: chelipeds change, on average, from longer and narrower pollex with short manus to a relatively shorter and wider pollex with longer manus from small to large individuals, respectively. The degree of cheliped arching was greater in males than in females of similar carapace length, and only C. johni males showed fully arched morphology. The allometric trajectories (cheliped shape vs. carapace length were largely aligned with vectors of mean shape difference in both species. Cheliped form variation of C. johni (extended mate-guarding resembles the cheliped morphology reported for the related species Munida rugosa more than P. monodon (short mate-guarding. Our results are consistent with previous finding and suggest that the cheliped form variation (from straight and slender to a fully arched morphology is, or has been, subject to sexual selection through male-male competition for mates.

A new insight into black blooms: Synergies between optical and chemical factors

Science.gov (United States)

Duan, Hongtao; Loiselle, Steven Arthur; Li, Zuochen; Shen, Qiushi; Du, Yingxun; Ma, Ronghua

2016-06-01

Black blooms have been associated with fish-kills and the loss of benthic fauna as well as closure of potable water supplies. Their frequency and duration has increased in recent decades in rivers, inland lakes and reservoirs, and has often been associated with the decay and release of organic matter (planktonic algae, aquatic macrophytes, sediment release, etc.). However, the interactions between microbial, chemical, hydrodynamic and optical conditions necessary for black blooms are poorly understood. The present study combines field investigations and laboratory mesocosm studies to show that black blooms are caused by a combination of high CDOM (chromophoric dissolved organic matter) absorption, the formation of CDOM-Fe complexes and low backscattering. Mesocosm experiments showed that black bloom conditions occur after 4 days, with a significant increase in the concentrations of Fe2+ and ∑S2-. Total absorption (excluding absorption due to water) at 440 nm increased by 30% over this time to 7.3 m-1. In addition, the relative contribution of CDOM absorption to the non-water total absorption increased from 18% to 50%. Regression analyses between chemical and bio-optical data in both field and mesocosm experiments indicated that the concentrations of Fe2+ co-varied positively with CDOM absorption ag(440) (R2 > 0.70), and the specific CDOM absorption (ag(440)/DOC). Conditions that favored the development of black blooms were elevated algal or macrophyte biomass and limited water column mixing.

How many Coccolithovirus genotypes does it take to terminate an Emiliania huxleyi bloom?

Science.gov (United States)

Highfield, Andrea; Evans, Claire; Walne, Anthony; Miller, Peter I; Schroeder, Declan C

2014-10-01

Giant viruses are known to be significant mortality agents of phytoplankton, often being implicated in the terminations of large Emiliania huxleyi blooms. We have previously shown the high temporal variability of E. huxleyi-infecting coccolithoviruses (EhVs) within a Norwegian fjord mesocosm. In the current study we investigated EhV dynamics within a naturally-occurring E. huxleyi bloom in the Western English Channel. Using denaturing gradient gel electrophoresis and marker gene sequencing, we uncovered a spatially highly dynamic Coccolithovirus population that was associated with a genetically stable E. huxleyi population as revealed by the major capsid protein gene (mcp) and coccolith morphology motif (CMM), respectively. Coccolithoviruses within the bloom were found to be variable with depth and unique virus populations were detected at different stations sampled indicating a complex network of EhV-host infections. This ultimately will have significant implications to the internal structure and longevity of ecologically important E. huxleyi blooms. Copyright © 2014 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Bloom Dynamics of Cyanobacteria and Their Toxins: Environmental Health Impacts and Mitigation Strategies

Science.gov (United States)

Rastogi, Rajesh P.; Madamwar, Datta; Incharoensakdi, Aran

2015-01-01

Cyanobacteria are ecologically one of the most prolific groups of phototrophic prokaryotes in both marine and freshwater habitats. Both the beneficial and detrimental aspects of cyanobacteria are of considerable significance. They are important primary producers as well as an immense source of several secondary products, including an array of toxic compounds known as cyanotoxins. Abundant growth of cyanobacteria in freshwater, estuarine, and coastal ecosystems due to increased anthropogenic eutrophication and global climate change has created serious concern toward harmful bloom formation and surface water contamination all over the world. Cyanobacterial blooms and the accumulation of several cyanotoxins in water bodies pose severe ecological consequences with high risk to aquatic organisms and global public health. The proper management for mitigating the worldwide incidence of toxic cyanobacterial blooms is crucial for maintenance and sustainable development of functional ecosystems. Here, we emphasize the emerging information on the cyanobacterial bloom dynamics, toxicology of major groups of cyanotoxins, as well as a perspective and integrative approach to their management. PMID:26635737

Toxin composition of the 2016 Microcystis aeruginosa bloom in the St. Lucie Estuary, Florida.

Science.gov (United States)

Oehrle, Stuart; Rodriguez-Matos, Marliette; Cartamil, Michael; Zavala, Cristian; Rein, Kathleen S

2017-11-01

A bloom of the cyanobacteria, Microcystis aeruginosa occurred in the St. Lucie Estuary during the summer of 2016, stimulated by the release of waters from Lake Okeechobee. This cyanobacterium produces the microcystins, a suite of heptapeptide hepatotoxins. The toxin composition of the bloom was analyzed and was compared to an archived bloom sample from 2005. Microcystin-LR was the most abundant toxin with lesser amounts of microcystin variants. Nodularin, cylindrospermopsin and anatoxin-a were not detected. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Selective grazing of Temora longicornis in different stages of a Phaeocystis globosa bloom - a mesocosm study

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Koski, Marja; Dutz, Jörg; Breteler, W.C.M.K.

2005-01-01

changes during the initiation, maintenance, collapse and decay of a P. globosa bloom and (3) if P. globosa dominated food assemblage provides a good diet for copepod egg production. Our results show low but constant feeding on small colonies of P. globosa, irrespective of the type or concentration...... of alternative food sources. In contrast, feeding on single cells was never significant, and the total contribution of P globosa to carbon ingestion of T longicornis was minor. T longicornis fed most actively on the decaying colonies, whereas during the peak of the bloom copepods selected against P globosa....... Mostly, T longicornis fed unselectively on different food particles: before the bloom, the major part of the diet consisted of diatoms, whereas during and after the bloom copepod diet was dominated by dinoflagellates and ciliates. Egg production was highest during the decay of the bloom, coinciding...

Cyanobacterial bloom in the world largest freshwater lake Baikal

Science.gov (United States)

Namsaraev, Zorigto; Melnikova, Anna; Ivanov, Vasiliy; Komova, Anastasia; Teslyuk, Anton

2018-02-01

Lake Baikal is a UNESCO World Heritage Site and holds 20% of the world’s freshwater reserves. On July 26, 2016, a cyanobacterial bloom of a green colour a few kilometers in size with a bad odor was discovered by local people in the Barguzinsky Bay on the eastern shore of Lake Baikal. Our study showed very high concentration of chlorophyll a (41.7 g/m3) in the sample of bloom. We found that the bloom was dominated by a nitrogen-fixing heterocystous cyanobacteria of the genus Dolichospermum. The mass accumulation of cyanobacteria in the lake water with an extremely high chlorophyll a concentration can be explained by a combination of several factors: the discharge of biologicaly-available nutrients, including phosphorus, into the water of Lake Baikal; low wind speed and weak water mixing; buoyant cyanobacterial cells on the lake surface, which drifted towards the eastern coast, where the maximum concentration of chlorophyll a was recorded. In the center of the Barguzinsky Bay and in the open part of Lake Baikal, according to satellite data, the chlorophyll a concentration is several orders of magnitude lower than at the shoreline.

Strategies of marine dinoflagellate survival and some rules of assembly

Science.gov (United States)

Smayda, Theodore J.; Reynolds, Colin S.

2003-03-01

Dinoflagellate ecology is based on multiple adaptive strategies and species having diverse habitat preferences. Nine types of mixing-irradiance-nutrient habitats selecting for specific marine dinoflagellate life-form types are recognised, with five rules of assembly proposed to govern bloom-species selection and community organisation within these habitats. Assembly is moulded around an abiotic template of light energy, nutrient supply and physical mixing in permutative combinations. Species selected will have one of three basic ( C-, S-, R-) strategies: colonist species ( C-) which predominate in chemically disturbed habitats; nutrient stress tolerant species ( S-), and species ( R-) tolerant of shear/stress forces in physically disturbed water masses. This organisational plan of three major habitat variables and three major adaptive strategies is termed the 3-3 plan. The bloom behaviour and habitat specialisation of dinoflagellates and diatoms are compared. Dinoflagellates behave as annual species, bloom soloists, are ecophysiologically diverse, and habitat specialists whose blooms tend to be monospecific. Diatoms behave as perennial species, guild members, are habitat cosmopolites, have a relatively uniform bloom strategy based on species-rich pools and exhibit limited habitat specialisation. Dinoflagellate bloom-species selection follows a taxonomic hierarchical pathway which progresses from phylogenetic to generic to species selection, and in that sequence. Each hierarchical taxonomic level has its own adaptive requirements subject to rules of assembly. Dinoflagellates would appear to be well suited to exploit marine habitats and to be competitive with other phylogenetic groups, yet fail to do so.

Dissection of Microbial Community Functions during a Cyanobacterial Bloom in the Baltic Sea via Metatranscriptomics

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Carlo Berg

2018-02-01

Full Text Available Marine and brackish surface waters are highly dynamic habitats that undergo repeated seasonal variations in microbial community composition and function throughout time. While succession of the various microbial groups has been well investigated, little is known about the underlying gene-expression of the microbial community. We investigated microbial interactions via metatranscriptomics over a spring to fall seasonal cycle in the brackish Baltic Sea surface waters, a temperate brackish water ecosystem periodically promoting massive cyanobacterial blooms, which have implications for primary production, nutrient cycling, and expansion of hypoxic zones. Network analysis of the gene expression of all microbes from 0.22 to 200 μm in size and of the major taxonomic groups dissected the seasonal cycle into four components that comprised genes peaking during different periods of the bloom. Photoautotrophic nitrogen-fixing Cyanobacteria displayed the highest connectivity among the microbes, in contrast to chemoautotrophic ammonia-oxidizing Thaumarchaeota, while heterotrophs dominated connectivity among pre- and post-bloom peaking genes. The network was also composed of distinct functional connectivities, with an early season balance between carbon metabolism and ATP synthesis shifting to a dominance of ATP synthesis during the bloom, while carbon degradation, specifically through the glyoxylate shunt, characterized the post-bloom period, driven by Alphaproteobacteria as well as by Gammaproteobacteria of the SAR86 and SAR92 clusters. Our study stresses the exceptionally strong biotic driving force executed by cyanobacterial blooms on associated microbial communities in the Baltic Sea and highlights the impact cyanobacterial blooms have on functional microbial community composition.

Cadmium and phosphate variability during algal blooms of the dinoflagellate Lingulodinium polyedrum in Todos Santos Bay, Baja California, Mexico

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Gutierrez-Mejia, E. [Posgrado en Oceanografía Costera, Instituto de Investigaciones Oceanológicas/Facultad de Ciencias Marinas, Universidad Autónoma de Baja California, Campus Sauzal, Carretera Transpeninsular Ensenada-Tijuana No. 3917, Ensenada, Baja California CP 22860 (Mexico); Lares, M.L., E-mail: llares@cicese.mx [División de Oceanología, Departamento de Oceanografía Biológica, Centro de Investigación Científica y de Educación Superior de Ensenada, Km 107 Carretera Transpeninsular Ensenada-Tijuana, Ensenada, Baja California CP 22880 (Mexico); Huerta-Diaz, M.A.; Delgadillo-Hinojosa, F. [Instituto de Investigaciones Oceanológicas, Universidad Autónoma de Baja California, Campus Sauzal, Carretera Transpeninsular Ensenada-Tijuana No. 3917, Ensenada, Baja California CP 22860 (Mexico)

2016-01-15

Dinoflagellate algal blooms (DABs), with Lingulodinium polyedrum as the dominant species, have increased over the past few years in coastal areas off Baja California, Mexico. Vertical and temporal variability of particulate cadmium (Cd{sub p}), dissolved Cd (Cd{sub d}), PO{sub 4}{sup 3−} and Cd{sub d}/PO{sub 4}{sup 3−} were investigated during two intense DABs of L. polyedrum that occurred during the fall of 2011 and 2012 in Todos Santos Bay. Results were then, compared with data gathered in the absence of algal blooms during the autumn of 2013. In both algal blooms, L. polyedrum tended to be concentrated near the surface throughout the duration; however, during DAB 2011 the number of cells was twice as abundant ([10.0 ± 8.0] × 10{sup 5} cells L{sup −1}) as in DAB 2012 ([5.0 ± 4.4] × 10{sup 5} cells L{sup −1}). During DAB 2011, Cd{sub p} increased significantly (up to 1.02 ± 0.99 nmol kg{sup −1}) and was positively correlated with the cell abundance of L. polyedrum, suggesting that this dinoflagellate is able to assimilate and concentrate Cd{sub d}. Likewise, Cd{sub d} (up to 0.71 ± 0.17 nM) increased in the days of highest cell abundance, which could be attributed to uptake and subsequent regeneration of Cd{sub d} resulting from the remineralization of organic particulate matter produced during the bloom, as well as with the presence of organic ligands secreted by L. polyedrum that could keep Cd{sub d} in solution. During DAB 2011, dissolved Cd{sub d}/PO{sub 4}{sup 3−} ratios exhibited high vertical and temporal variability in the upper 5 m of the water column, but remained virtually constant near the bottom, suggesting a depth-dependent decoupling between these two dissolved components during the bloom development. Given the observed differences in the vertical and temporal variability of Cd{sub d}, Cd{sub p}, and PO{sub 4}{sup 3−} between these two intense DABs, we propose the existence of an abundance threshold of approximately 10{sup 6

Wintertime phytoplankton bloom in the Subarctic Pacific supported by continental margin iron

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Lam, Phoebe J.; Bishop, James K.B.; Henning, Cara C.; Marcus, Matthew A.; Waychunas, Glenn A.; Fung, Inez

2004-01-01

Heightened biological activity was observed in February 1996 in the high-nutrient low-chlorophyll (HNLC) subarctic North Pacific Ocean, a region that is thought to be iron-limited. Here we provide evidence supporting the hypothesis that Ocean Station Papa (OSP) in the subarctic Pacific received a lateral supply of particulate iron from the continental margin off the Aleutian Islands in the winter, coincident with the observed biological bloom. Synchrotron X-ray analysis was used to describe the physical form, chemistry, and depth distributions of iron in size fractionated particulate matter samples. The analysis reveals that discrete micron-sized iron-rich hotspots are ubiquitous in the upper 200m at OSP, more than 900km from the closest coast. The specifics of the chemistry and depth profiles of the Fe hot spots trace them to the continental margins. We thus hypothesize that iron hotspots are a marker for the delivery of iron from the continental margin. We confirm the delivery of continental margin iron to the open ocean using an ocean general circulation model with an iron-like tracer source at the continental margin. We suggest that iron from the continental margin stimulated a wintertime phytoplankton bloom, partially relieving the HNLC condition

Uma visão interdisciplinar integrada da Taxonomia de Bloom

OpenAIRE

Trindade, José Pedro; Bahia, Sara; Mucharreira, Pedro Ribeiro

2015-01-01

Objetivos: Exemplificar uma aplicação da Taxonomia de Bloom numa atividade interdisciplinar numa escola do ensino privado em Lisboa e avaliar a sua eficácia. Fundamentação: A taxonomia revista de Bloom (Krathwohl, 2002) refere-se a conhecimentos de factos, conceitos, procedimentos e metacognitivos e desenvolve-se a partir da memorização, compreensão e aplicação, até à análise, avaliação e criação. No presente estudo, esta taxonomia procura consubstanciar uma linguagem comum par...

Benjamin Bloom: His Research and Influence on Education.

Science.gov (United States)

Anderson, Lorin W.

1988-01-01

A student of the University of Chicago's Measurement, Evaluation, and Statistical Analysis Program reflects upon Benjamin S. Bloom's professional and personal educational contributions, including mastery learning, educational equity, and educational excellence. (CB)

Blooming reduces the antioxidant capacity of dark chocolate in rats without lowering its capacity to improve lipid profiles.

Science.gov (United States)

Shadwell, Naomi; Villalobos, Fatima; Kern, Mark; Hong, Mee Young

2013-05-01

Dark chocolate contains high levels of antioxidants which are linked to a reduced risk of cardiovascular disease. Chocolate blooming occurs after exposure to high temperatures. Although bloomed chocolate is safe for human consumption, it is not known whether or not the biological function of bloomed chocolate is affected. We hypothesized that bloomed chocolate would reduce the antioxidant potential and lipid-lowering properties of chocolate through altered expression of related genes. Thirty Sprague-Dawley rats were divided into 3 groups and fed either the control (CON), regular dark chocolate (RDC), or bloomed dark chocolate (BDC) diet. After 3 weeks, serum lipid levels and antioxidant capacity were measured. Hepatic expression of key genes was determined by real time polymerase chain reaction (PCR). Sensory characteristics of bloomed versus regular chocolate were assessed in 28 semi-trained panelists. Rats fed RDC exhibited greater serum antioxidant capacities compared to the CON (P chocolate compared to bloomed chocolate (P chocolate, these results suggest that bloomed dark chocolate yields similarly beneficial effects on most blood lipid parameters or biomarkers. However, regular dark chocolate may be more beneficial for the improvement of antioxidant status and modulation of gene expression involved in lipid metabolism and promoted greater sensory ratings. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Harmful algal bloom smart device application: using image analysis and machine learning techniques for classification of harmful algal blooms

Science.gov (United States)

Northern Kentucky University and the U.S. EPA Office of Research Development in Cincinnati Agency are collaborating to develop a harmful algal bloom detection algorithm that estimates the presence of cyanobacteria in freshwater systems by image analysis. Green and blue-green alg...

Nitrogen and phosphorus requirements of an Alexandrium minutum bloom in the Penze' Estuary, France

Digital Repository Service at National Institute of Oceanography (India)

Maguer, J.-F.; Wafar, M.V.M.; Madec, C.; Morin, P.; Denn, E.E.

. The role of NO3 was restricted to sustenance of the bloom, whereas warm conditions resulting in a water column stability seem to have triggered the bloom, and a self-shading, probably coupled with a phosphorus limitation, caused its decline...

HIGH BREVETOXIN CONCENTRATIONS IN GYMNODINIUM BREVE BLOOMS ALONG THE NORTHWEST FLORIDA COAST DURING 1999.

Science.gov (United States)

Blooms of the dinoflagellate Gymnodinium breve (i.e. red tides) produce brevetoxins (PbTx) that negatively impact the Gulf of Mexico ecosystem, human health, and local economics. Characterizing and predicting bloom events and their impacts requires knowledge of G. breve abundance...

Oceanic and atmospheric influences on the variability of phytoplankton bloom in the southwestern Indian Ocean

Digital Repository Service at National Institute of Oceanography (India)

Raj, R.P.; Peter, B.N.; Pushpadas, D.

in the Mozambique Basin and inside the Mozambique Channel (MC). For a detailed inspection, we characterized the entire process of the development of this large dendritic bloom into two stages, early stage... period was in March. During 2001 and 2003, traces of the bloom (low concentration of chl-a) are observed in the MC and Mozambique Basin but not in the Madagascar basin. A weak bloom developed in the Madagascar Basin, Mozambique Basin and inside the MC...

The Internationalization of Bloom's Learning for Mastery: A 25-Year Retrospective-Prospective View.

Science.gov (United States)

Hymel, Glenn M.; Dyck, Walter E.

Twenty-five years have elapsed since the publication of Benjamin S. Bloom's article titled "Learning for Mastery." With approximately 2,000 master learning/testing citations in the ERIC data base alone, Bloom's 1968 piece is indeed one of the most generative works to appear in the educational psychology literature in decades. At this…

Radioactive airborne species formed in the air in high energy accelerator tunnels

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kondo, K.

2005-01-01

Many radioactive airborne species have been observed in the air of high energy accelerator tunnels during machine operation. Radiation protection against these induced airborne radioactivities is one of the key issues for radiation safety, especially at high-energy and high-intense proton accelerators such as the J-PARC (Japan Proton Accelerator Research Complex, Joint project of KEK and JAERI), which is now under construction at the TOKAI site of JAERI. Information on the chemical forms and particle sizes of airborne radioactivities is essential for the estimation of internal doses. For that purpose, the study on radioactive airborne species formed in the air of beam-line tunnels at high-energy accelerators have been extensively conducted by our group. For Be-7, Na-24, S-38, Cl-38,-39, C-11, and N-13, formed by various types of nuclear reactions including nuclear spallation reactions, their aerosol and gaseous fractions are determined by a filter technique. A parallel plate diffusion battery is used for the measurement of aerosol size distributions, and the formation of radioactive aerosols is explained by the attachment of radionuclides to ambient non-radioactive aerosols which are formed through radiation induced reactions. The chemical forms of gaseous species are also determined by using a selective collection method based on a filter technique. A review is given of the physico-chemical properties of these airborne radionuclides produced in the air of accelerator beam-line tunnels.

Making Culture Bloom

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Iain McCalman

2013-08-01

Full Text Available On 16 June 1904, exactly one hundred years before the establishment of CHASS, an Irish Jew of Hungarian extraction called Leopold Bloom set off on a twenty-four hour perambulation around the streets and bars of Dublin. This fictional incident is the basis of James Joyce’s Ulysses, the greatest novel of modern times. It has also given rise to Bloomsday, a kind of Irish literary holy day celebrated in cities all around the world. It was a specially appropriate moment for us to celebrate the birth of our new peak body, because Bloomsday provides a perfect parable for why the Australian public and government should cherish our sector.

The Role of Bloom Index of Gelatin on the Interaction with Retinal Pigment Epithelial Cells

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Jui Yang Lai

2009-08-01

Full Text Available Biocompatible materials are of considerable interest in the development of cell/drug delivery carriers for therapeutic applications. This paper investigates the effects of the Bloom index of gelatin on its interaction with retinal pigment epithelial (RPE cells. Following two days of culture of ARPE-19 cells with gelatin samples G75-100, G175, and G300, the in vitro biocompatibility was determined by cell proliferation and viability assays, and glutamate uptake measurements, as well as cytokine expression analyses. The mitochondrial dehydrogenase activity in the G300 groups was significantly lower than that of G75-100 and G175 groups. The Live/Dead assays also showed that the gelatin samples G300 induced mild cytotoxicity. In comparison with the treatment of gelatins with low Bloom index, the exposure to high Bloom strength gelatins markedly reduced the glutamate uptake capacity of ARPE-19 cells. One possible explanation for these observations is that the presence of gelatin samples G300 with high viscosity in the medium may affect the nutrient availability to cultured cells. The analyses of pro-inflammatory cytokine IL-6 expression at both mRNA and protein levels showed that the gelatins with low Bloom index caused less cellular inflammatory reaction and had more acceptable biocompatibility than their high Bloom strength counterparts. These findings suggest that the Bloom index gives influence on cellular responses to gelatin materials.

Living Dendrolitic Microbial Mats in Hamelin Pool, Shark Bay, Western Australia

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Erica P. Suosaari

2018-06-01

Full Text Available Hamelin Pool, Shark Bay, Western Australia, is home to the largest and most diverse assemblage of living marine stromatolites, with shapes and sizes comparable to ancient structures. A recent field-intensive program revealed seasonally ephemeral occurrences of modern dendrolitic microbial mats forming in intertidal, low energy settings. Dominated by filamentous cyanobacteria, dendrolitic microbial mats are formed when filaments provide a supporting framework as a result of gliding mobility, to build a shrubby morphology. Dendrolites, known throughout the rock record, refer to macroscopic microbialites with mesostuctures composed of unlaminated arborescent structures called shrubs. In these modern examples, thick filaments of Lyngbya aestuarii form the “trunk” of the bush, with finer filaments of Lyngbya fragilis, Phormidium sp. and Schizothrix sp. forming the “branches” These biologically-influenced dendrolitic structures provide insight into the complex interplay of microbial communities and the environment, broadening our understanding of shrub and dendrolite formation throughout the rock record.

A dinoflagellate Cochlodinium geminatum bloom in the Zhujiang (Pearl) River estuary in autumn 2009

Science.gov (United States)

Ke, Zhixin; Huang, Liangmin; Tan, Yehui; Song, Xingyu

2012-05-01

A severe Cochlodinium geminatum red tide (>300 km2) was observed in the Zhujiang (Pearl) River estuary, South China Sea in autumn 2009. We evaluated the environmental conditions and phytoplankton community structure during the outbreak. The red tide water mass had significantly higher dissolved inorganic phosphate (DIP), ammonia, and temperature, but significantly lower nitrite, nitrate, dissolved inorganic nitrogen (DIN), and DIN/DIP relative to the non-red-tide zones. The phytoplankton assemblage was dominated by dinoflagellates and diatoms during the red tide. C. geminatum was the most abundant species, with a peak density of 4.13×107 cell/L, accounting for >65% of the total phytoplankton density. The DIN/DIP ratio was the most important predictor of species, accounting for 12.45% of the total variation in the phytoplankton community. Heavy phosphorus loading, low precipitation, and severe saline intrusion were likely responsible for the bloom of C. geminatum.

A winter dinoflagellate bloom drives high rates of primary production in a Patagonian fjord ecosystem

Science.gov (United States)

Montero, P.; Pérez-Santos, I.; Daneri, G.; Gutiérrez, M. H.; Igor, G.; Seguel, R.; Purdie, D.; Crawford, D. W.

2017-12-01

A dense winter bloom of the dinoflagellate Heterocapsa triquetra was observed at a fixed station (44°35.3‧S; 72°43.6‧W) in the Puyuhuapi Fjord in Chilean Patagonia during July 2015. H. triquetra dominated the phytoplankton community in the surface waters between 2 and 15 m (13-58 × 109 cell m-2), with abundances some 3 to 15 times higher than the total abundance of the diatom assemblage, which was dominated by Skeletonema spp. The high abundance of dinoflagellates was reflected in high rates of gross primary production (GPP; 0.6-1.6 g C m-2 d-1) and chlorophyll-a concentration (Chl-a; 70-199.2 mg m-2) that are comparable to levels reported in spring diatom blooms in similar Patagonian fjords. We identify the main forcing factors behind a pulse of organic matter production during the non-productive winter season, and test the hypothesis that low irradiance levels are a key factor limiting phytoplankton blooms and subsequent productivity during winter. Principal Component Analysis (PCA) indicated that GPP rates were significantly correlated (r = -0.8, p bloom. The bloom occurred under low surface irradiance levels characteristic of austral winter and was accompanied by strong northern winds, associated with the passage of a low-pressure system, and a water column dominated by double diffusive layering. To our knowledge, this is the first report of a dense dinoflagellate bloom during deep austral winter in a Patagonian fjord, and our data challenge the paradigm of light limitation as a factor controlling phytoplankton blooms in this region in winter.

Transcriptome Analysis of a Bloom-Forming Cyanobacterium Microcystis aeruginosa during Ma-LMM01 Phage Infection

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Daichi Morimoto

2018-01-01

Full Text Available Microcystis aeruginosa forms massive blooms in eutrophic freshwaters, where it is constantly exposed to lytic cyanophages. Unlike other marine cyanobacteria, M. aeruginosa possess remarkably abundant and diverse potential antiviral defense genes. Interestingly, T4-like cyanophage Ma-LMM01, which is the sole cultured lytic cyanophage infecting M. aeruginosa, lacks the host-derived genes involved in maintaining host photosynthesis and directing host metabolism that are abundant in other marine cyanophages. Based on genomic comparisons with closely related cyanobacteria and their phages, Ma-LMM01 is predicted to employ a novel infection program that differs from that of other marine cyanophages. Here, we used RNA-seq technology and in silico analysis to examine transcriptional dynamics during Ma-LMM01 infection to reveal host transcriptional responses to phage infection, and to elucidate the infection program used by Ma-LMM01 to avoid the highly abundant host defense systems. Phage-derived reads increased only slightly at 1 h post-infection, but significantly increased from 16% of total cellular reads at 3 h post-infection to 33% of all reads by 6 h post-infection. Strikingly, almost none of the host genes (0.17% showed a significant change in expression during infection. However, like other lytic dsDNA phages, including marine cyanophages, phage gene dynamics revealed three expression classes: early (host-takeover, middle (replication, and late (virion morphogenesis. The early genes were concentrated in a single ∼5.8-kb window spanning 10 open reading frames (gp054–gp063 on the phage genome. None of the early genes showed homology to the early genes of other T4-like phages, including known marine cyanophages. Bacterial RNA polymerase (σ70 recognition sequences were also found in the upstream region of middle and late genes, whereas phage-specific motifs were not found. Our findings suggest that unlike other known T4-like phages, Ma-LMM01

Modelling the production of dimethylsulfide during a phytoplankton bloom

Science.gov (United States)

Gabric, Albert; Murray, Nicholas; Stone, Lewi; Kohl, Manfred

1993-12-01

Dimethylsulfide (DMS) is an important sulfur-containing atmospheric trace gas of marine biogenic origin. DMS emitted from the oceans may be a precursor of tropospheric aerosols and cloud condensation nuclei (CCN), thereby affecting the Earth's radiative balance and possibly constituting a negative feedback to global warming, although this hypothesis is still somewhat controversial. The revised conceptual model of the marine pelagic food web gives a central role to planktonic bacteria. Recent experiments have shown that consumption of dissolved DMS by microbial metabolism may be more important than atmospheric exchange in controlling its concentration in surface waters and hence its ventilation to the atmosphere. In this paper we investigate the effect of the marine food web on cycling of dissolved DMS in surface waters during a phytoplankton bloom episode. A nitrogen-based flow network simulation model has been used to analyze the relative importance of the various biological and chemical processes involved. The model predictions suggest that the concentration of DMS in marine surface waters is indeed governed by bacterial metabolism. Environmental factors that affect the bacterial compartment are thus likely to have a relatively large influence on dissolved DMS concentrations. The ecological succession is particularly sensitive to the ratio of phytoplankton to bacterial nutrient uptake rates as well the interaction between herbivore food chain and the microbial loop. Importantly for the design of field studies, the model predicts that peak DMS concentrations are achieved during the decline of the phytoplankton bloom with a typical time lag between peak DMS and peak phytoplankton biomass of 1 to 2 days. Significantly, the model predicts a relatively high DMS concentration persisting after the phytoplankton bloom due to excretion from large protozoa and zooplankton, which may be an additional explanation for the lack of correlation between DMS and chlorophyll a

Calibrating the Difficulty of an Assessment Tool: The Blooming of a Statistics Examination

Science.gov (United States)

Dunham, Bruce; Yapa, Gaitri; Yu, Eugenia

2015-01-01

Bloom's taxonomy is proposed as a tool by which to assess the level of complexity of assessment tasks in statistics. Guidelines are provided for how to locate tasks at each level of the taxonomy, along with descriptions and examples of suggested test questions. Through the "Blooming" of an examination--that is, locating its constituent…

Spring Blooms Observed with Biochemical Profiling Floats from a Chemical and Biological Perspective

Science.gov (United States)

Plant, J. N.; Johnson, K. S.; Sakamoto, C.; Jannasch, H. W.; Coletti, L. J.; Elrod, V.

2015-12-01

Recently there has been renewed interest in the mechanisms which control the seasonal increases in plankton biomass (spring blooms). Changes in physical and chemical forcing (light, wind, heat and nutrients) may increase the specific growth rate of phytoplankton. These changes may also shift the predator - prey relationships within the food web structure, which can alter the balance between plankton growth and loss rates. Biogeochemical profiling floats provide a means to observe the seasonal evolution of spring blooms from a physical, chemical and biological perspective in near real time. Floats equipped with optical sensors to measure nitrate, oxygen, chlorophyll fluorescence, and optical backscatter now have a presence in many ocean regions including the North Pacific, Subarctic Pacific, North Atlantic, South Atlantic and the Southern Ocean. Data from these regions are used to compare and contrast the evolution of spring blooms. The evolution of the bloom is examined using both chemical (oxygen, nitrate) and biooptical (phytoplankton from chlorophyll fluorescence and particulate organic carbon from optical backscatter) sensors under vastly different environmental conditions.

Critical review of actually available chemical compounds for prevention and management of cyanobacterial blooms

Czech Academy of Sciences Publication Activity Database

Jančula, Daniel; Maršálek, Blahoslav

2011-01-01

Roč. 85, č. 9 (2011), s. 1415-1422 ISSN 0045-6535 R&D Projects: GA MŠk 1M0571 Institutional research plan: CEZ:AV0Z60050516 Keywords : algicide * bloom management * cyanobacterial blooms Subject RIV: EF - Botanics Impact factor: 3.206, year: 2011

Temporal influences on satellite retrieval of cyanobacteria bloom: an examination in Lake Taihu, China

Science.gov (United States)

Zhang, Yue; Liu, Yuanbo; Ruan, Renzong; Zhao, Dongbo

2009-10-01

Satellite imagery provides a cost-effective way to retrieve the cyanbacteria bloom dynamics, which is useful to early warning of the blooms. However, temporal variations in sun-target-satellite geometry and atmosphere may generate inconsistencies in multi-temporal images. To explore to what extent temporal influences could affect the retrieved results, we applied the single band and the band ratio approaches to retrieve cyanobacteria bloom in Lake Taihu of China. We used the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) products in the cases with and without correction for sun-target-satellite geometry and atmospheric effects for the whole year 2006. In addition, we made use of MODIS data including aerosol optical thickness (AOT), solar zenith angle and sensor zenith angle, all of which are indicators of the temporal influences. We then analyzed the relationships of retrieval differences with the three indicators to evaluate the temporal influences quantitatively. Our results showed that both AOT and solar zenith angle had a positive correlation with the retrieval of cyanobacteria bloom. Although it is yet under investigation if this relationship could hold on for other cases, here we emphasized that for reliable monitoring the dynamics of bloom, it should be careful to apply the approaches using satellite data without radiometric correction.

DNA repair in Bloom's syndrome skin fibroblasts after ultraviolet light irradiation

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kurihara, Takayuki; Inoue, Masao; Kawashima, Hiroko; Yagi, Takashi; Takebe, Hiraku.

1981-01-01

Skin fibroblasts from a patient with Bloom's syndrome (86NoKi) were assayed for various DNA repair activities after ultraviolet light (UV) irradiation. Cultured fibroblasts as well as lymphocytes obtained from this patient showed a high frequency of spontaneous sister chromatid exchanges (SCEs). There was no significant difference between 86NoKi fibroblasts and skin fibroblasts from normal donors in the sensitivity to UV as measured by inactivation of colony forming activity, the capacity of host-cell reactivation (HCR) of UV-irradiated virus, and the amount of unscheduled DNA synthesis (UDS) after UV irradiation. However, the yield of UV-induced SCEs in 86NoKi cells was significantly higher than that in normal cells. (author)

Forecast products from the Gulf of Mexico created by the NOAA Harmful Algal Bloom Operational Forecast System (HAB-OFS) from 2007-09-10 to the present

Data.gov (United States)

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Department of Commerce — This collection contains outputs from the NOAA Harmful Algal Bloom Operational Forecast System (HAB-OFS) in the form of bulletin documents beginning on 2007-09-10....

Pronounced daily succession of phytoplankton, archaea and bacteria following a spring bloom.

Science.gov (United States)

Needham, David M; Fuhrman, Jed A

2016-02-29

Marine phytoplankton perform approximately half of global carbon fixation, with their blooms contributing disproportionately to carbon sequestration(1), and most phytoplankton production is ultimately consumed by heterotrophic prokaryotes(2). Therefore, phytoplankton and heterotrophic community dynamics are important in modelling carbon cycling and the impacts of global change(3). In a typical bloom, diatoms dominate initially, transitioning over several weeks to smaller and motile phytoplankton(4). Here, we show unexpected, rapid community variation from daily rRNA analysis of phytoplankton and prokaryotic community members following a bloom off southern California. Analysis of phytoplankton chloroplast 16S rRNA demonstrated ten different dominant phytoplankton over 18 days alone, including four taxa with animal toxin-producing strains. The dominant diatoms, flagellates and picophytoplankton varied dramatically in carbon export potential. Dominant prokaryotes also varied rapidly. Euryarchaea briefly became the most abundant organism, peaking over a few days to account for about 40% of prokaryotes. Phytoplankton and prokaryotic communities correlated better with each other than with environmental parameters. Extending beyond the traditional view of blooms being controlled primarily by physics and inorganic nutrients, these dynamics imply highly heterogeneous, continually changing conditions over time and/or space and suggest that interactions among microorganisms are critical in controlling plankton diversity, dynamics and fates.

Cyanobacteria and Algae Blooms: Review of Health and Environmental Data from the Harmful Algal Bloom-Related Illness Surveillance System (HABISS) 2007–2011

Science.gov (United States)

Backer, Lorraine C.; Manassaram-Baptiste, Deana; LePrell, Rebecca; Bolton, Birgit

2015-01-01

Algae and cyanobacteria are present in all aquatic environments. We do not have a good sense of the extent of human and animal exposures to cyanobacteria or their toxins, nor do we understand the public health impacts from acute exposures associated with recreational activities or chronic exposures associated with drinking water. We describe the Harmful Algal Bloom-related Illness Surveillance System (HABISS) and summarize the collected reports describing bloom events and associated adverse human and animal health events. For the period of 2007–2011, Departments of Health and/or Environment from 11 states funded by the National Center for Environmental Health (NCEH), Centers for Disease Control and Prevention contributed reports for 4534 events. For 2007, states contributed 173 reports from historical data. The states participating in the HABISS program built response capacity through targeted public outreach and prevention activities, including supporting routine cyanobacteria monitoring for public recreation waters. During 2007–2010, states used monitoring data to support196 public health advisories or beach closures. The information recorded in HABISS and the application of these data to develop a wide range of public health prevention and response activities indicate that cyanobacteria and algae blooms are an environmental public health issue that needs continuing attention. PMID:25826054

The Adaptive-Clustering and Error-Correction Method for Forecasting Cyanobacteria Blooms in Lakes and Reservoirs

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Xiao-zhe Bai

2017-01-01

Full Text Available Globally, cyanobacteria blooms frequently occur, and effective prediction of cyanobacteria blooms in lakes and reservoirs could constitute an essential proactive strategy for water-resource protection. However, cyanobacteria blooms are very complicated because of the internal stochastic nature of the system evolution and the external uncertainty of the observation data. In this study, an adaptive-clustering algorithm is introduced to obtain some typical operating intervals. In addition, the number of nearest neighbors used for modeling was optimized by particle swarm optimization. Finally, a fuzzy linear regression method based on error-correction was used to revise the model dynamically near the operating point. We found that the combined method can characterize the evolutionary track of cyanobacteria blooms in lakes and reservoirs. The model constructed in this paper is compared to other cyanobacteria-bloom forecasting methods (e.g., phase space reconstruction and traditional-clustering linear regression, and, then, the average relative error and average absolute error are used to compare the accuracies of these models. The results suggest that the proposed model is superior. As such, the newly developed approach achieves more precise predictions, which can be used to prevent the further deterioration of the water environment.

Decadal-scale changes of dinoflagellates and diatoms in the anomalous baltic sea spring bloom.

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Riina Klais

Full Text Available The algal spring bloom in the Baltic Sea represents an anomaly from the winter-spring bloom patterns worldwide in terms of frequent and recurring dominance of dinoflagellates over diatoms. Analysis of approximately 3500 spring bloom samples from the Baltic Sea monitoring programs revealed (i that within the major basins the proportion of dinoflagellates varied from 0.1 (Kattegat to >0.8 (central Baltic Proper, and (ii substantial shifts (e.g. from 0.2 to 0.6 in the Gulf of Finland in the dinoflagellate proportion over four decades. During a recent decade (1995-2004 the proportion of dinoflagellates increased relative to diatoms mostly in the northernmost basins (Gulf of Bothnia, from 0.1 to 0.4 and in the Gulf of Finland, (0.4 to 0.6 which are typically ice-covered areas. We hypothesize that in coastal areas a specific sequence of seasonal events, involving wintertime mixing and resuspension of benthic cysts, followed by proliferation in stratified thin layers under melting ice, favors successful seeding and accumulation of dense dinoflagellate populations over diatoms. This head-start of dinoflagellates by the onset of the spring bloom is decisive for successful competition with the faster growing diatoms. Massive cyst formation and spreading of cyst beds fuel the expanding and ever larger dinoflagellate blooms in the relatively shallow coastal waters. Shifts in the dominant spring bloom algal groups can have significant effects on major elemental fluxes and functioning of the Baltic Sea ecosystem, but also in the vast shelves and estuaries at high latitudes, where ice-associated cold-water dinoflagellates successfully compete with diatoms.

Recurrent blooms of Heterosigma akashiwo (Raphidophyceae in the Piraquê Channel, Rodrigo de Freitas Lagoon, southeast Brazil

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S Branco

Full Text Available Six blooms of Heterosigma akashiwo(Raphidophyceae were observed from March 2007 through March 2008 in the Rodrigo de Freitas Lagoon, a semi-confined eutrophic system located in Rio de Janeiro state, southeast Brazil. Vegetative cells of H. akashiwo analysed by optical and electron microscopy showed morphology as described in the literature. The blooms (2.8 × 104 to 4 × 108 cell.L–1 were restricted to the middle section of the Piraquê Channel, which is situated in the northeastern part of the lagoon and receives freshwater inflow. The salinity of subsurface water and the channel depth showed significant negative correlations with H. akashiwo abundances, and appeared to restrict the blooms to this compartment of the lagoon. No fish mortality was associated with the H. akashiwo blooms, nor were brevetoxins detected in a cell extract obtained from the bloom observed on 19 March 2007.

Phytoplankton ice-edge blooms in the marginal ice zone at Princess Astrid Coast in Antarctica

Digital Repository Service at National Institute of Oceanography (India)

Verlecar, X.N.; Dhargalkar, V.K.; Goswami, S.C.; Mhamal, N.P.

dominated the bloom conditions and nannoplankton (5 to 20 mu m) prevail the non-bloom periods while the picoplankton (less than 5 mu m) constituted a minor fraction during most of the period. Weekly changes in phytoplankton showed inverse relationship...

Winter atmospheric circulation signature for the timing of the spring bloom of diatoms in the North Sea

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Lohmann, Gerrit; Wiltshire, Karen

2015-04-01

Analysing long-term diatom data from the German Bight and observational climate data for the period 1962-2005, we found a close connection of the inter-annual variation of the timing of the spring bloom with the boreal winter atmospheric circulation. We examined the fact that high diatom counts of the spring bloom tended to occur later when the atmospheric circulation was characterized by winter blocking over Scandinavia. The associated pattern in the sea level pressure showed a pressure dipole with two centres located over the Azores and Norway and was tilted compared to the North Atlantic Oscillation. The bloom was earlier when the cyclonic circulation over Scandinavia allowed an increased inflow of Atlantic water into the North Sea which is associated with clearer, more marine water, and warmer conditions. The bloom was later when a more continental atmospheric flow from the east was detected. At Helgoland Roads, it seems that under turbid water conditions (= low light) zooplankton grazing can affect the timing of the phytoplankton bloom negatively. Warmer water temperatures will facilitate this. Under clear water conditions, light will be the main governing factor with regard to the timing of the spring bloom. These different water conditions are shown here to be mainly related to large-scale weather patterns. We found that the mean diatom bloom could be predicted from the sea level pressure one to three months in advance. Using historical pressure data, we derived a proxy for the timing of the spring bloom over the last centuries, showing an increased number of late (proxy-) blooms during the eighteenth century when the climate was considerably colder than today. We argue that these variations are important for the interpretation of inter-annual to centennial variations of biological processes. This is of particular interest when considering future scenarios, as well to considerations on past and future effects on the primary production and food webs.

Dog Poisonings Associated with a Microcystis aeruginosa Bloom in the Netherlands

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Miquel Lürling

2013-03-01

Full Text Available In early autumn 2011, three dogs died after they had been exposed to a Microcystis aeruginosa bloom on Lake Amstelmeer, The Netherlands. The cyanobacterial scum from the lake contained up to 5.27 × 103 μg g−1 dry-weight microcystin, the vomit of one of the dogs contained on average 94 µg microcystin g−1 dry-weight. In both cases, microcystin-LR was the most abundant variant. This is the first report of dog deaths associated with a Microcystis bloom and microcystin poisoning in The Netherlands.

Comparison of the efficacy of MODIS and MERIS data for detecting cyanobacterial blooms in the southern Caspian Sea.

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Moradi, Masoud

2014-10-15

Medium Resolution Imaging Spectrometer (MERIS) data, Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) data, and hydro-biological measurements were used to detect two very severe blooms in the southern Caspian Sea in 2005 and 2010. The MERIS Cyanobacteria Index (CIMERIS) was more reliable for detecting cyanobacterial blooms. The CIMERIS and MODIS cyanobacteria indices (CIMODIS) were compared in an effort to find a reliable method for detecting future blooms, as MERIS data were not available after April 2012. The CIMODIS had a linear relationship with and similar spatial patterns to the CIMERIS. On the CIMODIS images, extremely high biomass cyanobacteria patches were masked. A comparison of classified in situ data with the CIMODIS and Floating Algal Index (FAI) from four images of a severe bloom event in 2005 showed that the FAI is a reliable index for bloom detection over extremely dense patches. The corrected CIMODIS, the MODIS FAI and in situ data are adequate tools for cyanobacterial bloom monitoring in the southern Caspian Sea. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Increase in nuisance blooms and geographic expansion of the freshwater diatom Didymosphenia geminata

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Spaulding, S.A.; Elwell, E.

2007-01-01

The diatom Didymosphenia geminata (Lyngbye) Schmidt is emerging as an organism with an extraordinary capacity to impact stream ecosystems on a global scale. In recent years, streams in New Zealand, North America, Europe, and Asia have been colonized by unprecedented masses of “didymo” and its extracellular stalks (fig. 1). This diatom is able to dominate stream surfaces by covering up to 100 percent of substrate with thicknesses of greater than 20 cm, greatly altering physical and biological conditions within streams. This species is expanding its geographic range in North America and the rate that nuisance blooms are reported by the public and local media are increasing, yet little scientific investigation of the phenomenon in North America has been initiated.

In-situ production of humic-like fluorescent dissolved organic matter during Cochlodinium polykrikoides blooms

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Kwon, Hyeong Kyu; Kim, Guebuem; Lim, Weol Ae; Park, Jong Woo

2018-04-01

We investigated phytoplankton pigments, dissolved organic carbon (DOC), and fluorescent dissolved organic matter (FDOM) during the summers of 2013 and 2016 in the coastal area of Tongyeong, Korea, where Cochlodinium polykrikoides blooms often occur. The density of red tides was evaluated using a dinoflagellate pigment, peridinin. The concentrations of peridinin and DOC in the patch areas were 15- and 4-fold higher than those in the non-patch areas. The parallel factor analysis (PARAFAC) model identified one protein-like FDOM (FDOMT) and two humic-like FDOM, classically classified as marine FDOM (FDOMM) and terrestrial FDOM (FDOMC). The concentrations of FDOMT in the patch areas were 5-fold higher than those in the non-patch areas, likely associated with biological production. In general, FDOMM and FDOMC are known to be dependent exclusively on salinity in any surface waters of the coastal ocean. However, in this study, we observed strikingly enhanced FDOMC concentration over that expected from the salinity mixing, whereas FDOMM increases were not clear. These FDOMC concentrations showed a significant positive correlation against peridinin, indicating that the production of FDOMC is associated with the red tide blooms. Our results suggest that FDOMC can be naturally enriched by some phytoplankton species, without FDOMM enrichment. Such naturally produced FDOM may play a critical role in biological production as well as biogeochemical cycle in red tide regions.

Retreived bacteria from Noctiluca miliaris (green) bloom of the northeastern Arabian Sea

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Basu, Subhajit; Matondkar, S. G. Prabhu; Furtado, Irene

2013-01-01

In recent years, seasonal blooms of the dinoflagellate Noctiluca miliaris have appeared in the open-waters of the northern Arabian Sea (NAS). This study provides the first characterization of bacteria from a seasonal bloom of green Noctiluca of NAS (20°N-17°N and 64°E-70°E), during the spring-inter-monsoon cruise of Sagar Sampada 253, in March 2007. Bacterial growth as assessed by most-probable number (MPN) and plate counts, revealed `variable-physiotypes' over a wide range of salinities (0%-25% w/v NaCl), pH levels (5-8.5), and organic nutrient strengths, in comparison to non-bloom waters. MPN indices of bacteria in surface waters of bloom stations *DWK and *PRB, corresponded to (3.08-4.41)×103 cells/mL at 3.5% NaCl (w/v), and (2.82-9.49)×102 cells/mL at 25% (w/v) NaCl in tryptone-yeast extract broth (TYE). Plate counts were (1.12-4)×106 CFU/mL at 0% (w/v) NaCl, (1.28-3.9)×106 CFU/mL at 3.5% (w/v) NaCl, and (0.4-7)×104 CFU/mL at 25% NaCl (w/v) on TYE. One-tenth-strength Zobell's gave (0.6-3.74)×105 CFU/mL at pH 5 to (3.58-7.5)×105 CFU/mL at pH 8.5. These bacteria were identified to the genera Bacillus, Cellulomonas, Staphylococcus, Planococcus, Dietzia, Virgibacillus, Micrococcus, Sporosarcinae, Leucobacter, and Halomonas. The identity of three strains (GUFBSS253N2, GUFBSS253N30, and GUFBSS253N84) was confirmed through 16S rDNA sequence homology as Bacillus cohnii, Bacillus flexus, and Bacillus cereus. The ˜2-3-fold higher plate counts of culturable bacteria from the open-waters of the NAS indicate that these bacteria could critically determine the biogeochemical dynamics of the bloom and its milieu. The role of these bacteria in sustaining/terminating the bloom is under evaluation.

Investigation of the 2006 Alexandrium fundyense Bloom in the Gulf of Maine: In situ Observations and Numerical Modeling.

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Li, Yizhen; He, Ruoying; McGillicuddy, Dennis J; Anderson, Donald M; Keafer, Bruce A

2009-09-30

In situ observations and a coupled bio-physical model were used to study the germination, initiation, and development of the Gulf of Maine (GOM) Alexandrium fundyense bloom in 2006. Hydrographic measurements and comparisons with GOM climatology indicate that 2006 was a year with normal coastal water temperature, salinity, current and river runoff conditions. A. fundyense cyst abundance in bottom sediments preceding the 2006 bloom was at a moderate level compared to other recent annual cyst survey data. We used the coupled bio-physical model to hindcast coastal circulation and A. fundyense cell concentrations. Field data including water temperature, salinity, velocity time series and surface A. fundyense cell concentration maps were applied to gauge the model's fidelity. The coupled model is capable of reproducing the hydrodynamics and the temporal and spatial distributions of A. fundyense cell concentration reasonably well. Model hindcast solutions were further used to diagnose physical and biological factors controlling the bloom dynamics. Surface wind fields modulated the bloom's horizontal and vertical distribution. The initial cyst distribution was found to be the dominant factor affecting the severity and the interannual variability of the A. fundyense bloom. Initial cyst abundance for the 2006 bloom was about 50% of that prior to the 2005 bloom. As the result, the time-averaged gulf-wide cell concentration in 2006 was also only about 60% of that in 2005. In addition, weaker alongshore currents and episodic upwelling-favorable winds in 2006 reduced the spatial extent of the bloom as compared with 2005.

Future Climate Impacts on Harmful Algal Blooms in an Agriculturally Dominated Ecosystem

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Aloysius, N. R.; Martin, J.; Ludsin, S.; Stumpf, R. P.

2015-12-01

Cyanobacteria blooms have become a major problem worldwide in aquatic ecosystems that receive excessive runoff of limiting nutrients from terrestrial drainage. Such blooms often are considered harmful because they degrade ecosystem services, threaten public health, and burden local economies. Owing to changing agricultural land-use practices, Lake Erie, the most biologically productive of the North American Great Lakes, has begun to undergo a re-eutrophication in which the frequency and extent of harmful algal blooms (HABs) has increased. Continued climate change has been hypothesized to magnify the HAB problem in Lake Erie in the absence of new agricultural management practices, although this hypothesis has yet to be formally tested empirically. Herein, we tested this hypothesis by predicting how the frequency and extent of potentially harmful cyanobacteria blooms will change in Lake Erie during the 21st century under the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change Fifth Assessment climate projections in the region. To do so, we used 80 ensembles of climate projections from 20 Global Climate Models (GCMs) and two greenhouse gas emission scenarios (moderate reduction, RCP4.5; business-as-usual, RCP8.5) to drive a spatiotemporally explicit watershed-hydrology model that was linked to several statistical predictive models of annual cyanobacteria blooms in Lake Erie. Owing to anticipated increases in precipitation during spring and warmer temperatures during summer, our ensemble of predictions revealed that, if current land-management practices continue, the frequency of severe HABs in Lake Erie will increase during the 21st century. These findings identify a real need to consider future climate projections when developing nutrient reduction strategies in the short term, with adaptation also needing to be encouraged under both greenhouse gas emissions scenarios in the absence of effective nutrient mitigation strategies.

How physiological and physical processes contribute to the phenology of cyanobacterial blooms in large shallow lakes: A new Euler-Lagrangian coupled model.

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Feng, Tao; Wang, Chao; Wang, Peifang; Qian, Jin; Wang, Xun

2018-09-01

Cyanobacterial blooms have emerged as one of the most severe ecological problems affecting large and shallow freshwater lakes. To improve our understanding of the factors that influence, and could be used to predict, surface blooms, this study developed a novel Euler-Lagrangian coupled approach combining the Eulerian model with agent-based modelling (ABM). The approach was subsequently verified based on monitoring datasets and MODIS data in a large shallow lake (Lake Taihu, China). The Eulerian model solves the Eulerian variables and physiological parameters, whereas ABM generates the complete life cycle and transport processes of cyanobacterial colonies. This model ensemble performed well in fitting historical data and predicting the dynamics of cyanobacterial biomass, bloom distribution, and area. Based on the calculated physical and physiological characteristics of surface blooms, principal component analysis (PCA) captured the major processes influencing surface bloom formation at different stages (two bloom clusters). Early bloom outbreaks were influenced by physical processes (horizontal transport and vertical turbulence-induced mixing), whereas buoyancy-controlling strategies were essential for mature bloom outbreaks. Canonical correlation analysis (CCA) revealed the combined actions of multiple environment variables on different bloom clusters. The effects of buoyancy-controlling strategies (ISP), vertical turbulence-induced mixing velocity of colony (VMT) and horizontal drift velocity of colony (HDT) were quantitatively compared using scenario simulations in the coupled model. VMT accounted for 52.9% of bloom formations and maintained blooms over long periods, thus demonstrating the importance of wind-induced turbulence in shallow lakes. In comparison, HDT and buoyancy controlling strategies influenced blooms at different stages. In conclusion, the approach developed here presents a promising tool for understanding the processes of onshore/offshore algal

On the occurrence of Obelia medusa blooms and empirical evidence of unusual massive accumulations of Obelia and Amphisbetia hydroids on the Argentina shoreline Bloom de la medusa Obelia y evidencia empírica de una inusual acumulación masiva de hidroides de Obelia y Amphisbetia en la línea de costa en Argentina

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Gabriel Genzano

2008-01-01

Full Text Available Medusa blooms are a scarcely known phenomenon. For temperate, southwestern Atlantic waters, reports of such events are almost nonexistent. This research reports the analysis of a total of 1043 plankton samples taken from 1993 to 2006 and benthic samples collected by seasonal SCUBA diving since 1997 along the Buenos Aires coast. The medusa Obelia longissima was observed in very low densities and frequen-cies, except in October 2003, when a bloom of this species was detected. Soon afterward, two consecutive massive accumulations of O. longissima and Amphisbetia operculata colonies were detected on the coast by the mhabitants of Mar del Plata (38°00'S-57°32'W and the coastal Mar Chiquita Lagoon (37°32'S-57°19'W between March and April 2004. The colonies of both species were collected from the shoreline at low tide at both sites. The environmental factors of that period seemed to be particularly appropriate for promoting optimum growth conditions for these hydroid species. This paper reports and describes the mentioned abnormal phe-nomena, providing baseline information on these little-understood events.Los blooms de medusas son un fenómeno escasamente conocido. En las aguas templadas del Atlántico sudoccidental, esta clase de eventos son casi inexistentes. Un total de 1.043 muestras de plancton de 1993 a 2006 fueron analizadas como también aquellas de bentos colectadas por SCUBA estacionalmente desde 1997 en la costa de Buenos Aires. Para la medusa Obelia longissima fueron observadas muy bajas densidades y frecuencias, con excepción de octubre de 2003 cuando un bloom de esta medusa fue detectado. Seguidamente, dos acumulaciones masivas consecutivas de colonias de O. longissima y de Amphisbetia operculata fueron detectadas sobre la línea de costa por habitantes de Mar del Plata (38°00'S-57°32'W y de la laguna costera Mar Chiquita (37°32'S-57°19'W entre marzo y abril del 2004. Las colonias de ambas especies fueron colectadas desde la l

A Multipath Routing Protocol Based on Bloom Filter for Multihop Wireless Networks

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Junwei Jin

2016-01-01

Full Text Available On-demand multipath routing in a wireless ad hoc network is effective in achieving load balancing over the network and in improving the degree of resilience to mobility. In this paper, the salvage capable opportunistic node-disjoint multipath routing (SNMR protocol is proposed, which forms multiple routes for data transmission and supports packet salvaging with minimum overhead. The proposed mechanism constructs a primary path and a node-disjoint backup path together with alternative paths for the intermediate nodes in the primary path. It can be achieved by considering the reverse route back to the source stored in the route cache and the primary path information compressed by a Bloom filter. Our protocol presents higher capability in packet salvaging and lower overhead in forming multiple routes. Simulation results show that SNMR outperforms the compared protocols in terms of packet delivery ratio, normalized routing load, and throughput.

If You Don't Know Who Wrote it, You Won't Understand It: Lessons Learned from Benjamin S. Bloom.

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Anderson, Lorin W.

1996-01-01

Describes how one college professor's relationship with author Benjamin Bloom influenced his thinking about education and his reading of education. Explains how the professor's personal and professional understandings of Bloom influenced his reading of virtually all of Bloom's writings, and discusses three points that are central to understanding…

The dynamics of toxic microcystis strains and microcystin production in two hypertrofic South African reservoirs

OpenAIRE

Barnard, Sandra; Conradie, Karin Ronel

2012-01-01

The South African impoundments of Hartbeespoort and Roodeplaat experience excessive blooms of Microcystis species each year. Microcystins, produced primarily by strains of cyanobacteria belonging to the genera Microcystis, Anabaena and Planktothrix, are harmful cyanobacterial hepatotoxins. These bloom-forming cyanobacteria form toxic and non-toxic strains that co-occur and are visually indistinguishable, but can be identified and quantified molecularly. We described the relationships between ...

Shallow water processes govern system-wide phytoplankton bloom dynamics: A modeling study

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Lucas, L.V.; Koseff, Jeffrey R.; Monismith, Stephen G.; Thompson, J.K.

2009-01-01

A pseudo-two-dimensional numerical model of estuarine phytoplankton growth and consumption, vertical turbulent mixing, and idealized cross-estuary transport was developed and applied to South San Francisco Bay. This estuary has two bathymetrically distinct habitat types (deep channel, shallow shoal) and associated differences in local net rates of phytoplankton growth and consumption, as well as differences in the water column's tendency to stratify. Because many physical and biological time scales relevant to algal population dynamics decrease with decreasing depth, process rates can be especially fast in the shallow water. We used the model to explore the potential significance of hydrodynamic connectivity between a channel and shoal and whether lateral transport can allow physical or biological processes (e.g. stratification, benthic grazing, light attenuation) in one sub-region to control phytoplankton biomass and bloom development in the adjacent sub-region. Model results for South San Francisco Bay suggest that lateral transport from a productive shoal can result in phytoplankton biomass accumulation in an adjacent deep, unproductive channel. The model further suggests that turbidity and benthic grazing in the shoal can control the occurrence of a bloom system-wide; whereas, turbidity, benthic grazing, and vertical density stratification in the channel are likely to only control local bloom occurrence or modify system-wide bloom magnitude. Measurements from a related field program are generally consistent with model-derived conclusions. ?? 2008 Elsevier B.V.

Presence of microcystin during events of algal blooms in Araruama Lagoon

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Manildo Marcião de Oliveira

2012-04-01

Full Text Available Algal blooms are phenomena produced by anthropogenic activities, despite the possible natural causes. In Araruama Lagoon, blooms occurred in 2005 and in subsequent years, causing profound changes in phytoplankton communities. These episodes triggered events of extensive fish mortality associated with low levels of dissolved oxygen. Another adverse effect associated with blooms is the production of harmful toxins such as phycotoxins produced by eukaryotic microalgae and cyanotoxins produced by cyanobacteria. Samples of fish (mullet and menhaden and seston showed levels of microcystin by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA, also a seston sample (São Pedro d'Aldeia on 08/22/2007, in a period not related to fish mortality, showed cells which contained genes encoding microcystin synthetase, an enzyme responsible for the synthesis of microcystin. The succession of microalgae with the concomitant presence of potentially toxic cyanobacteria draws attention to the risk of chronic exposure by the population that uses fish as their main protein source.

Resting Stage of Plankton Diversity from Singapore Coastal Water: Implications for Harmful Algae Blooms and Coastal Management

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Trottet, Aurore; Wilson, Bryan; Sew Wei Xin, Genevieve; George, Christaline; Casten, Lemuel; Schmoker, Claire; Rawi, Nurul Syazana Binte Modh; Chew Siew, Moon; Larsen, Ole; Eikaas, Hans S.; Tun, Karenne; Drillet, Guillaume

2018-02-01

Resting strategies of planktonic organisms are important for the ecological processes of coastal waters and their impacts should be taken into consideration in management of water bodies used by multiple industries. We combined different approaches to evaluate the importance of resting stages in Singapore coastal waters. We used molecular approaches to improve the knowledge on Singapore biodiversity, we sampled and extracted cysts from sediments to evaluate the density of resting stages in Johor Strait, and we compared systematically information on Singapore planktonic biodiversity to existing published information on resting stages from these reported organisms. This is the first study evaluating the importance of resting stages in Singapore waters. Above 120 species reported in Singapore are known to produce resting stages though no previous work has ever been done to evaluate the importance of these strategies in these waters. The results from the resting stage survey confirmed 0.66 to 5.34 cyst g-1 dry weight sediment were present in the Johor Strait suggesting that cysts may be flushed by tidal currents into and out of the strait regularly. This also suggest that the blooms occurring in Singapore are likely due to secondary growth of Harmful Algae Bloom species in the water rather than from direct germination of cysts from sediment. Finally, we discuss the importance of these resting eggs for three main national industries in Singapore (shipping, marine aquaculture and provision of drinking water through seawater desalination). We argue that this study will serve as a baseline for some of the future management of Singapore waters.

Species-specific separation of lake plankton reveals divergent food assimilation patterns in rotifers.

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Burian, Alfred; Kainz, Martin J; Schagerl, Michael; Yasindi, Andrew

2014-06-01

1. The analysis of functional groups with a resolution to the individual species level is a basic requirement to better understand complex interactions in aquatic food webs. Species-specific stable isotope analyses are currently applied to analyse the trophic role of large zooplankton or fish species, but technical constraints complicate their application to smaller-sized plankton. 2. We investigated rotifer food assimilation during a short-term microzooplankton bloom in the East African soda lake Nakuru by developing a method for species-specific sampling of rotifers. 3. The two dominant rotifers, Brachionus plicatilis and Brachionus dimidiatus , were separated to single-species samples (purity >95%) and significantly differed in their isotopic values (4.1‰ in δ 13 C and 1.5‰ in δ 15 N). Bayesian mixing models indicated that isotopic differences were caused by different assimilation of filamentous cyanobacteria and particles plicatilis (48%), whereas it was hardly ingested by B. dimidiatus . Overall, A . fusiformis was, relative to its biomass, assimilated to small extents, demonstrating a high grazing resistance of this species. 5. In combination with high population densities, these results demonstrate a strong potential of rotifer blooms to shape phytoplankton communities and are the first in situ demonstration of a quantitatively important direct trophic link between rotifers and filamentous cyanobacteria.

Are Low Salinity Waters the Remedy to Noctiluca scintillans Blooms in the Arabian Sea?

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Gibson, J.

2017-12-01

Noctiluca scintillans (Noctiluca) is a mixotrophic, green dinoflagellate that for the past two decades has been producing problematic algal blooms in the Arabian Sea (AS). As a mixotroph, Noctiluca obtains energy from both consumption of phytoplankton as well as its intracellular photosynthesizing endosymbionts named, Pedinomonas noctilucae. It is this autotrophic and heterotrophic dual capability that has largely enabled Noctiluca to be a highly dominant species at the planktonic trophic layer in the AS. Exacerbated by non-point source/point-source pollution in the AS, ocean acidification, and intensified monsoons, Noctiluca currently algal blooms can be as big as three times the size of Texas. By depleting the AS of oxygen, clogging the gills of fish, and altering the AS food web, these algal blooms result in mass fish die offs. In turn this propagates financial and food insecurity issues in countless coastal communities. However, through satellite imaging over the years, it has been observed that the proliferation of Noctiluca is precluded or encounters a "wall" about mid-way along the west coast of India. It is theorized that this "wall" is due to a significant change in salinity. Snow from atop the Himalayan Mountains melts and adds fresh water to the Bay of Bengal (BB), and in winter the East Indian Coastal Current (EICC) carries this fresher water around the southern tip of India and towards the AS. It is believed that this dilution effect impedes the growth of Noctiluca further south. Ultimately, in this study the salinity gradient from the Bay of Bengal (BB) around the horn of India into the AS was replicated in six pairs of culture bottles. Noctiluca was grown in six different salinities including 26, 28, 30, 32, 34, and 38 psu. Algae grown in the 34 and 38 psu bottles, were healthier and 38 psu treated Noctiluca provided optimal conditions for its photosynthesizing endosymbionts. Noctiluca does not grow well at lower salinities, thus applications of low

Variability in the mechanisms controlling Southern Ocean phytoplankton bloom phenology in an ocean model and satellite observations

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Rohr, Tyler; Long, Matthew C.; Kavanaugh, Maria T.; Lindsay, Keith; Doney, Scott C.

2017-05-01

A coupled global numerical simulation (conducted with the Community Earth System Model) is used in conjunction with satellite remote sensing observations to examine the role of top-down (grazing pressure) and bottom-up (light, nutrients) controls on marine phytoplankton bloom dynamics in the Southern Ocean. Phytoplankton seasonal phenology is evaluated in the context of the recently proposed "disturbance-recovery" hypothesis relative to more traditional, exclusively "bottom-up" frameworks. All blooms occur when phytoplankton division rates exceed loss rates to permit sustained net population growth; however, the nature of this decoupling period varies regionally in Community Earth System Model. Regional case studies illustrate how unique pathways allow blooms to emerge despite very poor division rates or very strong grazing rates. In the Subantarctic, southeast Pacific small spring blooms initiate early cooccurring with deep mixing and low division rates, consistent with the disturbance-recovery hypothesis. Similar systematics are present in the Subantarctic, southwest Atlantic during the spring but are eclipsed by a subsequent, larger summer bloom that is coincident with shallow mixing and the annual maximum in division rates, consistent with a bottom-up, light limited framework. In the model simulation, increased iron stress prevents a similar summer bloom in the southeast Pacific. In the simulated Antarctic zone (70°S-65°S) seasonal sea ice acts as a dominant phytoplankton-zooplankton decoupling agent, triggering a delayed but substantial bloom as ice recedes. Satellite ocean color remote sensing and ocean physical reanalysis products do not precisely match model-predicted phenology, but observed patterns do indicate regional variability in mechanism across the Atlantic and Pacific.

Enhancement of thermal blooming effect on free space propagation of high power CW laser beam

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Kashef, Tamer M.; Mokhtar, Ayman M.; Ghoniemy, Samy A.

2018-02-01

In this paper, we present an enhanced model to predict the effect of thermal blooming and atmospheric turbulence, on high energy laser beams free space propagation. We introduce an implementation technique for the proposed mathematical models describing the effect of thermal blooming and atmospheric turbulence including wind blowing, and how it effect high power laser beam power, far field pattern, phase change effect and beam quality . An investigated model of adaptive optics was introduced to study how to improve the wave front and phase distortion caused by thermal blooming and atmospheric turbulence, the adaptive optics model with Actuator influence spacing 3 cm the that shows observed improvement in the Strehl ratio and in wave front and phase of the beam. These models was implemented using cooperative agents relying on GLAD software package. Without taking in consideration the effect of thermal blooming It was deduced that the beam at the source takes the Gaussian shape with uniform intensity distribution, we found that the beam converge on the required distance 4 km using converging optics, comparing to the laser beam under the effect of thermal blooming the far field pattern shows characteristic secondary blip and "sugar scoop" effect which is characteristic of thermal blooming. It was found that the thermal blooming causes the beam to steer many centimeters and to diverge beyond about 1.8 km than come to a focus at 4 km where the beam assumed to be focused on the required target. We assume that this target is moving at v = (4,-4) m/sec at distance 4 km and the wind is moving at v = (-10,-10) m/sec, it was found that the effect will be strongest when wind and target movement are at the same velocity. GLAD software is used to calculate the attenuation effects of the atmosphere as well as the phase perturbations due to temperature change in the air and effects caused as the beam crosses through the air due to wind and beam steering.

Heterotrophic bacterial responses to the winter–spring phytoplankton bloom in open waters of the NW Mediterranean

KAUST Repository

Gomes, Ana

2014-12-03

The response of planktonic heterotrophic prokaryotes to the NW Mediterranean winter–spring offshore phytoplankton bloom was assessed in 3 cruises conducted in March, April–May and September 2009. Bulk measurements of phytoplankton and bacterioplankton biomass and production were complemented with an insight into bacterial physiological structure by single-cell analysis of nucleic acid content [low (LNA) vs. high (HNA)] and membrane integrity (“Live” vs. “Dead” cells). Bacterial production empirical conversion factors (0.82±0.25 SE kg C mol leucine−1) were almost always well below the theoretical value. Major differences in most microbial variables were found among the 3 periods, which varied from extremely high phytoplankton biomass and production during the bloom in March (>1 g C m−2 d−1 primary production) to typically oligotrophic conditions during September stratification (<200 mg C m−2 d−1). In both these periods bacterial production was ~30 mg C m−2 d−1 while very large bacterial production (mean 228, with some stations exceeding 500 mg C m−2 d−1) but low biomass was observed during the April–May post-bloom phase. The contribution of HNA (30–67%) and “Live” cells (47–97%) were temporally opposite in the study periods, with maxima in March and September, respectively. Different relationships were found between physiological structure and bottom-up variables, with HNA bacteria apparently more responsive to phytoplankton only during the bloom, coinciding with larger average cell sizes of LNA bacteria. Moderate phytoplankton–bacterioplankton coupling of biomass and activity was only observed in the bloom and post-bloom phases, while relationships between both compartments were not significant under stratification. With all data pooled, bacteria were only weakly bottom-up controlled. Our analyses show that the biomass and production of planktonic algae and bacteria followed opposite paths in the transition from bloom to

A multilocus species delimitation reveals a striking number of species of coralline algae forming Maerl in the OSPAR maritime area.

Science.gov (United States)

Pardo, Cristina; Lopez, Lua; Peña, Viviana; Hernández-Kantún, Jazmin; Le Gall, Line; Bárbara, Ignacio; Barreiro, Rodolfo

2014-01-01

Maerl beds are sensitive biogenic habitats built by an accumulation of loose-lying, non-geniculate coralline algae. While these habitats are considered hot-spots of marine biodiversity, the number and distribution of maerl-forming species is uncertain because homoplasy and plasticity of morphological characters are common. As a result, species discrimination based on morphological features is notoriously challenging, making these coralline algae the ideal candidates for a DNA barcoding study. Here, mitochondrial (COI-5P DNA barcode fragment) and plastidial (psbA gene) sequence data were used in a two-step approach to delimit species in 224 collections of maerl sampled from Svalbard (78°96'N) to the Canary Islands (28°64'N) that represented 10 morphospecies from four genera and two families. First, the COI-5P dataset was analyzed with two methods based on distinct criteria (ABGD and GMYC) to delineate 16 primary species hypotheses (PSHs) arranged into four major lineages. Second, chloroplast (psbA) sequence data served to consolidate these PSHs into 13 secondary species hypotheses (SSHs) that showed biologically plausible ranges. Using several lines of evidence (e.g. morphological characters, known species distributions, sequences from type and topotype material), six SSHs were assigned to available species names that included the geographically widespread Phymatolithon calcareum, Lithothamnion corallioides, and L. glaciale; possible identities of other SSHs are discussed. Concordance between SSHs and morphospecies was minimal, highlighting the convenience of DNA barcoding for an accurate identification of maerl specimens. Our survey indicated that a majority of maerl forming species have small distribution ranges and revealed a gradual replacement of species with latitude.

A multilocus species delimitation reveals a striking number of species of coralline algae forming Maerl in the OSPAR maritime area.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Cristina Pardo

Full Text Available Maerl beds are sensitive biogenic habitats built by an accumulation of loose-lying, non-geniculate coralline algae. While these habitats are considered hot-spots of marine biodiversity, the number and distribution of maerl-forming species is uncertain because homoplasy and plasticity of morphological characters are common. As a result, species discrimination based on morphological features is notoriously challenging, making these coralline algae the ideal candidates for a DNA barcoding study. Here, mitochondrial (COI-5P DNA barcode fragment and plastidial (psbA gene sequence data were used in a two-step approach to delimit species in 224 collections of maerl sampled from Svalbard (78°96'N to the Canary Islands (28°64'N that represented 10 morphospecies from four genera and two families. First, the COI-5P dataset was analyzed with two methods based on distinct criteria (ABGD and GMYC to delineate 16 primary species hypotheses (PSHs arranged into four major lineages. Second, chloroplast (psbA sequence data served to consolidate these PSHs into 13 secondary species hypotheses (SSHs that showed biologically plausible ranges. Using several lines of evidence (e.g. morphological characters, known species distributions, sequences from type and topotype material, six SSHs were assigned to available species names that included the geographically widespread Phymatolithon calcareum, Lithothamnion corallioides, and L. glaciale; possible identities of other SSHs are discussed. Concordance between SSHs and morphospecies was minimal, highlighting the convenience of DNA barcoding for an accurate identification of maerl specimens. Our survey indicated that a majority of maerl forming species have small distribution ranges and revealed a gradual replacement of species with latitude.

Dynamics of Bacterial and Fungal Communities during the Outbreak and Decline of an Algal Bloom in a Drinking Water Reservoir

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Haihan Zhang

2018-02-01

Full Text Available The microbial communities associated with algal blooms play a pivotal role in organic carbon, nitrogen and phosphorus cycling in freshwater ecosystems. However, there have been few studies focused on unveiling the dynamics of bacterial and fungal communities during the outbreak and decline of algal blooms in drinking water reservoirs. To address this issue, the compositions of bacterial and fungal communities were assessed in the Zhoucun drinking water reservoir using 16S rRNA and internal transcribed spacer (ITS gene Illumina MiSeq sequencing techniques. The results showed the algal bloom was dominated by Synechococcus, Microcystis, and Prochlorothrix. The bloom was characterized by a steady decrease of total phosphorus (TP from the outbreak to the decline period (p < 0.05 while Fe concentration increased sharply during the decline period (p < 0.05. The highest algal biomass and cell concentrations observed during the bloom were 51.7 mg/L and 1.9×108 cell/L, respectively. The cell concentration was positively correlated with CODMn (r = 0.89, p = 0.02. Illumina Miseq sequencing showed that algal bloom altered the water bacterial and fungal community structure. During the bloom, the dominant bacterial genus were Acinetobacter sp., Limnobacter sp., Synechococcus sp., and Roseomonas sp. The relative size of the fungal community also changed with algal bloom and its composition mainly contained Ascomycota, Basidiomycota and Chytridiomycota. Heat map profiling indicated that algal bloom had a more consistent effect upon fungal communities at genus level. Redundancy analysis (RDA also demonstrated that the structure of water bacterial communities was significantly correlated to conductivity and ammonia nitrogen. Meanwhile, water temperature, Fe and ammonia nitrogen drive the dynamics of water fungal communities. The results from this work suggested that water bacterial and fungal communities changed significantly during the outbreak and decline of

Blooms of a benthic ciliate, Maristentor dinoferus (Heterotrichea: Maristentoridae, on coral reefs of Guam, Mariana Islands. (Note

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Schefter, M.

2012-05-01

Full Text Available Maristentor dinoferus is visible in situ with the naked eye; it forms aggregations at several scales: individuals form dynamic clusters within colonies that are normally widely scattered, but in recurrent blooms during the dry seasons of 2005 through 2007, colonies often formed close together in patches (metapopulations. Patches were extremely abundant in Guam, both in Apra Harbor and on the outer coast. This is the first time that long-term changes in a benthic ciliate population have been documented in situ and that multi-scale patchiness has been reported for a benthic ciliate. Colonies were mapped and monitored; some patches over 1 m diameter were recorded. Since 2008, the distribution has again consisted of scattered colonies, as it did from 1999–2004.

CNP stoichiometry of a lipid-synthesising zooplankton, Calanus finmarchicus, from winter to spring bloom in a sub-Arctic sound

Science.gov (United States)

Aubert, A. B.; Svensen, C.; Hessen, D. O.; Tamelander, T.

2013-02-01

The aim of this study was to investigate the seasonal stoichiometry of the high-latitude lipid-synthesising copepod Calanus finmarchicus and assess how this would affect dietary demands with season, ontogeny and lipid storage. C:N:P ratios in different stages (adults, copepodite V and IV), in eggs and faecal pellets as well as in bulk food (seston) was analysed in a sub-Arctic Norwegian sound (69° 47'N, 19° 19'E) from late February to mid-May 2009. The period covered the phytoplankton bloom and was divided into four sequences of the bloom based on chl a and seston C:chl a ratio variations. The calculation of the somatic elemental C:N and C:P body ratios (without the lipid storage) indicates that nearly homeostatic control in C. finmarchicus is maintained in somatic tissues within stages, while not if the lipid storage pool is included. Nutrient limitation was assessed calculating threshold elemental ratios based on the somatic body ratios and for different sets of assimilation efficiencies, and indicated a predominant C limitation that may reflect demands for lipid storage. The results suggest that stoichiometric composition and demands in such high-latitude, lipid-storing species strongly depend on stage and season, and the large contribution of storage lipids highlights the need for a two-compartment approach for lipid-synthesising species, with different dietary requirements for somatic growth and for lipid storage.

BASIC: Baltic Sea cyanobacteria. An investigation of the structure and dynamics of water blooms of cyanobacteria in the Baltic Sea––responses to a changing environment

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Stal, L.J.; Albertano, P.; Bergman, B.; Von Bröckel, K.; Gallon, J.R.; Hayes, P.K.; Sivonen, K.; Walsby, A.E.

2003-01-01

The blooms of cyanobacteria that develop each summer in the Baltic Sea are composed of two functional groups, namely the small-sized picocyanobacteria (Synechococcus sp.) and the larger, colony-forming, filamentous N2-fixing cyanobacteria. The former encompassed both red (phycoerythrin-rich) and

Ocean colour remote sensing of harmful algal blooms in the Benguela system

CSIR Research Space (South Africa)

Bernard, S

2014-01-01

Full Text Available mortalities of tons of rock lobster and other marine life (Cockcroft et al., 2000). Other ecosystem impacts may be more subtle and difficult to quantify, and may include altered food web interac-tions and habitats. The poor food source provided by blooms... as afforded by the bloom resulted in anoxia through the entire water column. Large fish and lobster mortalities were consequently observed off the Berg River estuary and adjacent beaches on the 5 May 2009. Termination of the boom was as...

Importance of climate change-physical forcing on the increase of cyanobacterial blooms in a small, stratified lake

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Dolores Planas

2016-03-01

Full Text Available The community structure of planktonic cyanobacteria was studied in a dimictic lake in which recurrent summer surface algal blooms have frequently occurred since the beginning of this millennium. In eutrophic-hypereutrophic lakes, epilimnetic cyanobacterial blooms are promoted by increased ambient temperatures and water column thermal stability, which favour the vertical migration of buoyancy-regulating cyanobacteria. Here we propose that intensified external energy (wind that alters thermocline stability could explain the occurence of heavy blooms in the surface of lakes with low external nutrient loading. Specifically, we hypothesized that: i in small stratified lakes with low external nutrient sources, cyanobacterial growth primarily occurs near the lake bottom, where phosphorus is more abundant and light is available; ii we additionally hypothesized that turbulence induced by strong winds increases the amplitude and energy of metalimnetic internal waves and entrains meta- and hypolimnetic water,  rich in nutrients and cyanobacteria, into the epilimnion. The study was done in a small lake (45 Ha, maximum and mean depth 7.2 m and 4.3 m, respectively with mean epilimnetic dissolved phosphorus concentrations ≈ 4 μg L-1 and chlorophyll α ≈ 8 μg L-1.  Vertical temperature profiles during the open season were continuously registered using thermistors.  Weekly vertical profiles of light transmission, phytoplankton distribution and water chemistry were also taken. On one occasion, these variables were measured throughout a continuous 24 h cycle. Results demonstrated that summer cyanobacterial blooms were dominated by Plankthotrix spp., which began their cycle in late spring at the bottom of the lake, and grew to form dense metalimnetic biomass peaks. Time series analysis of isotherms and the Lake number indicated that internal metalimnetic waves (seiches were present through the summer. During the diel sampling cycle, we found that medium to

Intense blooms of Trichodesmium erythraeum (Cyanophyta) in the open waters along east coast of India

Digital Repository Service at National Institute of Oceanography (India)

Jyothibabu, R.; Madhu, N.V.; Murukesh, N.; Haridas, P.; Nair, K.K.C.; Venugopal, P.

° 44'N, 89° 04'), both along east coast of India. Nutrients (nitrate, phosphate, silicate) concentration in the upper 30 m of the water column showed very low values. High-integrated primary production (Bloom 1- 2160 mgC m-2 d-1, Bloom 2-1740 mgC m-2 d...

PRE-SERVICE MATHEMATICS TEACHERS’ CONCEPTION OF HIGHER-ORDER THINKING LEVEL IN BLOOM'S TAXONOMY

OpenAIRE

Damianus D Samo

2017-01-01

The purpose of this study is to explore pre-service mathematics teachers' conception of higher-order thinking in Bloom's Taxonomy, to explore pre-service mathematics teachers' ability in categorizing six cognitive levels of Bloom's Taxonomy as lower-order thinking and higher-order thinking, and pre-service mathematics teachers' ability in identifying some questionable items as lower-order and higher-order thinking. The higher-order thinking is the type of non-algorithm thinking which include ...

A salp bloom (Tunicata, Thaliacea along the Apulian coast and in the Otranto Channel between March-May 2013 [v1; ref status: indexed, http://f1000r.es/1ok

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Ferdinando Boero

2013-09-01

Full Text Available Between March-May 2013 a massive Salpa maxima bloom was recorded by a citizen science study along the Ionian and Adriatic coast of the Salento peninsula (Italy. Citizen records were substantiated with field inspections along the coast and during an oceanographic campaign in the Otranto Channel. Salps clogged nets, impairing fishing activities along the coast. Swimmers were scared by the gelatinous appearance of the salps, and thought they were jellyfish. At the end of the bloom the dead bodies of the colonies, that were up to 6-7 m long, were accumulated along the coast and stirred by the waves, forming foams along dozens of kilometers of coast. The bloom also occurred at the Tremiti Islands, north of the Gargano Peninsula. The possible impacts of such events on the  functioning of pelagic systems are discussed.

Fine-scale distribution of zooplankton is linked to phytoplankton species composition and abundance in a North Norwegian fjord system

Science.gov (United States)

Norrbin, F.; Priou, P. D.; Varela, A. P.

2016-02-01

We studied the influence of dense layers of phytoplankton and aggregates on shaping the vertical distribution of zooplankton in a North Norwegian fjord using a Video Plankton Recorder (VPR). This instrument provided fine-scale vertical distribution (cm-m scale) of planktonic organisms as well as aggregates of marine snow in relation to environmental conditions. At the height - later stage of the spring phytoplankton bloom in May, the outer part of the fjord was dominated by Phaeocystis pouchetii, while diatoms (Chaetoceros spp.) were dominating in the innermost basin. Small copepods species like Pseudocalanus spp., Microsetella norvegica, and Oithona spp. prevailed over larger copepod species in the inner part of the fjord whereas the outer part was dominated by large copepods like Calanus finmarchicus. While the zooplankton where spread out over the water column during the early stage of the bloom, in May they were linked to the phytoplankton vertical distribution and in the winter situation they were found in deeper waters. Herbivorous zooplankton species were affected by phytoplankton species composition; C. finmarchicus and Pseudocalanus spp. avoided the dense layer of P. pouchetii while herbivorous zooplankton matched the distribution of the diatom-dominated bloom. Small, omnivorous copepod species like Microsetella sp., Oithona sp. and Pseudocalanus sp. were often associated with dense layers of snow aggregates. This distribution may provide a shelter from predators as well as a food source. Natural or anthropogenic-induced changes in phytoplankton composition and aggregate distribution may thus influence food-web interactions.

Biomanipulation with quagga mussels (Dreissena rostriformis bugensis) to control harmful algal blooms in eutrophic urban ponds

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Waajen, Guido W. A. M.; Van Bruggen, Niek C. B.; Pires, L. Miguel Dionisio; Lengkeek, Wouter; Lurling, Miquel

Many urban ponds in The Netherlands and other countries suffer from eutrophication, resulting in harmful algal blooms which are often dominated by cyanobacteria. A sufficient reduction of nutrients, as prerequisite to mitigate cyanobacterial blooms in urban ponds, is not always feasible. Water

Biomanipulation with quagga mussels (Dreissena rostriformis bugensis) to control harmful algal blooms in eutrophic urban ponds

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Waajen, Guido W.A.M.; Bruggen, Van Niek C.B.; Pires, Miguel Dionisio L.; Lengkeek, Wouter; Lurling, Miguel

2016-01-01

Many urban ponds in The Netherlands and other countries suffer from eutrophication, resulting in harmful algal blooms which are often dominated by cyanobacteria. A sufficient reduction of nutrients, as prerequisite to mitigate cyanobacterial blooms in urban ponds, is not always feasible. Water

Culturing Toxic Benthic Blooms: The Fate of Natural Biofilms in a Microcosm System

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Francesca Di Pippo

2017-08-01

Full Text Available A microcosm designed for culturing aquatic phototrophic biofilms on artificial substrata was used to perform experiments with microphytobenthos sampled during summer toxic outbreaks of Ostreopsis cf. ovata along the Middle Tyrrhenian coast. This dynamic approach aimed at exploring the unique and complex nature of O. cf. ovata bloom development in the benthic system. Epibenthic assemblages were used as inocula for co-cultures of bloom organisms on polycarbonate slides at controlled environmental conditions. Biofilm surface adhesion, growth, and spatial structure were evaluated along with shifts in composition and matrix production in a low disturbance regime, simulating source habitat. Initial adhesion and substratum colonisation appeared as stochastic processes, then community structure and physiognomy markedly changed with time. Dominance of filamentous cyanobacteria and diatoms, and dense clusters of Amphidinium cf. carterae at the mature biofilm phases, were recorded by light and confocal microscopy, whilst O. cf. ovata growth was visibly limited in the late culture phases. Life-form strategies, competitiveness for resources, and possibly allelopathic interactions shaped biofilm structure during culture growth. HPLC (High Performance Liquid Chromatography analysis of exopolysaccharidic matrix revealed variations in sugar total amounts and composition. No toxic compounds were detected in the final communities tested by LC-MS (Liquid Chromatography- Mass Spectrometry and MALDI-TOF MS (Matrix Assisted Laser Desorption Ionization Time OF Flight Mass Spectroscopy techniques.

Dynamics of Bacterial and Fungal Communities during the Outbreak and Decline of an Algal Bloom in a Drinking Water Reservoir.

Science.gov (United States)

Zhang, Haihan; Jia, Jingyu; Chen, Shengnan; Huang, Tinglin; Wang, Yue; Zhao, Zhenfang; Feng, Ji; Hao, Huiyan; Li, Sulin; Ma, Xinxin

2018-02-18

The microbial communities associated with algal blooms play a pivotal role in organic carbon, nitrogen and phosphorus cycling in freshwater ecosystems. However, there have been few studies focused on unveiling the dynamics of bacterial and fungal communities during the outbreak and decline of algal blooms in drinking water reservoirs. To address this issue, the compositions of bacterial and fungal communities were assessed in the Zhoucun drinking water reservoir using 16S rRNA and internal transcribed spacer (ITS) gene Illumina MiSeq sequencing techniques. The results showed the algal bloom was dominated by Synechococcus, Microcystis, and Prochlorothrix. The bloom was characterized by a steady decrease of total phosphorus (TP) from the outbreak to the decline period (p Limnobacter sp., Synechococcus sp., and Roseomonas sp. The relative size of the fungal community also changed with algal bloom and its composition mainly contained Ascomycota, Basidiomycota and Chytridiomycota. Heat map profiling indicated that algal bloom had a more consistent effect upon fungal communities at genus level. Redundancy analysis (RDA) also demonstrated that the structure of water bacterial communities was significantly correlated to conductivity and ammonia nitrogen. Meanwhile, water temperature, Fe and ammonia nitrogen drive the dynamics of water fungal communities. The results from this work suggested that water bacterial and fungal communities changed significantly during the outbreak and decline of algal bloom in Zhoucun drinking water reservoir. Our study highlights the potential role of microbial diversity as a driving force for the algal bloom and biogeochemical cycling of reservoir ecology.

Use of phosphorus to reduce blooms of the benthic diatom Didymosphenia geminata in an oligotrophic stream

Science.gov (United States)

James, Daniel A.; Bothwell, Max L.; Chipps, Steven R.; Carreiro, John

2015-01-01

Blooms of the benthic alga, Didymosphenia geminata [Lyngbye (Schmidt)], were first documented in Rapid Creek, South Dakota, in 2002 and have since been associated with changes to aquatic resources. Low concentration of P has been associated with D. geminata stalk development (i.e., blooms), so we considered elevating P as a possible method to reduce D. geminata blooms. We conducted 2 whole-stream P-enrichment experiments in Rapid Creek during 2007 and 2008. Enrichment with a slow-release fertilizer (Osmocote®: 14-14-14) in 2007 significantly reduced D. geminata blooms (indexed by D. geminata biomass) compared to upstream control sites. The reduction in biomass was less pronounced as distance from the enrichment source increased, a result indicating that P augmentation effectively decreased D. geminata biomass. In 2008, we implemented a before-after–control-impact (BACI) study to assess effects of a quick-release fertilizer (MAP: 11-52-0) on D. geminata biomass. The addition of 6 μg/L P to Rapid Creek resulted in a significant decrease in D. geminata biomass within 0.6 km downstream of the nutrient-addition point. Effects on D. geminata biomass were not evident further downstream. This study provides evidence to support the hypothesis that low P concentration regulates D. geminata blooms.

Establishing the link between Ostreopsis cf.ovata blooms and human health impacts using ecology and epidemiology

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Magda Vila

2016-09-01

Full Text Available Blooms of the benthic dinoflagellate Ostreopsis have been related to sporadic acute respiratory symptoms and general malaise in people exposed to marine aerosols on some Mediterranean beaches. However, the direct link between recurrent Ostreopsis blooms and health problems has not been clearly established. In order to establish and elucidate the connection, we conducted a joint ecology and epidemiology study in an Ostreopsis hot spot. Throughout the bloom, which extended from the end of June until the end of October 2013, 81% of the human cohort that we studied experienced at least one Ostreopsis-related symptom. Paradoxically, the time when the effects were greatest was during a short time window in early August. This corresponded to the transition from the exponential growth to the stationary phase of the bloom. Negligible symptoms were reported from August to mid-October, during the stationary period of the proliferation, when O. cf. ovata maintained high concentrations of epiphytic cells. No clear patterns in the landward wind component were noted during the time when health effects were greatest. Our main hypothesis is that the irritants present in the aerosol are produced during a particular physiological phase of the Ostreopsis cells during the bloom.

Biological control of Microcystis dominated harmful algal blooms ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

Freshwater resources are now threatened by the presence and increase of harmful algal blooms (HAB) all over the world. The HABs are sometimes a direct result of anthropogenic pollution entering water bodies, such as partially treated nutrient-rich effluents and the leaching of fertilisers and animal wastes. The impact of ...

Surface layer and bloom dynamics observed with the Prince William Sound Autonomous Profiler

Science.gov (United States)

Campbell, R. W.

2016-02-01

As part of a recent long term monitoring effort, deployments of a WETLabs Autonomous Moored Profiler (AMP) began Prince William Sound (PWS) in 2013. The PWS AMP consists of a positively buoyant instrument frame, with a winch and associated electronics that profiles the frame from a park depth (usually 55 m) to the surface by releasing and retrieving a thin UHMWPE tether; it generally conducts a daily cast and measures temperature, salinity, chlorophyll-a fluorescence, turbidity, and oxygen and nitrate concentrations. Upward and downward looking ADCPs are mounted on a float below the profiler, and an in situ plankton imager is in development and will be installed in 2016. Autonomous profilers are a relatively new technology, and early deployments experienced a number of failures from which valuable lessons may be learned. Nevertheless, an unprecedented time series of the seasonal biogeochemical procession in the surface waters coastal Gulf of Alaska was collected in 2014 and 2015. The northern Gulf of Alaska has experienced a widespread warm anomaly since early 2014, and surface layer temperature anomalies in PWS were strongly positive during winter 2014. The spring bloom observed by the profiler began 2-3 weeks earlier than average, with surface nitrate depleted by late April. Although surface temperatures were still above average in 2015, bloom timing was much later, with a short vigorous bloom in late April and a subsurface bloom in late May that coincided with significant nitrate drawdown. As well as the vernal blooms, wind-driven upwelling events lead to several small productivity pulses that were evident in changes in nitrate and oxygen concentrations, and chlorophyll-a fluorescence. As well as providing a mechanistic understanding of surface layer biogeochemistry, high frequency observations such as these put historical observations in context, and provide new insights into the scales of variability in the annual cycles of the surface ocean in the North

The development and decline of phytoplankton blooms in the southern Benguela upwelling region

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Brown, P.C.

1986-10-01

Productivity/chlorophyll a relationship are investigated with a view to estimating phytoplankton productivity from extensive chlorophyll a measurements in the southern Benguela region. Phytoplankton bloom dynamics in newly upwelled water off the Cape Peninsula are investigated on five different occasions during the upwelling season. A drogue was used to tag a 'parcel' of upwelled water which was monitored for between 4 and 8 days. In upwelling source water, mean chlorophyll a concentrations were typically low (0.7 mg.m -3 ) and nutrient concentrations were high (nitrates, silicates and phosphates were 20.8, 16.6 and 1.88 mmol.m -3 respectively). Along the drogue tracks nutrients decreased rapidly in the euphotic zone as chlorophyll increased to peak at concentrations of up to 26 mg.m -3 . Elemental changes in nitrates, silicates, phosphates and oxygen were used to estimate primary productivity. These 'Redfield productivity estimates' were similar to 14 C-uptake productivity but lower than estimates obtained from changes in particle volume. Daily rates of 14 C-uptake water column productivity ranged between 0.94 and 14.01 g C.m -2 .d -1 (mean 3.80 g C.m -2 .d -1 ) and were similar to or higher than productivity estimates reported for other upwelling areas. Phytoplankton biomass in the upper 50 metres ranged between 8 and 506 mg chll a. m -2 (mean 208 mg chll a.m -2 ). The temporal scale of phytoplankton bloom development was investigated in terms of changes in chlorophyll a concentrations in the euphotic zone. The build up and decline of the primary phytoplankton (diatom) bloom in newly upwelled water occurred within 6-8 days. The initiation of blooming was controlled by the stability of the water body. The decline of the bloom was associated with reduced nutrient levels and is considered to result mainly from phytoplankton cells sinking out of the surface layers

Paralytic shellfish toxins in the Atlantic horse mackerel (Trachurus trachurus over a bloom of Gymnodinium catenatum: the prevalence of decarbamoylsaxitoxin in the marine food web

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Sandra Lage

2013-03-01

Full Text Available This study reports the accumulation of paralytic shellfish toxins (PSTs in Atlantic horse mackerel (Trachurus trachurus over a bloom of the toxigenic dinoflagellate Gymnodinium catenatum. High levels of toxins, up to 4800 μg STXeq kg–1, were registered at the peak of the bloom (5.0 103 cells l–1. The suite of individual PSTs was examined. Decarbamoylsaxitoxin (dcSTX and B1 constituted nearly 90% of toxins (on a molar basis determined in mackerel. This profile of toxins markedly differs from the known profile of toxins produced by G. catenatum strains isolated from the Portuguese coast, which is dominated by N-sulfocarbamoyl toxins, in particular the C1+2 toxins. The prevalence of the potent dcSTX in the pelagic environment and its transfer through the marine food web is highlighted in this study. Atlantic horse mackerel is identified as a high potential vector of PSTs along the Portuguese coast. This fish species has a central position in the marine food web, being an important predator of zooplankton and at the same time an important diet item of top predators. This study reveals bioaccumulation values that are important for evaluating potential impacts of blooms of PST-producing dinoflagellates on marine ecosystems or their components, such as fish.

Timing of migratory baleen whales at the Azores in relation to the North Atlantic spring bloom

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Visser, F.; Hartman, K.L.; Pierce, G.J.; Valavanis, V.D.; Huisman, J.

2011-01-01

Each year, a phytoplankton spring bloom starts just north of the North Atlantic Subtropical Gyre, and then expands northwards across the entire North Atlantic. Here, we investigate whether the timing of the spring migration of baleen whales is related to the timing of the phytoplankton spring bloom,

Assessment and Characterisation of Ireland's Green Tides (Ulva Species).

Science.gov (United States)

Wan, Alex H L; Wilkes, Robert J; Heesch, Svenja; Bermejo, Ricardo; Johnson, Mark P; Morrison, Liam

2017-01-01

Enrichment of nutrients and metals in seawater associated with anthropogenic activities can threaten aquatic ecosystems. Consequently, nutrient and metal concentrations are parameters used to define water quality. The European Union's Water Framework Directive (WFD) goes further than a contaminant-based approach and utilises indices to assess the Ecological Status (ES) of transitional water bodies (e.g. estuaries and lagoons). One assessment is based upon the abundance of opportunistic Ulva species, as an indication of eutrophication. The objective of this study was to characterise Ireland's Ulva blooms through the use of WFD assessment, metal concentrations and taxonomic identity. Furthermore, the study assessed whether the ecological assessment is related to the metal composition in the Ulva. WFD algal bloom assessment revealed that the largest surveyed blooms had an estimated biomass of 2164 metric tonnes (w/w). DNA sequences identified biomass from all locations as Ulva rigida, with the exception of New Quay, which was Ulva rotundata. Some blooms contained significant amounts of As, Cu, Cr, Pb and Sn. The results showed that all metal concentrations had a negative relationship (except Se) with the Ecological Quality Ratio (EQR). However, only in the case of Mn were these differences significant (p = 0.038). Overall, the metal composition and concentrations found in Ulva were site dependent, and not clearly related to the ES. Nevertheless, sites with a moderate or poor ES had a higher variability in the metals levels than in estuaries with a high ES.

Assessment and Characterisation of Ireland's Green Tides (Ulva Species)

Science.gov (United States)

Wilkes, Robert J.; Heesch, Svenja; Bermejo, Ricardo; Johnson, Mark P.; Morrison, Liam

2017-01-01

Enrichment of nutrients and metals in seawater associated with anthropogenic activities can threaten aquatic ecosystems. Consequently, nutrient and metal concentrations are parameters used to define water quality. The European Union’s Water Framework Directive (WFD) goes further than a contaminant-based approach and utilises indices to assess the Ecological Status (ES) of transitional water bodies (e.g. estuaries and lagoons). One assessment is based upon the abundance of opportunistic Ulva species, as an indication of eutrophication. The objective of this study was to characterise Ireland’s Ulva blooms through the use of WFD assessment, metal concentrations and taxonomic identity. Furthermore, the study assessed whether the ecological assessment is related to the metal composition in the Ulva. WFD algal bloom assessment revealed that the largest surveyed blooms had an estimated biomass of 2164 metric tonnes (w/w). DNA sequences identified biomass from all locations as Ulva rigida, with the exception of New Quay, which was Ulva rotundata. Some blooms contained significant amounts of As, Cu, Cr, Pb and Sn. The results showed that all metal concentrations had a negative relationship (except Se) with the Ecological Quality Ratio (EQR). However, only in the case of Mn were these differences significant (p = 0.038). Overall, the metal composition and concentrations found in Ulva were site dependent, and not clearly related to the ES. Nevertheless, sites with a moderate or poor ES had a higher variability in the metals levels than in estuaries with a high ES. PMID:28045947

Ionocidium ‘Cerrado 101’: intergeneric orchid hybrid with high quality of blooming

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Jean Carlos Cardoso

2017-10-01

Full Text Available Orchids are considered one of the most important potted-flowering in the world. Oncidium genus, as well their hybrids group (OHGs has used for the flower market as pot or cut flower.  However, some horticultural characteristics require improvements, e.g. the production of precocious cultivars, independent-season blooming or easy flowering induction, high quality and durability of flowers and variations in color of flowers, to compete with Phalaenopsis and Dendrobium orchids, as other flower groups. Aiming this purpose there were used hand-crossing pollination between the Oncidium ‘Sweet Sugar’ and Ionopsis utricularioides, a Brazilian wild species, for evaluate the capacity of crossing and to select progenies with interest of use in floriculture as new cultivar. The seeds obtained from this cross were seeded on in vitro conditions, followed by acclimatization and cultivation on greenhouse conditions until de flowering time. One of the plants obtained presented interesting characteristics, as good and rapid vegetative development and high quality of blooming. This hybrid obtained from an intergeneric crossing resulted in a plant with vegetative and flower type characteristics and color similar of Oncidium female parent, but with larger number of ramifications in inflorescence and number of flowers (60% and 219,4%, respectively than Oncidium parent (♀, and with more similarity with Ionopsis (♂. This hybrid cultivar, called Ionocidium ‘Cerrado 101’ is one more option of OHGs in this competitive market and can be used either for pot and also for cut orchid flowers production, main because it longer inflorescence (83 cm.

UV-Visible Spectroscopic Method and Models for Assessment and Monitoring of Harmful Algal Blooms

Science.gov (United States)

Mitchell, B. Greg

2000-01-01

The development of an enhanced predictive and early warning capability for the occurrence and impact of harmful algal blooms (HABs) would be of great benefit to coastal communities. A critical issue for early detection and monitoring of HABs is the need to detect harmful algal species within a mixed-species phytoplankton assemblage. Possession of UV-absorbing compounds called mycosporine-like amino acids (MAAs) may be one factor that allows HAB species to out-compete their phytoplankton neighbors. Possession of MAAs, which we believe can be inferred from strong UV-absorption signals in phytoplankton absorption coefficients, can be used as a flag for potential HAB outbreak. The goal of this project was to develop a solar simulating UV-visible incubator to grow HAB dinoflagellates, to begin MAA analysis of samples collected on global cruises, and to carry out initial experiments on HAB dinoflagellate species in pure culture. Our scientific objectives are to quantify MAA production and spectral induction mechanisms in HAB species, to characterize spectral absorption of MAAs, and to define the ecological benefit of MAAs (i.e. photoprotection). Data collected on cruises to the global oceans will be used to parameterize phytoplankton absorption in the UV region, and this parameterization could be incorporated into existing models of seawater optical properties in the UV spectral region. Data collected in this project were used for graduate fellowship applications by Elizabeth Frame. She has been awarded an EPA STAR fellowship to continue the work initiated by this project.

Foliage efficiency of forest-forming species in the climatic gradients of Eurasia

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

V. A. Usoltsev

2017-08-01

Full Text Available The paperis of the scientific area of biogeography and devoted to a new aspect in the study of biological productivity of forest ecosystems on a geographical basis, expressed indirectly by climate parameters, namely, the foliage efficiency that until now is not investigated at the global level. Foliage efficiency is the ratio of net primary production (NPP to foliage biomass and is expressed in relative units. Some features of change of foliage efficiency of vicarious forest-forming species in Eurasian transcontinental gradients are showed for the first time using the voluminous factual material. The set of published biomass and NPP data (t/ha obtained in a number of 2192 plots is compiled. Using multiple regression analysis technique, the statistically significant changes in foliage efficiency values according to two transcontinental gradients, namely by zonal belts and continentality of climate, are stated for each forest-forming species. The species-specificity of age dynamics of stem volume and foliage efficiency is shown. It is monotonically decreased almost for all tree species in the following order: spruce and fir, pine, birch, oak, larch and aspen-poplar. When climate continentality increasing, foliage efficiency values of mature forests is dropping, most intensively in pines, less intensive in deciduous forests and virtually no changes in spruce-fir communities. In zonal gradient from the northern temperate to the subequatorial belt, foliage efficiency of deciduous species decreases, but it of the evergreen spruce and pine increases in the same direction. One of the possible causes of these opposite zonal trends of foliage efficiency in evergreen and deciduous species consists in different conditions of physiological processes in the year cycle, in particular, in year-round assimilates accumulation in the first and seasonal one in the second.

Algae Bloom in a Lake

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

David Sanabria

2008-01-01

Full Text Available The objective of this paper is to determine the likelihood of an algae bloom in a particular lake located in upstate New York. The growth of algae in this lake is caused by a high concentration of phosphorous that diffuses to the surface of the lake. Our calculations, based on Fick's Law, are used to create a mathematical model of the driving force of diffusion for phosphorous. Empirical observations are also used to predict whether the concentration of phosphorous will diffuse to the surface of this lake within a specified time and under specified conditions.

A method for examining temporal changes in cyanobacterial harmful algal bloom spatial extent using satellite remote sensing..

Science.gov (United States)

Cyanobacterial harmful algal blooms (CyanoHAB) are thought to be increasing globally over the past few decades, but relatively little quantitative information is available about the spatial extent of blooms. Satellite remote sensing provides a potential technology for identifying...

Beneath the veil: Plant growth form influences the strength of species richness-productivity relationships in forests

Science.gov (United States)

Oberle, B.; Grace, J.B.; Chase, J.M.

2009-01-01

Aim: Species richness has been observed to increase with productivity at large spatial scales, though the strength of this relationship varies among functional groups. In forests, canopy trees shade understorey plants, and for this reason we hypothesize that species richness of canopy trees will depend on macroclimate, while species richness of shorter growth forms will additionally be affected by shading from the canopy. In this study we test for differences in species richness-productivity relationships (SRPRs) among growth forms (canopy trees, shrubs, herbaceous species) in small forest plots. Location: We analysed 231 plots ranging from 34.0?? to 48.3?? N latitude and from 75.0?? to 124.2?? W longitude in the United States. Methods: We analysed data collected by the USDA Forest Inventory and Analysis program for plant species richness partitioned into different growth forms, in small plots. We used actual evapotranspiration as a macroclimatic estimate of regional productivity and calculated the area of light-blocking tissue in the immediate area surrounding plots for an estimate of the intensity of local shading. We estimated and compared SRPRs for different partitions of the species richness dataset using generalized linear models and we incorporated the possible indirect effects of shading using a structural equation model. Results: Canopy tree species richness increased strongly with regional productivity, while local shading primarily explained the variation in herbaceous plant richness. Shrub species richness was related to both regional productivity and local shading. Main conclusions: The relationship between total forest plant species richness and productivity at large scales belies strong effects of local interactions. Counter to the pattern for overall richness, we found that understorey herbaceous plant species richness does not respond to regional productivity gradients, and instead is strongly influenced by canopy density, while shrub species

Hydrodynamic control of microphytoplankton bloom in a coastal sea

Indian Academy of Sciences (India)

K Narasimha Murty

2017-08-31

Aug 31, 2017 ... surface water to depths in regions where there is no barrier layer at the ... ent availability (and light) alone does not give place to blooms in the ...... ics in a coastal upwelling system off southwestern Africa;. Deep Sea Res.

Oceans and Human Health: Microplastics and Harmful Algal Bloom

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Sombrito, Elvira Z.

2015-01-01

Traditionally the focus of research and concern of environmental studies in the marine system is the impact of human activities in the ocean: the sources, distribution and fate of pollutants resulting from human activities. More recently, there has been recognition of the potential direct impact health can come from eating contaminated seafood, swimming in polluted water, and exposure to toxins from harmful algal blooms. This paper will present two areas of concern that illustrates the fact that the health of the oceans and the health of humans go hand in hand: chemical pollution from plastics in the ocean and harmful alga bloom. The nuclear methodologies than can be useful in these areas will also be introduced. It is hoped that through the recognition of the inter-dependence of the health of both humans and the oceans, efforts will be made to restore and preserve the oceans. (author)

Public Perception of Blue-Algae Bloom Risk in Hongze Lake of China

Science.gov (United States)

Huang, Lei; Sun, Kai; Ban, Jie; Bi, Jun

2010-05-01

In this work we characterize the public perception of one kind of ecological risk—blue-algae bloom in Hongze Lake, China, based on the psychometric paradigm method. In the first survey of May 2008, 300 respondents of Sihong County adjacent to Hongze Lake were investigated, with a total of 156 questionnaires returned. Then in a second survey of July 2008, 500 respondents from the same research area were investigated, with 318 questionnaires collected. This research firstly attempted to explore the local respondents’ degree of concern regarding ecological changes to Hongze Lake in the last ten years. Secondly, to explore the public perception of blue-algae bloom compared to three typical kinds of hazards including earthquake, nuclear power and public traffic. T-test was used to examine the difference of risk perception in these four hazards over time. The third part of this research, with demographic analysis and nonparametric statistical test, predicted the different groups of respondents’ willingness to accept (WTA) risk of blue-algae bloom in two surveys. Using multiple linear regression analysis, the risk perception model explained 28.3% of variance in the WTA blue-algae bloom risk. The variables of Knowledge, Social effect, Benefit, Controllability and Trust in government were significantly correlated with WTA, which implied that these variables were the main influencing factors explaining the respondents’ willingness to accept risk. The results would help the Chinese government to comprehend the public’s risk perception of the lake ecosystem, inducing well designed communication of risks with public and making effective mitigation policies to improve people’s rational risk judgment.

Loss of RMI2 Increases Genome Instability and Causes a Bloom-Like Syndrome.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Damien F Hudson

2016-12-01

Full Text Available Bloom syndrome is a recessive human genetic disorder with features of genome instability, growth deficiency and predisposition to cancer. The only known causative gene is the BLM helicase that is a member of a protein complex along with topoisomerase III alpha, RMI1 and 2, which maintains replication fork stability and dissolves double Holliday junctions to prevent genome instability. Here we report the identification of a second gene, RMI2, that is deleted in affected siblings with Bloom-like features. Cells from homozygous individuals exhibit elevated rates of sister chromatid exchange, anaphase DNA bridges and micronuclei. Similar genome and chromosome instability phenotypes are observed in independently derived RMI2 knockout cells. In both patient and knockout cell lines reduced localisation of BLM to ultra fine DNA bridges and FANCD2 at foci linking bridges are observed. Overall, loss of RMI2 produces a partially active BLM complex with mild features of Bloom syndrome.

Orbitally-forced Azolla blooms and middle Eocene Arctic hydrology; clues from palynology

Science.gov (United States)

Barke, Judith; Abels, Hemmo A.; Sangiorgi, Francesca; Greenwood, David R.; Sweet, Arthur R.; Donders, Timme; Lotter, Andre F.; Reichart, Gert-Jan; Brinkhuis, Henk

2010-05-01

The presence of high abundances of the freshwater fern Azolla in the early Middle Eocene central Arctic Ocean sediments recovered from the Lomonosov Ridge during IODP Expedition 302, have been related to the presence of a substantial freshwater cap. Azolla massulae, belonging to the newly described Eocene species Azolla arctica Collinson et al., have been found over at least a ~4 m-thick interval. There are strong indications that Azolla has bloomed and reproduced in situ in the Arctic Ocean for several hundreds of thousands of years. Possible causes for the sudden demise of Azolla at ~48.1 Ma include salinity changes due to evolving oceanic connections or sea-level change. Distinct cyclic fluctuation in the Azolla massulae abundances have previously been related to orbitally forced climate changes. In this study, we evaluate the possible underlying forcing mechanisms for these freshwater cycles and for the eventual demise of Azolla in an integrated palynological and cyclostratigraphical approach. Our results show two clear periodicities of ~1.3 and ~0.7 m in all major aquatic and terrestrial palynomorph associations, which we can relate to obliquity (41 ka) and precession (~21 ka), respectively. Cycles in the abundances of Azolla, freshwater-tolerant dinoflagellate cysts, and swamp vegetation pollen show co-variability in the obliquity domain. Their strong correlation suggests periods of enhanced rainfall and runoff during Azolla blooms, possibly associated with increased summer season length and insolation during obliquity maxima. Cycles in the angiosperm pollen record are in anti-phase with the Azolla cycles. We interpret this pattern as edaphically drier conditions on land and reduced associated runoff during Azolla lows, possibly corresponding to obliquity minima. The precession signal is distinctly weaker than that for obliquity, and is mainly detectable in the cold-temperate Larix and bisaccate conifer pollen abundances, which is interpreted as a response to

The extended Kalman filter for forecast of algal bloom dynamics.

Science.gov (United States)

Mao, J Q; Lee, Joseph H W; Choi, K W

2009-09-01

A deterministic ecosystem model is combined with an extended Kalman filter (EKF) to produce short term forecasts of algal bloom and dissolved oxygen dynamics in a marine fish culture zone (FCZ). The weakly flushed FCZ is modelled as a well-mixed system; the tidal exchange with the outer bay is lumped into a flushing rate that is numerically determined from a three-dimensional hydrodynamic model. The ecosystem model incorporates phytoplankton growth kinetics, nutrient uptake, photosynthetic production, nutrient sources from organic fish farm loads, and nutrient exchange with a sediment bed layer. High frequency field observations of chlorophyll, dissolved oxygen (DO) and hydro-meteorological parameters (sampling interval Deltat=1 day, 2h, 1h, respectively) and bi-weekly nutrient data are assimilated into the model to produce the combined state estimate accounting for the uncertainties. In addition to the water quality state variables, the EKF incorporates dynamic estimation of algal growth rate and settling velocity. The effectiveness of the EKF data assimilation is studied for a wide range of sampling intervals and prediction lead-times. The chlorophyll and dissolved oxygen estimated by the EKF are compared with field data of seven algal bloom events observed at Lamma Island, Hong Kong. The results show that the EKF estimate well captures the nonlinear error evolution in time; the chlorophyll level can be satisfactorily predicted by the filtered model estimate with a mean absolute error of around 1-2 microg/L. Predictions with 1-2 day lead-time are highly correlated with the observations (r=0.7-0.9); the correlation stays at a high level for a lead-time of 3 days (r=0.6-0.7). Estimated algal growth and settling rates are in accord with field observations; the more frequent DO data can compensate for less frequent algal biomass measurements. The present study is the first time the EKF is successfully applied to forecast an entire algal bloom cycle, suggesting the

Categorization of ber varieties in relation to blooming period, fruit setting and harvesting time

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Sharif, N.; Abbas, M.M.; Ishfaq, M.; Memon, N.U.N.

2013-01-01

Thirty four local Ber varieties were evaluated at Horticultural Research Institute AARI, Faisalabad, Horticultural Research Station Bahawalpur (Punjab) and Jujube Research Station, Tandojam (Sindh). Traits viz. total period of blooming (dates), peak period of blooming (dates), total period of fruit set (dates), peak period of fruit set (dates), total period of fruit harvest (dates), peak period of fruit harvest (dates), total flowering days, peak flowering days, total fruit setting days, peak fruit setting days, total harvesting days and peak harvesting days were studied. The results revealed significant differences in parameters studied except total period of blooming under Tandojam, Sindh conditions. Varieties were classified as early, mid and late season for both provinces. Local varieties had potential for further manipulation in terms of variety improvement to attract growers for extensive ber cultivations under changing global climatic scenario. (author)

Coastal upwelling linked to toxic Pseudo-nitzschia australis blooms in Los Angeles coastal waters, 2005-2007

KAUST Repository

Schnetzer, Astrid; Jones, Burton; Schaffner, Rebecca A.; Cetinić, Ivona; Fitzpatrick, Elizabeth; Miller, Peter E.; Seubert, Erica L.; Caron, David A.

2013-01-01

Harmful algal blooms dominated by the diatom Pseudo-nitzschia spp. have become a perennial but variable event within surface waters near the greater Los Angeles area. Toxic blooms during spring seasons from 2005 to 2007 varied strongly in their overall toxicity and duration. Differences in bloom dynamics were linked to differences in storm-induced river discharge following episodic rain events and coastal upwelling, both major coastal processes that led to the injection of nutrients into coastal surface waters. Heavy river runoff during early 2005, a record-rainfall year, favored a phytoplankton community mainly comprised of algal taxa other than Pseudo-nitzschia. The spring bloom during 2005 was associated with low domoic acid surface concentrations and minor contributions of (mainly) P. delicatissima to the diatom assemblage. In contrast, highly toxic P. australis-dominated blooms during spring seasons of 2006 and 2007 were linked to strong upwelling events. River discharge quotas in 2006 and 2007, in contrast to 2005, fell well below annual averages for the region. Surface toxin levels were linked to colder, more saline (i.e. upwelled) water over the 3-year study, but no such consistent relationship between domoic acid levels and other physiochemical parameters, such as macronutrient concentrations or nutrient ratios, was observed. © The Author 2013. Published by Oxford University Press. All rights reserved.

Coastal upwelling linked to toxic Pseudo-nitzschia australis blooms in Los Angeles coastal waters, 2005-2007

KAUST Repository

Schnetzer, Astrid

2013-06-10

Harmful algal blooms dominated by the diatom Pseudo-nitzschia spp. have become a perennial but variable event within surface waters near the greater Los Angeles area. Toxic blooms during spring seasons from 2005 to 2007 varied strongly in their overall toxicity and duration. Differences in bloom dynamics were linked to differences in storm-induced river discharge following episodic rain events and coastal upwelling, both major coastal processes that led to the injection of nutrients into coastal surface waters. Heavy river runoff during early 2005, a record-rainfall year, favored a phytoplankton community mainly comprised of algal taxa other than Pseudo-nitzschia. The spring bloom during 2005 was associated with low domoic acid surface concentrations and minor contributions of (mainly) P. delicatissima to the diatom assemblage. In contrast, highly toxic P. australis-dominated blooms during spring seasons of 2006 and 2007 were linked to strong upwelling events. River discharge quotas in 2006 and 2007, in contrast to 2005, fell well below annual averages for the region. Surface toxin levels were linked to colder, more saline (i.e. upwelled) water over the 3-year study, but no such consistent relationship between domoic acid levels and other physiochemical parameters, such as macronutrient concentrations or nutrient ratios, was observed. © The Author 2013. Published by Oxford University Press. All rights reserved.

How the Subpolar gyre strength influences phytoplankton blooms dynamics in the North Atlantic

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Ferreira, Ana Sofia; Payne, Mark; MacKenzie, Brian

2012-01-01

height (SSH, from the AVISO project) as a proxy of current strength. Three regions were strategically chosen to characterize positions relative to the NASPG, describing: region 1—the northern part of NASPG, including the Irminger Current (IC); region 2—the North Atlantic Current (NAC), its northwards......Changes in the North Atlantic Subpolar gyre (NASPG) have been linked to the interannual variability of primary production. However, little is known about the mechanisms behind both environmental processes, and how the NASPG strength may extend its potential impacts to higher trophic levels......, including early life stages of commercial fish species. We assess NASPG strength effect on North Atlantic phytoplankton bloom dynamics. We analyse time‐series (from 1998 to 2010) of chlorophyll a (Chl a, from the Globcolour project) annual anomaly as a proxy of phytoplankton abundance, and of sea surface...

Resting Stage of Plankton Diversity from Singapore Coastal Water: Implications for Harmful Algae Blooms and Coastal Management.

Science.gov (United States)

Trottet, Aurore; Wilson, Bryan; Sew Wei Xin, Genevieve; George, Christaline; Casten, Lemuel; Schmoker, Claire; Rawi, Nurul Syazana Binte Modh; Chew Siew, Moon; Larsen, Ole; Eikaas, Hans S; Tun, Karenne; Drillet, Guillaume

2018-02-01

Resting strategies of planktonic organisms are important for the ecological processes of coastal waters and their impacts should be taken into consideration in management of water bodies used by multiple industries. We combined different approaches to evaluate the importance of resting stages in Singapore coastal waters. We used molecular approaches to improve the knowledge on Singapore biodiversity, we sampled and extracted cysts from sediments to evaluate the density of resting stages in Johor Strait, and we compared systematically information on Singapore planktonic biodiversity to existing published information on resting stages from these reported organisms. This is the first study evaluating the importance of resting stages in Singapore waters. Above 120 species reported in Singapore are known to produce resting stages though no previous work has ever been done to evaluate the importance of these strategies in these waters. The results from the resting stage survey confirmed 0.66 to 5.34 cyst g -1 dry weight sediment were present in the Johor Strait suggesting that cysts may be flushed by tidal currents into and out of the strait regularly. This also suggest that the blooms occurring in Singapore are likely due to secondary growth of Harmful Algae Bloom species in the water rather than from direct germination of cysts from sediment. Finally, we discuss the importance of these resting eggs for three main national industries in Singapore (shipping, marine aquaculture and provision of drinking water through seawater desalination). We argue that this study will serve as a baseline for some of the future management of Singapore waters.

The Unfortunate Consequences of Bloom's Taxonomy

Science.gov (United States)

Case, Roland

2013-01-01

The sequenced levels of thinking articulated in Bloom's original taxonomy (or in the multitude of subsequent variations) is the most widely known list in education. In addition to enduring popularity, it is arguably one of the most destructive theories in education. In this article, the author explains what makes it so damaging and how…

A chronicle of a killer alga in the west: ecology, assessment, and management of Prymnesium parvum blooms

Science.gov (United States)

Roelke, D.L.; Barkoh, Aaron; Brooks, B.W.; Grover, J.P.; Hambright, K.D.; LaClaire, John W.; Moeller, Peter D.R.; Patino, Reynaldo

2015-01-01

Since the mid-1980s, fish-killing blooms ofPrymnesium parvum spread throughout the USA. In the south central USA, P. parvum blooms have commonly spanned hundreds of kilometers. There is much evidence that physiological stress brought on by inorganic nutrient limitation enhances toxicity. Other factors influence toxin production as well, such as stress experienced at low salinity and temperature. A better understanding of toxin production by P. parvum remains elusive and the identities and functions of chemicals produced are unclear. This limits our understanding of factors that facilitated the spread of P. parvum blooms. In the south central USA, not only is there evidence that the spread of blooms was controlled, in part, by migration limitation. But there are also observations that suggest changed environmental conditions, primarily salinity, facilitated the spread of blooms. Other factors that might have played a role include altered hydrology and nutrient loading. Changes in water hardness, herbicide use, system pH, and the presence of toxin-resistant and/or P. parvum-inhibiting plankton may also have played a role. Management of P. parvum in natural systems has yet to be attempted, but may be guided by successes achieved in small impoundments and mesocosm experiments that employed various chemical and hydraulic control approaches.

Bioavailability of mineral-bound iron to a snow algae-bacteria co-culture and implications for albedo-altering snow algae blooms.

Science.gov (United States)

Harrold, Z R; Hausrath, E M; Garcia, A H; Murray, A E; Tschauner, O; Raymond, J; Huang, S

2018-01-26

Snow algae can form large-scale blooms across the snowpack surface and near-surface environments. These pigmented blooms can decrease snow albedo, increase local melt rates, and may impact the global heat budget and water cycle. Yet, underlying causes for the geospatial occurrence of these blooms remain unconstrained. One possible factor contributing to snow algae blooms is the presence of mineral dust as a micronutrient source. We investigated the bioavailability of iron (Fe) -bearing minerals, including forsterite (Fo 90 , Mg 1.8 Fe 0.2 SiO 4 ), goethite, smectite and pyrite as Fe sources for a Chloromonas brevispina - bacteria co-culture through laboratory-based experimentation. Fo 90 was capable of stimulating snow algal growth and increased the algal growth rate in otherwise Fe-depleted co-cultures. Fo 90 -bearing systems also exhibited a decrease in bacteria:algae ratios compared to Fe-depleted conditions, suggesting a shift in microbial community structure. The C. brevispina co-culture also increased the rate of Fo 90 dissolution relative to an abiotic control. Analysis of 16S rRNA genes in the co-culture identified Gammaproteobacteria , Betaprotoeobacteria and Sphingobacteria , all of which are commonly found in snow and ice environments. Archaea were not detected. Collimonas and Pseudomonas , which are known to enhance mineral weathering rates, comprised two of the top eight (> 1 %) OTUs. These data provide unequivocal evidence that mineral dust can support elevated snow algae growth under otherwise Fe-depleted growth conditions, and that snow algae can enhance mineral dissolution under these conditions. IMPORTANCE Fe, a key micronutrient for photosynthetic growth, is necessary to support the formation of high-density snow algae blooms. The laboratory experiments described herein allow for a systematic investigation of snow algae-bacteria-mineral interactions and their ability to mobilize and uptake mineral-bound Fe. Results provide unequivocal and

Genome Sequence of Anoxybacillus geothermalis Strain GSsed3, a Novel Thermophilic Endospore-Forming Species

Science.gov (United States)

Filippidou, Sevasti; Jaussi, Marion; Junier, Thomas; Wunderlin, Tina; Roussel-Delif, Ludovic; Jeanneret, Nicole; Vieth-Hillebrand, Andrea; Vetter, Alexandra; Regenspurg, Simona; McMurry, Kim; Gleasner, Cheryl D.; Lo, Chien-Chi; Li, Paul; Vuyisich, Momchilo; Chain, Patrick S.

2015-01-01

Anoxybacillus geothermalis strain GSsed3 is an endospore-forming thermophilic bacterium isolated from filter deposits in a geothermal site. This novel species has a larger genome size (7.2 Mb) than that of any other Anoxybacillus species, and it possesses genes that support its phenotypic metabolic characterization and suggest an intriguing link to metals. PMID:26067952

Spatio-temporal distribution of the dominant Diatom and Dinoflagellate species in the Bay of Tunis (SW Mediterranean Sea

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

O. DALY YAHIA-KEFI

2005-06-01

Full Text Available Microphytoplankton composition and its relationships with hydrology and nutrient distributions were investigated over 24 months (December 1993 - November 1995 in the Bay of Tunis ( SW Mediterranean Sea. A new index, the ‘Specific Preference Index’ (SPI obtained by computing the median value of each parameter weighed by the numerical value of each species density was developed. Using this index, the relationships between each species and temperature, salinity and major nutrients were analysed. The distribution of chlorophyll a did not show a clear correlation with microplankton abundance suggesting that other factors contribute to chlorophyll concentration, such as smaller phytoplankton size fractions or detritus. The winter-spring diatom blooms did not show a regular pattern during both years. High nutrient inputs in late summer, associated with mild meteorological conditions, contributed to the development of a large diatom bloom in autumn 1995 where significant silicate depletion was witnessed. Generally, diatoms were more stenotherm than dinoflagellates in the Bay, whereas dinoflagellates were more stenohaline than diatoms. The statistical analyses showed that the two species, Bellerochea horologicalis , and Lithodesmioides polymorpha, var., tunisiense, appeared in a wide range of environmental conditions. An excess of phosphateversus nitrate appeared to be associated with red tides of, Gymnodinium spp, whereas Peridinium quinquecorne, showed the opposite. Phosphate concentrations appear to be crucial in this coastal environment, where diatom blooms are often limited by low silicate availability.

Water balance and osmoregulation in Stenocara gracilipes, a wax-blooming tenebrionid beetle from the Namib Desert.

Science.gov (United States)

Naidu, S G.

2001-12-01

Dehydration (10 days at 27 degrees C) of the Namib tenebrionid Stenocara gracilipes resulted in a rapid weight loss (17.5%), and a substantial decline in haemolymph volume (72%). Although the lipid content decreased significantly, metabolic water production was insufficient to maintain total body water (TBW). Rehydration (no food) resulted in increases in haemolymph volume, body weight (sub-normal), and TBW to normality. Haemolymph osmolality, sodium, potassium, chloride, amino acids, and sugars (trehalose and glucose), were all subject to osmoregulatory control during both dehydration and rehydration. Major osmolar effectors in this species are sodium, chloride, and amino acids, with most of the contribution to regulation of haemolymph osmolality coming from changes in the levels of these constituents. Changes in amino acid levels are not the result of interchange with soluble protein during dehydration (the possibility exists during extended rehydration, however). Despite faecal losses of sodium being low (8.2% of that removed from the haemolymph during dehydration), sodium concentrations do not return to normal during rehydration. Chloride concentrations increase supra-normally when access to water is allowed, and remain elevated throughout the rehydration period. Although faecal loss of potassium greatly exceeded the amount removed from the haemolymph (by approximately 1.8 times), haemolymph potassium levels were strongly regulated during rehydration. S. gracilipes demonstrates an exquisite capacity to regulate haemolymph osmolality under conditions of both acute water-shortage and -abundance. Together with an efficient water economy (drinking when fog-water is available, and a superb water conservation mechanism in the form of wax-bloom production), this must serve to contribute to long-term survival of this species in an otherwise harsh abode.

Influence of species and stage of maturity on intake and partial ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

UPuser

Four silage diets were studied in a 2 x 2 factorial experimental design. The treatments consisted of two grass species (P. maximum or D. eriantha) and two growth stages (boot or full bloom) at harvest. Four multi- cannulated sheep fitted with ruminal, abomasal and ileal cannulas were randomly allocated to one of the four.

Gulf of Maine Harmful Algal Bloom in summer 2005 - Part 1: In Situ Observations of Coastal Hydrography and Circulation

OpenAIRE

He, Ruoying; McGillicuddy, Dennis J.

2008-01-01

An extensive Alexandrium fundyense bloom occurred along the coast of the Gulf of Maine in late spring and early summer, 2005. To understand the physical aspects of bloom?s initiation and development, in-situ observations from both a gulf-wide ship survey and the coastal observing network were used to characterize coastal circulation and hydrography during that time period. Comparisons between these in-situ observations and their respective long term means revealed anomalous ocean conditions d...

Weather during bloom affects pollination and yield of highbush blueberry.

Science.gov (United States)

Tuell, Julianna K; Isaacs, Rufus

2010-06-01

Weather plays an important role in spring-blooming fruit crops due to the combined effects on bee activity, flower opening, pollen germination, and fertilization. To determine the effects of weather on highbush blueberry, Vaccinium corymbosum L., productivity, we monitored bee activity and compared fruit set, weight, and seed number in a field stocked with honey bees, Apis mellifera L., and common eastern bumble bees, Bombus impatiens (Cresson). Flowers were subjected to one of five treatments during bloom: enclosed, open, open during poor weather only, open during good weather only, or open during poor and good weather. Fewer bees of all types were observed foraging and fewer pollen foragers returned to colonies during poor weather than during good weather. There were also changes in foraging community composition: honey bees dominated during good weather, whereas bumble bees dominated during poor weather. Berries from flowers exposed only during poor weather had higher fruit set in 1 yr and higher berry weight in the other year compared with enclosed clusters. In both years, clusters exposed only during good weather had > 5 times as many mature seeds, weighed twice as much, and had double the fruit set of those not exposed. No significant increase over flowers exposed during good weather was observed when clusters were exposed during good and poor weather. Our results are discussed in terms of the role of weather during bloom on the contribution of bees adapted to foraging during cool conditions.

Evaluation of Rapid, Early Warning Approaches to Track Shellfish Toxins Associated with Dinophysis and Alexandrium Blooms

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Theresa K. Hattenrath-Lehmann

2018-01-01

Full Text Available Marine biotoxin-contaminated seafood has caused thousands of poisonings worldwide this century. Given these threats, there is an increasing need for improved technologies that can be easily integrated into coastal monitoring programs. This study evaluates approaches for monitoring toxins associated with recurrent toxin-producing Alexandrium and Dinophysis blooms on Long Island, NY, USA, which cause paralytic and diarrhetic shellfish poisoning (PSP and DSP, respectively. Within contrasting locations, the dynamics of pelagic Alexandrium and Dinophysis cell densities, toxins in plankton, and toxins in deployed blue mussels (Mytilus edulis were compared with passive solid-phase adsorption toxin tracking (SPATT samplers filled with two types of resin, HP20 and XAD-2. Multiple species of wild shellfish were also collected during Dinophysis blooms and used to compare toxin content using two different extraction techniques (single dispersive and double exhaustive and two different toxin analysis assays (liquid chromatography/mass spectrometry and the protein phosphatase inhibition assay (PP2A for the measurement of DSP toxins. DSP toxins measured in the HP20 resin were significantly correlated (R2 = 0.7–0.9, p < 0.001 with total DSP toxins in shellfish, but were detected more than three weeks prior to detection in deployed mussels. Both resins adsorbed measurable levels of PSP toxins, but neither quantitatively tracked Alexandrium cell densities, toxicity in plankton or toxins in shellfish. DSP extraction and toxin analysis methods did not differ significantly (p > 0.05, were highly correlated (R2 = 0.98–0.99; p < 0.001 and provided complete recovery of DSP toxins from standard reference materials. Blue mussels (Mytilus edulis and ribbed mussels (Geukensia demissa were found to accumulate DSP toxins above federal and international standards (160 ng g−1 during Dinophysis blooms while Eastern oysters (Crassostrea virginica and soft shell clams (Mya

Blooms of phytoplankton along the west coast of India associated with nutrient enrichment and the response of zooplankton

Digital Repository Service at National Institute of Oceanography (India)

Nair, S.R.S.; Devassy, V.P.; Madhupratap, M.

and dinoflagellates are also common Spectacular bloom formations of Trichodesmium is a regular phenomenon during the later part of the NE monsoon season At times, these blooms cover hundreds of kilometres Very often successions of phyto- and zooplankton communities...

Developing Learning Objectives for Accounting Ethics Using Bloom's Taxonomy

Science.gov (United States)

Kidwell, Linda A.; Fisher, Dann G.; Braun, Robert L.; Swanson, Diane L.

2013-01-01

The purpose of our article is to offer a set of core knowledge learning objectives for accounting ethics education. Using Bloom's taxonomy of educational objectives, we develop learning objectives in six content areas: codes of ethical conduct, corporate governance, the accounting profession, moral development, classical ethics theories, and…

Flowering phenology, growth forms, and pollination syndromes in tropical dry forest species: Influence of phylogeny and abiotic factors.

Science.gov (United States)

Cortés-Flores, Jorge; Hernández-Esquivel, Karen Beatriz; González-Rodríguez, Antonio; Ibarra-Manríquez, Guillermo

2017-01-01

Analyses of the influence of temporal variation in abiotic factors on flowering phenology of tropical dry forest species have not considered the possible response of species with different growth forms and pollination syndromes, while controlling for phylogenetic relationships among species. Here, we investigated the relationship between flowering phenology, abiotic factors, and plant functional attributes, while controlling for phylogenetic relationship among species, in a dry forest community in Mexico. We characterized flowering phenology (time and duration) and pollination syndromes of 55 tree species, 49 herbs, 24 shrubs, 15 lianas, and 11 vines. We tested the influence of pollination syndrome, growth form, and abiotic factors on flowering phenology using phylogenetic generalized least squares. We found a relationship between flowering duration and time. Growth form was related to flowering time, and the pollination syndrome had a more significant relationship with flowering duration. Flowering time variation in the community was explained mainly by abiotic variables, without an important phylogenetic effect. Flowering time in lianas and trees was negatively and positively correlated with daylength, respectively. Functional attributes, environmental cues, and phylogeny interact with each other to shape the diversity of flowering patterns. Phenological differentiation among species groups revealed multiples strategies associated with growth form and pollination syndromes that can be important for understanding species coexistence in this highly diverse plant community. © 2017 Botanical Society of America.

Evolution of 99Tc Species in Cementitious Nuclear Waste Form

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Um, Woo Yong; Westsik, Joseph H.

2011-01-01

Technetium (Tc) is produced in large quantities as a fission product during the irradiation of 235 U-enriched fuel for commercial power production and plutonium genesis for nuclear weapons. The most abundant isotope of Tc present in the wastes is 99 Tc because of its high fission yield (∼6%) and long half-life (2.13x10 5 years). During the Cold War era, generation of fissile 239 Pu for use in America's atomic weapons arsenal yielded nearly 1900 kg of 99 Tc at the U.S. Department of Energy's (DOE) Hanford Site in southeastern Washington State. Most of this 99 Tc is present in fuel reprocessing wastes temporarily stored in underground tanks awaiting retrieval and permanent disposal. After the wastes are retrieved from the storage tanks, the bulk of the high-level waste (HLW) and lowactivity waste (LAW) stream is scheduled to be converted into a borosilicate glass waste form that will be disposed of in a shallow burial facility called the Integrated Disposal Facility (IDF) at the Hanford Site. Even with careful engineering controls, volatilization of a fraction of Tc during the vitrification of both radioactive waste streams is expected. Although this volatilized Tc can be captured in melter off-gas scrubbers and returned to the melter, some of the Tc is expected to become part of the secondary waste stream from the vitrification process. The off-gas scrubbers downstream from the melters will generate a high pH, sodium-ammonium carbonate solution containing the volatilized Tc and other fugitive species. Effective and cost-efficient disposal of Tc found in the off-gas scrubber solution remains difficult. A cementitious waste form (Cast Stone) is one of the nuclear waste form candidates being considered to solidify the secondary radioactive liquid waste that will be generated by the operation of the waste treatment plant (WTP) at the Hanford Site. Because Tc leachability from the waste form is closely related with Tc speciation or oxidation state in both the simulant

Study of ecological consequence of the bloom (Noctiluca miliaris) in off shore waters of the Northern Arabian Sea

Digital Repository Service at National Institute of Oceanography (India)

Dwivedi, R.M.; Chauhan, R.; Solanki, H.U.; Raman, M.; Matondkar, S.G.P.; Madhu, V.R.; Meenakumari, B.

, NO. 4, AUGUST 2012 306 Schools of flying fishes and large size squids were observed during night at one bloom station in March 2007 (FORV-253). Also, on one occasion baby sharks were found swimming inside the bloom patch. These observations...

Rapid bacterial mineralization of organic carbon produced during a phytoplankton bloom induced by natural iron fertilization in the Southern Ocean

Science.gov (United States)

Obernosterer, Ingrid; Christaki, Urania; Lefèvre, Dominique; Catala, Philippe; Van Wambeke, France; Lebaron, Philippe

2008-03-01

The response of heterotrophic bacteria ( Bacteria and Archaea) to the spring phytoplankton bloom that occurs annually above the Kerguelen Plateau (Southern Ocean) due to natural iron fertilization was investigated during the KErguelen Ocean and Plateau compared Study (KEOPS) cruise in January-February 2005. In surface waters (upper 100 m) in the core of the phytoplankton bloom, heterotrophic bacteria were, on an average, 3-fold more abundant and revealed rates of production ([ 3H] leucine incorporation) and respiration (bacterial metabolic activities were attributable to high-nucleic-acid-containing cells that dominated (≈80% of total cell abundance) the heterotrophic bacterial community associated with the phytoplankton bloom. Bacterial growth efficiencies varied between 14% and 20% inside the bloom and were bacterial activity, due to the stimulation by phytoplankton-derived dissolved organic matter. Within the Kerguelen bloom, bacterial carbon demand accounted for roughly 45% of gross community production. These results indicate that heterotrophic bacteria processed a significant portion of primary production, with most of it being rapidly respired.

Range extension and morphological characterization of rhodolith-forming species (Corallinales, Rhodophyta) from shallow water in the Mexican South Pacific

Science.gov (United States)

Peralta-García, Edith Concepción; Rosas-Alquicira, Edgar Francisco

2014-12-01

Living rhodolith beds are widely distributed along the Eastern Pacific ocean. Despite their widespread distribution, little is known about the rhodolith-forming species from shallow water in the Mexican South Pacific. Many taxonomic and morphological studies about rhodoliths have been carried out in the Gulf of California, where the forming species belong to the Hapalidiaceae and Corallinaceae families. This paper is the first report on the occurrence of the rhodolith-forming Hapalidiaceae species Lithothamnion muelleri and Phymatolithon repandum at three sites in the Mexican South Pacific. The branch density, maximum length and sphericity were measured for each determined species. Rhodoliths were distributed between 4 and 6 m depth, but differences in the branch density between species and sites were not found. Finally, the present record of L. muelleri fills the gap in the species distribution along the Eastern Pacific ocean, while the record of P. repandum is the first of the species in the region.

Unveiling the transcriptional features associated with coccolithovirus infection of natural Emiliania huxleyi blooms.

Science.gov (United States)

Pagarete, António; Le Corguillé, Gildas; Tiwari, Bela; Ogata, Hiroyuki; de Vargas, Colomban; Wilson, William H; Allen, Michael J

2011-12-01

Lytic viruses have been implicated in the massive cellular lysis observed during algal blooms, through which they assume a prominent role in oceanic carbon and nutrient flows. Despite their impact on biogeochemical cycling, the transcriptional dynamics of these important oceanic events is still poorly understood. Here, we employ an oligonucleotide microarray to monitor host (Emiliania huxleyi) and virus (coccolithovirus) transcriptomic features during the course of E. huxleyi blooms induced in seawater-based mesocosm enclosures. Host bloom development and subsequent coccolithovirus infection was associated with a major shift in transcriptional profile. In addition to the expected metabolic requirements typically associated with viral infection (amino acid and nucleotide metabolism, as well as transcription- and replication-associated functions), the results strongly suggest that the manipulation of lipid metabolism plays a fundamental role during host-virus interaction. The results herein reveal the scale, so far massively underestimated, of the transcriptional domination that occurs during coccolithovirus infection in the natural environment. © 2011 Federation of European Microbiological Societies. Published by Blackwell Publishing Ltd. All rights reserved.

The Genetic Diversity of Mesodinium and Associated Cryptophytes.

Science.gov (United States)

Johnson, Matthew D; Beaudoin, David J; Laza-Martinez, Aitor; Dyhrman, Sonya T; Fensin, Elizabeth; Lin, Senjie; Merculief, Aaron; Nagai, Satoshi; Pompeu, Mayza; Setälä, Outi; Stoecker, Diane K

2016-01-01

Ciliates from the genus Mesodinium are globally distributed in marine and freshwater ecosystems and may possess either heterotrophic or mixotrophic nutritional modes. Members of the Mesodinium major/rubrum species complex photosynthesize by sequestering and maintaining organelles from cryptophyte prey, and under certain conditions form periodic or recurrent blooms (= red tides). Here, we present an analysis of the genetic diversity of Mesodinium and cryptophyte populations from 10 environmental samples (eight globally dispersed habitats including five Mesodinium blooms), using group-specific primers for Mesodinium partial 18S, ITS, and partial 28S rRNA genes as well as cryptophyte large subunit RuBisCO genes ( rbcL ). In addition, 22 new cryptophyte and four new M. rubrum cultures were used to extract DNA and sequence rbcL and 18S-ITS-28S genes, respectively, in order to provide a stronger phylogenetic context for our environmental sequences. Bloom samples were analyzed from coastal Brazil, Chile, two Northeastern locations in the United States, and the Pribilof Islands within the Bering Sea. Additionally, samples were also analyzed from the Baltic and Barents Seas and coastal California under non-bloom conditions. Most blooms were dominated by a single Mesodinium genotype, with coastal Brazil and Chile blooms composed of M. major and the Eastern USA blooms dominated by M. rubrum variant B. Sequences from all four blooms were dominated by Teleaulax amphioxeia -like cryptophytes. Non-bloom communities revealed more diverse assemblages of Mesodinium spp., including heterotrophic species and the mixotrophic Mesodinium chamaeleon . Similarly, cryptophyte diversity was also higher in non-bloom samples. Our results confirm that Mesodinium blooms may be caused by M. major , as well as multiple variants of M. rubrum , and further implicate T. amphioxeia as the key cryptophyte species linked to these phenomena in temperate and subtropical regions.

The genetic diversity of Mesodinium and associated cryptophytes

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Matthew David Johnson

2016-12-01

Full Text Available Ciliates from the genus Mesodinium are globally distributed in marine and freshwater ecosystems and may possess either heterotrophic or mixotrophic nutritional modes. Members of the M. major/rubrum species complex photosynthesize by sequestering and maintaining organelles from cryptophyte prey, and under certain conditions form periodic or recurrent blooms (= red tides. Here we present an analysis of the genetic diversity of Mesodinium and cryptophyte populations from 10 environmental samples (8 globally dispersed habitats including 5 Mesodinium blooms, using group-specific primers for Mesodinium partial 18S, ITS, and partial 28S rRNA genes as well as cryptophyte large subunit RuBisCO genes (rbcL. In addition, 22 new cryptophyte and 4 new M. rubrum cultures were used to extract DNA and sequence rbcL and 18S-ITS-28S genes, respectively, in order to provide a stronger phylogenetic context for our environmental sequences. Bloom samples were analyzed from coastal Brazil, Chile, two Northeastern locations in the United States, and the Pribilof Islands within the Bering Sea. Additionally, samples were also analyzed from the Baltic and Barents Seas and coastal California under non-bloom conditions. Most blooms were dominated by a single Mesodinium genotype, with coastal Brazil and Chile blooms composed of M. major and the Eastern USA blooms dominated by M. rubrum variant B. Sequences from all 4 blooms were dominated by T. amphioxeia-like cryptophytes. Non-bloom communities revealed more diverse assemblages of Mesodinium spp., including heterotrophic species and the mixotrophic M. chamaeleon. Similarly, cryptophyte diversity was also higher in non-bloom samples. Our results confirm that Mesodinium blooms may be caused by M. major, as well as multiple variants of M. rubrum, and further implicate T. amphioxeia as the key cryptophyte species linked to these phenomena in temperate and subtropical regions.

Technology and Bloom's Taxonomy: Tools to Facilitate Higher-Level Learning in Chemistry

National Research Council Canada - National Science Library

Morgan, Matthew

1997-01-01

This research project ties together chemistry data acquisition technology, introductory chemistry laboratory experiments, and Bloom's Taxonomy of Educational Objectives into a unified learning model...

ANALISIS SOAL JENJANG KOGNITIF TAKSONOMI BLOOM REVISI PADA BUKU SEKOLAH ELEKTRONIK (BSE BIOLOGI SMA

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Aa Juhanda

2016-11-01

Penelitian ini bertujuan untuk menganalisis kemunculan soal jenjang kognitif Bloom Revisi pada Buku Sekolah Elektronik (BSE Biologi SMA. Subjek penelitian adalah 1.650 soal yang terdapat pada BSE Edisi 2009. Instrumen yang digunakan adalah lembar analisis dokumen yang di dalamnya memuat informasi seperti kode soal, soal, dan jenis tingkatan kognitif taksonomi Bloom Revisi. Analisis data dilakukan secara kuantitatif dan kualitatif. Hasil penelitian menunjukkan bahwa rerata persentase kemunculan cukup tinggi diperoleh pada soal yang mengembangkan keterampilan berpikir tingkat rendah (Lower-Order Thinking Skills yaitu soal C1 (mengingat sebesar 46,60% dan C2 (memahami sebesar 47,99%, meskipun untuk C3 (menerapkan persentasenya masih rendah (0,28%. Rerata persentase kemunculan soal yang mengembangkan keterampilan tingkat tinggi (Higher-Order Thinking Skills mulai dari soal C4 (menganalisis sampai dengan C6 (mencipta memiliki rerata persentase yang rendah. Oleh karena itu, kemunculan soal jenjang kognitif Bloom Revisi pada BSE khususnya yang mengembangkan Higher-Order Thinking Skills masih perlu untuk ditingkatkan.

The plant economics spectrum is structured by leaf habits and growth forms across subtropical species.

Science.gov (United States)

Zhao, Yan-Tao; Ali, Arshad; Yan, En-Rong

2017-02-01

The plant economics spectrum that integrates the combination of leaf and wood syndromes provides a useful framework for the examination of species strategies at the whole-plant level. However, it remains unclear how species that differ in leaf habits and growth forms are integrated within the plant economics spectrum in subtropical forests. We measured five leaf and six wood traits across 58 subtropical plant species, which represented two leaf habits (evergreen vs deciduous) and two growth forms (tree vs shrub) in eastern China. Principal component analysis (PCA) was employed separately to construct the leaf (LES), wood (WES) and whole-plant (WPES) economics spectra. Leaf and wood traits are highly intra- and intercorrelated, thus defining not only the LES and WES, but also a WPES. Multi-trait variations in PCAs revealed that the traits which were representative of the acquisitive strategy, i.e., cheap tissue investment and rapid returns on that investment, were clustered at one end, while traits that represented the conservative strategy, i.e., expensive tissue investment and slower returns, were clustered at other end in each of the axes of the leaf and wood syndromes (PC1-axis) and the plant height strategy (PC2-axis). The local WPES, LES and WES were tightly correlated with each other. Evergreens shaped the conservative side, while deciduous species structured the acquisitive side of the WPES and LES. With respect to plant height strategies, trees formulated the acquisitive side and shrub species made up the conservative side of the WPES, LES and WES. In conclusion, our results suggested that the LES and WES were coordinated to a WPES for subtropical species. The finding of this local spectrum of plant form and function would be beneficial for modeling nutrient fluxes and species compositions in the changing climate, but also for understanding species strategies in an evolutionary context. © The Author 2016. Published by Oxford University Press. All rights

Evidence for bacterial chemotaxis to cyanobacteria from a radioassay technique

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kangatharalingam, N.; Wang, Lizhu; Priscu, J.C.

1991-01-01

Lyngbya birgei and Aphanizomenon flos-aquae elicited a significant chemotactic attraction of Aeromonas hydrophila compared with controls lacking cyanobacteria. There was a positive exponential relationship between biomass (chlorophyll a) of L. birgei and A. flos-aquae and chemotactic attraction of A. hydrophila. The assay equipment was simple and reliable and could be used to study bacterial chemotaxis in other species in situ

The correlation between Prorocentrum donghaiense blooms and the Taiwan warm current in the East China Sea - evidence for the "Pelagic Seed Bank" hypothesis.

Science.gov (United States)

Dai, Xinfeng; Lu, Douding; Guan, Weibing; Xia, Ping; Wang, Hongxia; He, Piaoxia; Zhang, Dongsheng

2013-01-01

During the last two decades, large-scale high biomass algal blooms of the dinoflagellate Prorocentrum donghaiense Lu have occurred frequently in the East China Sea (ECS). The role of increasing nutrient concentrations in driving those blooms is well-established, but the source population that initiates them is poorly understood. We hypothesized that the front of Taiwan Warm Current (TWC) may serve as a 'seed bank' that initiates P. donghaiense blooms in the ECS, as the physiochemical conditions in the TWC are suitable for the growth of P. donghaiense. In order to test this hypothesis, two surveys at different spatio-temporal scales were conducted in 2010 and 2011. We found a strong correlation in space and time between the abundance of P. donghaiense and the TWC. The spatial extent of the P. donghaiense bloom coincided with the TWC front in both 2010 and 2011. During the early development of the blooms, P. donghaiense concentration was highest at the TWC front, and then the bloom mass shifted inshore over the course of our 2011 survey. The TWC also moved inshore, albeit after the appearance of P. donghaiense. Overall, these results support our hypothesis that P. donghaiense blooms develop from the population at the TWC front in the ECS, suggesting the role of the ocean current front as a seed bank to dinoflagellate blooms.

The correlation between Prorocentrum donghaiense blooms and the Taiwan warm current in the East China Sea - evidence for the "Pelagic Seed Bank" hypothesis.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Xinfeng Dai

Full Text Available During the last two decades, large-scale high biomass algal blooms of the dinoflagellate Prorocentrum donghaiense Lu have occurred frequently in the East China Sea (ECS. The role of increasing nutrient concentrations in driving those blooms is well-established, but the source population that initiates them is poorly understood. We hypothesized that the front of Taiwan Warm Current (TWC may serve as a 'seed bank' that initiates P. donghaiense blooms in the ECS, as the physiochemical conditions in the TWC are suitable for the growth of P. donghaiense. In order to test this hypothesis, two surveys at different spatio-temporal scales were conducted in 2010 and 2011. We found a strong correlation in space and time between the abundance of P. donghaiense and the TWC. The spatial extent of the P. donghaiense bloom coincided with the TWC front in both 2010 and 2011. During the early development of the blooms, P. donghaiense concentration was highest at the TWC front, and then the bloom mass shifted inshore over the course of our 2011 survey. The TWC also moved inshore, albeit after the appearance of P. donghaiense. Overall, these results support our hypothesis that P. donghaiense blooms develop from the population at the TWC front in the ECS, suggesting the role of the ocean current front as a seed bank to dinoflagellate blooms.

Implementation of New Technologies to Monitor Phytoplankton Blooms in the South of Chile

Science.gov (United States)

Rodríguez-Benito, C.; Haag, C.; Alvial, A.

2004-05-01

A pilot project has been carried out to demonstrate the applicability of remote sensing in the Xth region of Chile, related to the monitoring of algal blooms. Most of the fish farms of the country are located in this area, where considerable economic losses for this activity are the consequence of algal blooms. The implementation of new technologies to monitor this natural disaster is one of the main goals of local institutions. The project has been developed using ENVISAT/MERIS and AATSR images and oceanographic instrumentation in order to improve the information of the ongoing coastal monitoring programs.

Analysis of algae growth mechanism and water bloom prediction under the effect of multi-affecting factor.

Science.gov (United States)

Wang, Li; Wang, Xiaoyi; Jin, Xuebo; Xu, Jiping; Zhang, Huiyan; Yu, Jiabin; Sun, Qian; Gao, Chong; Wang, Lingbin

2017-03-01

The formation process of algae is described inaccurately and water blooms are predicted with a low precision by current methods. In this paper, chemical mechanism of algae growth is analyzed, and a correlation analysis of chlorophyll-a and algal density is conducted by chemical measurement. Taking into account the influence of multi-factors on algae growth and water blooms, the comprehensive prediction method combined with multivariate time series and intelligent model is put forward in this paper. Firstly, through the process of photosynthesis, the main factors that affect the reproduction of the algae are analyzed. A compensation prediction method of multivariate time series analysis based on neural network and Support Vector Machine has been put forward which is combined with Kernel Principal Component Analysis to deal with dimension reduction of the influence factors of blooms. Then, Genetic Algorithm is applied to improve the generalization ability of the BP network and Least Squares Support Vector Machine. Experimental results show that this method could better compensate the prediction model of multivariate time series analysis which is an effective way to improve the description accuracy of algae growth and prediction precision of water blooms.

Monitoring tools and early warning system for harmful cyanobacterial blooms: Río Uruguay and Río de la Plata

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Carla Kruk

2015-12-01

Full Text Available Potentially hazardous cyanobacterial blooming constitutes one of the most widespread problems experienced by aquatic systems worldwide. However, there are not any monitoring methods sensitive enough to be directly applicable to predict and manage blooming events. In order to fulfill this goal, both ecological and genetic concepts were combined to generate cyanobacteria monitoring tools. Two approaches were used: grouping organisms into functional groups and utilizing molecular analysis (real time quantitative PCR as indicators of the presence of genes that encode the expression of cyanotoxins (mcy. Six bi-monthly sampling campaigns were performed to evaluate the suitability of these tools (2013-2014 at six locations composed of two sites each one, ranging downstream from Salto Grande, at the River Uruguay, to Punta del Este, at the Estuary River Plate. A remarkable gradient was observed in the meteorological, physical and chemical variables, as well as higher abundances in planktonic organisms both in Salto Grande and in Punta del Este. The most abundant population of toxic species in the whole gradient were found in Salto, and in particular those belonging to the Microcystis aeruginosa complex (MAC. The most relevant environmental variables to determine the gradient and the variation in biological variables were: salinity, temperature, wind and turbidity. The results of the new indicators (presence of MAC in the plankton net and mcy genes were in agreement with the traditional ones (v.g. chlorophyll-a demonstrating being much more sensitive in cases of the most severe blooming events than in the low abundance situations. The conjunction of results was applied to the construction of a monitoring and early warning system protocol.

Detection of a Planktothrix agardhii Bloom in Portuguese Marine Coastal Waters

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Catarina Churro

2017-12-01

Full Text Available Cyanobacteria blooms are frequent in freshwaters and are responsible for water quality deterioration and human intoxication. Although, not a new phenomenon, concern exists on the increasing persistence, scale, and toxicity of these blooms. There is evidence, in recent years, of the transfer of these toxins from inland to marine waters through freshwater outflow. However, the true impact of these blooms in marine habitats has been overlooked. In the present work, we describe the detection of Planktothrix agardhii, which is a common microcystin producer, in the Portuguese marine coastal waters nearby a river outfall in an area used for shellfish harvesting and recreational activities. P. agardhii was first observed in November of 2016 in seawater samples that are in the scope of the national shellfish monitoring system. This occurrence was followed closely between November and December of 2016 by a weekly sampling of mussels and water from the sea pier and adjacent river mouth with salinity ranging from 35 to 3. High cell densities were found in the water from both sea pier and river outfall, reaching concentrations of 4,960,608 cells·L−1 and 6810.3 × 106 cells·L−1 respectively. Cultures were also established with success from the environment and microplate salinity growth assays showed that the isolates grew at salinity 10. HPLC-PDA analysis of total microcystin content in mussel tissue, water biomass, and P. agardhii cultures did not retrieve a positive result. In addition, microcystin related genes were not detected in the water nor cultures. So, the P. agardhii present in the environment was probably a non-toxic strain. This is, to our knowledge, the first report on a P. agardhii bloom reaching the sea and points to the relevance to also monitoring freshwater harmful phytoplankton and related toxins in seafood harvesting and recreational coastal areas, particularly under the influence of river plumes.

Random Access for Machine-Type Communication based on Bloom Filtering

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Pratas, Nuno; Stefanovic, Cedomir; Madueño, Germán Corrales

2016-01-01

utilizes the system resources more efficiently and achieves similar or lower latency of connection establishment in case of synchronous arrivals, compared to the variant of the LTE-A access protocol that is optimized for MTC traffic. A dividend of the proposed method is that allows the base station (BS......We present a random access method inspired on Bloom filters that is suited for Machine-Type Communications (MTC). Each accessing device sends a signature during the contention process. A signature is constructed using the Bloom filtering method and contains information on the device identity...... and the connection establishment cause. We instantiate the proposed method over the current LTE-A access protocol. However, the method is applicable to a more general class of random access protocols that use preambles or other reservation sequences, as expected to be the case in 5G systems. We show that our method...

Preliminary Assessment of Cyanobacteria Diversity and Toxic Potential in Ten Freshwater Lakes in Selangor, Malaysia.

Science.gov (United States)

Sinang, Som Cit; Poh, Keong Bun; Shamsudin, Syakirah; Sinden, Ann

2015-10-01

Toxic cyanobacteria blooms are increasing in magnitude and frequency worldwide. However, this issue has not been adequately addressed in Malaysia. Therefore, this study aims to better understand eutrophication levels, cyanobacteria diversity, and microcystin concentrations in ten Malaysian freshwater lakes. The results revealed that most lakes were eutrophic, with total phosphorus and total chlorophyll-a concentrations ranging from 15 to 4270 µg L(-1) and 1.1 to 903.1 µg L(-1), respectively. Cyanobacteria were detected in all lakes, and identified as Microcystis spp., Planktothrix spp., Phormidium spp., Oscillatoria spp., and Lyngbya spp. Microcystis spp. was the most commonly observed and most abundant cyanobacteria recorded. Semi-quantitative microcystin analysis indicated the presence of microcystin in all lakes. These findings illustrate the potential health risk of cyanobacteria in Malaysia freshwater lakes, thus magnifying the importance of cyanobacteria monitoring and management in Malaysian waterways.

Further Studies on the Physical and Biogeochemical Causes for Large Interannual Changes in the Patagonian Shelf Spring-Summer Phytoplankton Bloom Biomass

Science.gov (United States)

Signorini, Sergio R.; Garcia, Virginia M.T.; Piola, Alberto R.; Evangelista, Heitor; McClain, Charles R.; Garcia, Carlos A.E.; Mata, Mauricio M.

2009-01-01

A very strong and persistent phytoplankton bloom was observed by ocean color satellites during September - December 2003 along the northern Patagonian shelf. The 2003 bloom had the highest extent and chlorophyll a (Chl-a) concentrations of the entire Sea-viewing Wide Field-of-view Sensor (SeaWiFS) period (1997 to present). SeaWiFS-derived Chl-a exceeded 20 mg/cu m in November at the bloom center. The bloom was most extensive in December when it spanned more than 300 km across the shelf and nearly 900 km north-south (35degS to 43degS). The northward reach and the deep penetration on the shelf of the 2003 bloom were quite anomalous when compared with other years, which showed the bloom more confined to the Patagonian shelf break (PSB). The PSB bloom is a conspicuous austral spring-summer feature detected by ocean color satellites and its timing can be explained using the Sverdrup critical depth theory. Based on high-resolution numerical simulations, in situ and remote sensing data, we provide some suggestions for the probable mechanisms responsible for that large interannual change of biomass as seen by ocean color satellites. Potential sources of macro and micro (e.g., Fe) nutrients that sustain the high phytoplankton productivity of the Patagonian shelf waters are identified, and the most likely physical processes that maintain the nutrient balance in the region are discussed.

Advanced characterization of dissolved organic matter released by bloom-forming marine algae

KAUST Repository

Rehman, Zahid Ur; Jeong, Sanghyun; Tabatabai, S. Assiyeh Alizadeh; Emwas, Abdul-Hamid M.; Leiknes, TorOve

2017-01-01

using proton nuclear magnetic resonance (H-NMR). The results showed that production and composition of dissolved AOM varied depending on algal species and their growth stage. AOM was mainly composed of biopolymers (BP; i.e., polysaccharides and proteins

HARMFUL ALGAL BLOOMS IN THE MEDITERRANEAN SEA: EFFECTS ON HUMAN HEALTH.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Margherita Ferrante

2013-01-01

Full Text Available A harmful algal bloom (HAB is defined as a bloom that has deleterious effects on plants, animals or humans. Marine algal toxins are responsible for an array of human illnesses associated with consumption of seafood or exposure to aerosolized toxins. The effects of algal toxins are generally observed as acute intoxications, whereas the environmental health effects of chronic exposure to low levels of algal toxins are, to date, only poorly documented and an emerging issue. Consumption of seafood contaminated with algal toxins can result in five types of seafood poisoning syndromes: paralytic shellfish poisoning, neurotoxic shellfish poisoning, amnesic shellfish poisoning, diarrhetic shellfish poisoning and ciguatera fish poisoning. The aim of this paper is to provide an overview on HAB-related issues in the Mediterranean Sea.

Seasonal dynamics in dissolved organic matter, hydrogen peroxide, and cyanobacterial blooms in Lake Erie

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Rose M. Cory

2016-04-01

Full Text Available Hydrogen peroxide (H2O2 has been suggested to influence cyanobacterial community structure and toxicity. However, no study has investigated H2O2 concentrations in freshwaters relative to cyanobacterial blooms when sources and sinks of H2O2 may be highly variable. For example, photochemical production of H2O2 from chromophoric dissolved organic matter (CDOM may vary over the course of the bloom with changing CDOM and UV light in the water column, while microbial sources and sinks of H2O2 may change with community biomass and composition. To assess relationships between H2O2 and harmful algal blooms dominated by toxic cyanobacteria in the western basin of Lake Erie, we measured H2O2 weekly at six stations from June – November, 2014 and 2015, with supporting physical, chemical, and biological water quality data. Nine additional stations across the western, eastern, and central basins of Lake Erie were sampled during August and October, 2015. CDOM sources were quantified from the fluorescence fraction of CDOM using parallel factor analysis (PARAFAC. CDOM concentration and source were significantly correlated with specific conductivity, demonstrating that discharge of terrestrially-derived CDOM from rivers can be tracked in the lake. Autochthonous sources of CDOM in the lake increased over the course of the blooms. Concentrations of H2O2 in Lake Erie ranged from 47 ± 16 nM to 1570 ± 16 nM (average of 371 ± 17 nM; n = 225, and were not correlated to CDOM concentration or source, UV light, or estimates of photochemical production of H2O2 by CDOM. Temporal patterns in H2O2 were more closely aligned with bloom dynamics in the lake. In 2014 and 2015, maximum concentrations of H2O2 were observed prior to peak water column respiration and chlorophyll a, coinciding with the onset of the widespread Microcystis blooms in late July. The spatial and temporal patterns in H2O2 concentrations suggested that production and decay of H2O2 from aquatic

Coupling of heterotrophic bacteria to phytoplankton bloom development at different pCO2 levels: a mesocosm study

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

R. Thyrhaug

2008-07-01

Full Text Available The predicted rise in anthropogenic CO2 emissions will increase CO2 concentrations and decrease seawater pH in the upper ocean. Recent studies have revealed effects of pCO2 induced changes in seawater chemistry on a variety of marine life forms, in particular calcifying organisms. To test whether the predicted increase in pCO2 will directly or indirectly (via changes in phytoplankton dynamics affect abundance, activities, and community composition of heterotrophic bacteria during phytoplankton bloom development, we have aerated mesocosms with CO2 to obtain triplicates with three different partial pressures of CO2 (pCO2: 350 μatm (1×CO2, 700 μatm (2×CO2 and 1050 μatm (3×CO2. The development of a phytoplankton bloom was initiated by the addition of nitrate and phosphate. In accordance to an elevated carbon to nitrogen drawdown at increasing pCO2, bacterial production (BPP of free-living and attached bacteria as well as cell-specific BPP (csBPP of attached bacteria were related to the C:N ratio of suspended matter. These relationships significantly differed among treatments. However, bacterial abundance and activities were not statistically different among treatments. Solely community structure of free-living bacteria changed with pCO2 whereas that of attached bacteria seemed to be independent of pCO2 but tightly coupled to phytoplankton bloom development. Our findings imply that changes in pCO2, although reflected by changes in community structure of free-living bacteria, do not directly affect bacterial activity. Furthermore, bacterial activity and dynamics of heterotrophic bacteria, especially of attached bacteria, were tightly correlated to phytoplankton development and, hence, may also potentially depend on changes in pCO2.

Laboratory LiF characterization of different phytoplankton species originating harmful blooms

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Barbini, R.; Colao, F.; Fantoni, R.; Palucci, A.; Ribezzo, S. [ENEA, Centro Ricerche Frascati, Rome (Italy). Dip. Innovazione; Micheli, C. [ENEA, Centro Ricerche Casaccia, Rome (Italy). Dipt. Innovazione

1997-11-01

A systematic laboratory characterization of different phytoplankton cultures has been performed in combination with LiF (Laser Induced Fluorescence) measurements aimed to investigate the possibility of their remote monitoring by means of lidar fluoro sensor systems. Cultures of microalgae characterized by different pigment contents have been analyzed in the visible region upon UV laser excitation. High resolution laboratory spectra have been measured in order to obtain the fingerprint of each species. Emission wavelength related to the main pigments contribution have been identified. Detection limits of the emitted red chlorophyll signal have been evaluated for the different species after dilution in the culture medium and in real sea water. Prior to the LiF excitation aimed to the remote characterization the algal cultures were morphologically analyzed by fluorescence and scanning electron microscopy. Furthermore the relevant cell number was counted for biomass estimation, and the chlorophylls content was determined by different chemical methods.

From Rare to Dominant: a Fine-Tuned Soil Bacterial Bloom during Petroleum Hydrocarbon Bioremediation.

Science.gov (United States)

Fuentes, Sebastián; Barra, Bárbara; Caporaso, J Gregory; Seeger, Michael

2016-02-01

Hydrocarbons are worldwide-distributed pollutants that disturb various ecosystems. The aim of this study was to characterize the short-lapse dynamics of soil microbial communities in response to hydrocarbon pollution and different bioremediation treatments. Replicate diesel-spiked soil microcosms were inoculated with either a defined bacterial consortium or a hydrocarbonoclastic bacterial enrichment and incubated for 12 weeks. The microbial community dynamics was followed weekly in microcosms using Illumina 16S rRNA gene sequencing. Both the bacterial consortium and enrichment enhanced hydrocarbon degradation in diesel-polluted soils. A pronounced and rapid bloom of a native gammaproteobacterium was observed in all diesel-polluted soils. A unique operational taxonomic unit (OTU) related to the Alkanindiges genus represented ∼ 0.1% of the sequences in the original community but surprisingly reached >60% after 6 weeks. Despite this Alkanindiges-related bloom, inoculated strains were maintained in the community and may explain the differences in hydrocarbon degradation. This study shows the detailed dynamics of a soil bacterial bloom in response to hydrocarbon pollution, resembling microbial blooms observed in marine environments. Rare community members presumably act as a reservoir of ecological functions in high-diversity environments, such as soils. This rare-to-dominant bacterial shift illustrates the potential role of a rare biosphere facing drastic environmental disturbances. Additionally, it supports the concept of "conditionally rare taxa," in which rareness is a temporary state conditioned by environmental constraints. Copyright © 2016, American Society for Microbiology. All Rights Reserved.

Blooming Trees: Substructures and Surrounding Groups of Galaxy Clusters

Science.gov (United States)

Yu, Heng; Diaferio, Antonaldo; Serra, Ana Laura; Baldi, Marco

2018-06-01

We develop the Blooming Tree Algorithm, a new technique that uses spectroscopic redshift data alone to identify the substructures and the surrounding groups of galaxy clusters, along with their member galaxies. Based on the estimated binding energy of galaxy pairs, the algorithm builds a binary tree that hierarchically arranges all of the galaxies in the field of view. The algorithm searches for buds, corresponding to gravitational potential minima on the binary tree branches; for each bud, the algorithm combines the number of galaxies, their velocity dispersion, and their average pairwise distance into a parameter that discriminates between the buds that do not correspond to any substructure or group, and thus eventually die, and the buds that correspond to substructures and groups, and thus bloom into the identified structures. We test our new algorithm with a sample of 300 mock redshift surveys of clusters in different dynamical states; the clusters are extracted from a large cosmological N-body simulation of a ΛCDM model. We limit our analysis to substructures and surrounding groups identified in the simulation with mass larger than 1013 h ‑1 M ⊙. With mock redshift surveys with 200 galaxies within 6 h ‑1 Mpc from the cluster center, the technique recovers 80% of the real substructures and 60% of the surrounding groups; in 57% of the identified structures, at least 60% of the member galaxies of the substructures and groups belong to the same real structure. These results improve by roughly a factor of two the performance of the best substructure identification algorithm currently available, the σ plateau algorithm, and suggest that our Blooming Tree Algorithm can be an invaluable tool for detecting substructures of galaxy clusters and investigating their complex dynamics.

Apples, Bloom, and Creativity: The ABC's of Reading Alphabet Books.

Science.gov (United States)

Taylor, Mary Agnes

Benjamin Bloom's taxonomy of educational objectives (knowledge, comprehension, application, analysis, synthesis, and evaluation) combined with commonly accepted steps of the creative process (gathering material, reflection, inspiration, first draft or model, and evaluation) can be used to explore some of the possibilities of working with alphabet…

Increasing phytoplankton-available phosphorus and inhibition of macrophyte on phytoplankton bloom.

Science.gov (United States)

Dai, Yanran; Wu, Juan; Ma, Xiaohang; Zhong, Fei; Cui, Naxin; Cheng, Shuiping

2017-02-01

We assembled mesocosms to address the coherent mechanisms that an increasing phosphorus (P) concentration in water columns coupled with the phytoplankton bloom and identify the performance gap of regulating phytoplankton growth between two macrophyte species, Ceratophyllum demersum L. and Vallisneria spiralis L. Intense alkaline phosphatase activities (APA) were observed in the unplanted control, with their predominant part, phytoplankton APA (accounting for up to 44.7% of the total APA), and another large share, bacterial APA. These correspond with the large average concentration of total phosphorus (TP), total dissolved phosphorus (TDP) and soluble reactive (SRP) as well as high phytoplankton density in the water column. The consistency among P concentrations, phytoplankton density and APA, together with the positive impact of phytoplankton density on total APA revealed by the structural equation modelling (SEM), indicates that facilitated APA levels in water is an essential strategy for phytoplankton to enhance the available P. Furthermore, a positive interaction between phytoplankton APA and bacteria APA was detected, suggesting a potential collaboration between phytoplankton and bacteria to boost available P content in the water column. Both macrophyte species had a prominent performance on regulating phytoplankton proliferation. The phytoplankton density and quantum yield in C. demersum systems were all significantly lower (33.8% and 24.0%) than those in V. spiralis systems. Additionally, a greater decoupling effect of C. demersum on the relationship between P, APA, phytoplankton density, bacteria dynamic and quantum yield was revealed by SEM. These results imply that the preferred tactic of different species could lead to the performance gap. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Reproductive and bloom patterns of Pelagia noctiluca in the Strait of Messina, Italy

Science.gov (United States)

Milisenda, G.; Martinez-Quintana, A.; Fuentes, V. L.; Bosch-Belmar, M.; Aglieri, G.; Boero, F.; Piraino, S.

2018-02-01

Investigations on sexual reproduction of jellyfish are essential to understanding mechanisms and patterns of outbreaks formation. Pelagia noctiluca (Forskål, 1775) (Scyphozoa) is known as the predominant jellyfish species with direct development in Western and Central Mediterranean Sea. In this paper we used integrated morphometric, histological, and biochemical approaches to investigate the annual reproductive biology of P. noctiluca from the Strait of Messina (South Thyrrenian Sea), a key proliferation area for this species due to favourable temperatures and high productivity. From November 2011 to September 2012, P. noctiluca sexual reproduction occurred throughout the year, with two seasonal peaks (autumn, spring) of spawning and embryonic development. Gonads of female P. noctiluca were characterized by a large amount of mature eggs of small size (diameter 200 μm) were detected during low availability of prey. Two morphometric indexes were applied: the Gonad-Somatic Index (GSI, gonadal/somatic tissue dry weight ratio) and Fecundity Index (FI, n° eggs mm-2 * gonadal dry weight). The FI showed longer spawning periods than the GSI, providing a better causal-mechanistic explanation for the year-round occurrence of P. noctiluca in the Strait of Messina. Protein contents of the gonads changed seasonally, with the highest concentrations during the pre-spawning periods. We suggest that investigations on jellyfish sexual reproduction can provide biological information relevant for understanding mechanisms of jellyfish blooms as well as for the management of coastal zones affected by outbreaks of gelatinous species.

West Coast DA Event data - West Coast Toxic Pseudo-nitzschia bloom

Data.gov (United States)

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Department of Commerce — Beginning in the spring of 2015 the US West Coast began to experience the most wide-spread toxic Pseudo-nitzschia bloom to date, after approximately eight years...

Localization and Tracking of Submerged Phytoplankton Bloom Patches by an Autonomous Underwater Vehicle

Science.gov (United States)

Godin, M. A.; Ryan, J. P.; Zhang, Y.; Bellingham, J. G.

2012-12-01

Observing plankton in their drifting frame of reference permits effective studies of marine ecology from the perspective of microscopic life itself. By minimizing variation caused simply by advection, observations in a plankton-tracking frame of reference focus measurement capabilities on the processes that influence the life history of populations. Further, the patchy nature of plankton populations motivates use of sensor data in real-time to resolve patch boundaries and adapt observing resources accordingly. We have developed capabilities for population-centric plankton observation and sampling by autonomous underwater vehicles (AUVs). Our focus has been on phytoplankton populations, both because of their ecological significance - as the core of the oceanic food web and yet potentially harmful under certain bloom conditions, as well as the accessibility of their signal to simple optical sensing. During the first field deployment of these capabilities in 2010, we tracked a phytoplankton patch containing toxigenic diatoms and found that their toxicity correlated with exposure to resuspended sediments. However, this first deployment was labor intensive as the AUV drove in a pre-programmed pattern centered around a patch-marking drifter; it required a boat deployment of the patch-marking drifter and required full-time operators to periodically estimate of the position of the patch with respect to the drifter and adjust the AUV path accordingly. In subsequent field experiments during 2011 and 2012, the Tethys-class long-range AUVs ran fully autonomous patch tracking algorithms which detected phytoplankton patches and continually updated estimates of each patch center by driving adaptive patterns through the patch. Iterations of the algorithm were generated to overcome the challenges of tracking advecting and evolving patches while minimizing human involvement in vehicle control. Such fully autonomous monitoring will be necessary to perform long-term in

Then the Wilderness Shall Bloom like a Rosy Bower

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Nielsen, Kirsten

2014-01-01

intertextual connections to the rest of the book. In my article, I have analysed how the Danish poet N.F.S. Grundtvig reworks Isa 35 in his hymn “Then the wilderness shall bloom like a rosy bower”, and how he reinterprets the wild animals as the Enemy (the Devil). In my view, the animals in Isa 35 have...

Monitoring of harmful algal blooms along the Norwegian coast using ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

A Norwegian monitoring system for harmful algal blooms, consisting of an Observer Network, the State Food Hygiene Control Agency, the Oceanographic Company of Norway, the Institute of Marine Research and the Directorate for Fisheries, is reviewed. Potentially harmful algae on the Norwegian coast are found primarily ...

Distribution of calcifying and silicifying phytoplankton in relation to environmental and biogeochemical parameters during the late stages of the 2005 North East Atlantic Spring Bloom

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

K. Leblanc

2009-10-01

Full Text Available The late stage of the North East Atlantic (NEA spring bloom was investigated during June 2005 along a transect section from 45 to 66° N between 15 and 20° W in order to characterize the contribution of siliceous and calcareous phytoplankton groups and describe their distribution in relation to environmental factors. We measured several biogeochemical parameters such as nutrients, surface trace metals, algal pigments, biogenic silica (BSi, particulate inorganic carbon (PIC or calcium carbonate, particulate organic carbon, nitrogen and phosphorus (POC, PON and POP, respectively, as well as transparent exopolymer particles (TEP. Results were compared with other studies undertaken in this area since the JGOFS NABE program. Characteristics of the spring bloom generally agreed well with the accepted scenario for the development of the autotrophic community. The NEA seasonal diatom bloom was in the late stages when we sampled the area and diatoms were constrained to the northern part of our transect, over the Icelandic Basin (IB and Icelandic Shelf (IS. Coccolithophores dominated the phytoplankton community, with a large distribution over the Rockall-Hatton Plateau (RHP and IB. The Porcupine Abyssal Plain (PAP region at the southern end of our transect was the region with the lowest biomass, as demonstrated by very low Chla concentrations and a community dominated by picophytoplankton. Early depletion of dissolved silicic acid (DSi and increased stratification of the surface layer most likely triggered the end of the diatom bloom, leading to coccolithophore dominance. The chronic Si deficiency observed in the NEA could be linked to moderate Fe limitation, which increases the efficiency of the Si pump. TEP closely mirrored the distribution of both biogenic silica at depth and prymnesiophytes in the surface layer suggesting the sedimentation of the diatom bloom in the form of aggregates, but the relative contribution of diatoms and

Particulate Trace Element Cycling in a Diatom Bloom at Station ALOHA

Science.gov (United States)

Weisend, R.; Morton, P. L.; Landing, W. M.; Fitzsimmons, J. N.; Hayes, C. T.; Boyle, E. A.

2014-12-01

Phytoplankton in oligotrophic marine deserts depend on remote sources to supply trace nutrients. To examine these sources, marine particulate matter samples from the central North Pacific (Station ALOHA) were collected during the July-August 2012 HOE-DYLAN cruises and analyzed for a suite of trace (e.g., Fe, Mn) and major (e.g. Al, P) elements. Daily surface SPM samples were examined for evidence of atmospheric deposition and biological uptake, while five vertical profiles were examined for evidence of surface vertical export and subsurface horizontal transport from nearby sources (e.g., margin sediments, hydrothermal plumes). Maxima in surface particulate P (a biological tracer) corresponded with a diatom bloom, and surprisingly also coincided with maxima in particulate Al (typically a tracer for lithogenic inputs). The surface particulate Al distributions likely result from the adsorption of dissolved Al onto diatom silica frustules, not from atmospheric dust deposition. In addition, a subsurface maximum in particulate Al and P was observed four days later at 75m, possibly resulting from vertical export of the surface diatom bloom. The distributions of other bioactive trace elements (e.g. Cd, Co, Cu) will be presented in the context of the diatom bloom and other biological, chemical and physical features. A second, complementary poster is also being presented which examines the cycling of trace elements in lithogenic particles (Morton et al., "Trace Element Cycling in Lithogenic Particles at Station ALOHA").