Connections and Feedback: Aquatic, Plant, and Soil Microbiomes in Heterogeneous and Changing Environments

Abstract Plant, soil, and aquatic microbiomes interact, but scientists often study them independently. Integrating knowledge across these traditionally separate subdisciplines will generate better understanding of microbial ecological properties. Interactions among plant, soil, and aquatic microbiomes, as well as anthropogenic factors, influence important ecosystem processes, including greenhouse gas fluxes, crop production, nonnative species control, and nutrient flux from terrestrial to aquatic habitats. Terrestrial microbiomes influence nutrient retention and particle movement, thereby influencing the composition and functioning of aquatic microbiomes, which, themselves, govern water quality, and the potential for harmful algal blooms. Understanding how microbiomes drive links among terrestrial (plant and soil) and aquatic habitats will inform management decisions influencing ecosystem services. In the present article, we synthesize knowledge of microbiomes from traditionally disparate fields and how they mediate connections across physically separated systems. We identify knowledge gaps currently limiting our abilities to actualize microbiome management approaches for addressing environmental problems and optimize ecosystem services.

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Comparing Wetland Ecosystems Service Provision under Different Management Approaches: Two Cases Study of Tianfu Wetland and Nansha Wetland in China

Sustainability ◽

10.3390/su13168710 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 13 (16) ◽

pp. 8710

Author(s):

Yuchao Zhang ◽

Steven Loiselle ◽

Yimo Zhang ◽

Qian Wang ◽

Xia Sun ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Water Quality ◽

Ecosystem Services ◽

Wetland Management ◽

Nutrient Retention ◽

Limited Information ◽

Urban Centers ◽

Wetland Ecosystems ◽

Fundamental Information ◽

Management Approaches ◽

Study Sites

The largest blue-green infrastructures in industrialized, urbanized and developed regions in China are often multiuse wetlands, located just outside growing urban centers. These areas have multiple development pressures while providing environmental, economic, and social benefits to the local and regional populations. Given the limited information available about the tradeoffs in ecosystem services with respect to competing wetland uses, wetland managers and provincial decision makers face challenges in regulating the use of these important landscapes. In the present study, measurements made by citizen scientists were used to support a comparative study of water quality and wetland functions in two large multiuse wetlands, comparing areas of natural wetland vegetation, tourism-based wetland management and wetland agriculture. The study sites, the Nansha and Tianfu wetlands, are located in two of the most urbanized areas of China: the lower Yangtze River and Pearl River catchments, respectively. Our results indicated that the capacity of wetlands to mitigate water quality is closely related to the quality of the surrounding waters and hydrological conditions. Agricultural areas in both wetlands provided the lowest sediment and nutrient retention. The results show that the delivery of supporting ecosystem services is strongly influenced by the location and use of the wetland. Furthermore, we show that citizen scientist-acquired data can provide fundamental information on quantifying these ecosystem services, providing needed information to wetland park managers and provincial wetland administrators.

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Allelopathic Efficiency of Plant Extracts to Control Cyanobacteria in Hydroponic Culture

Agronomy ◽

10.3390/agronomy11112350 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 11 (11) ◽

pp. 2350

Author(s):

Chan Saem Gil ◽

Shucheng Duan ◽

Ji Hye Kim ◽

Seok Hyun Eom

Keyword(s):

Harmful Algal Blooms ◽

Algal Blooms ◽

Crop Production ◽

Water Soluble ◽

Leaf Extracts ◽

Leaf Quality ◽

Hydroponic System ◽

Algal Control ◽

Walnut Husk ◽

Ecologically Sustainable

Cyanobacteria rapidly form harmful algal blooms (HABs) that cause serious nutritional imbalances in crop production via hydroponics. Allelopathic extracts from plants can be applied as a solution for ecologically sustainable control of algal blooms. In this study, the effects of 11 aqueous extracts of 10 allelopathic plants in controlling Microcystis aeruginosa were evaluated. Among the extracts, walnut husk and rose leaf extracts exhibited high inhibitory levels for efficient control of algae. High inhibitory levels were achieved owing to large amounts of water-soluble tannins, especially tannic acid. The effective extracts were applied to a hydroponic system cultivated on leafy perilla vegetables. Although the severe doses (IC90) did not guarantee complete algal control due to partial algal regrowth, walnut husk and rose leaf extracts only exerted strong persistent effects on algae control. Persistent algae inhibition contributed to the increase in perilla growth and leaf quality. Rose leaf was potentially a more useful resource for controlling algae in a hydroponic system because the application of rose leaf extract efficiently controlled the algae and was less toxic to perilla growth. In contrast, the treatment of walnut husk extract also controlled algae but inhibited perilla growth with pale green leaves.

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Harmful Algal Blooms (HABS) along Mexican Coasts

10.20944/preprints201812.0352.v1 ◽

2018 ◽

Author(s):

Magnolia Gricel Salcedo-Garduño ◽

María del Refugio Castañeda-Chávez ◽

Fabiola Lango-Reynoso ◽

Itzel Galaviz-Villa

Keyword(s):

Public Health ◽

Harmful Algal Blooms ◽

Algal Blooms ◽

Anthropogenic Factors ◽

Environment And Public Health ◽

Negative Effects ◽

Direct Exposure ◽

Public Health Strategies ◽

Toxic Bloom ◽

The Impact

Harmful algal blooms (HABs) are natural events produced by massive concentration of toxic phytoplankton that can color red, ocher, brown or yellow large extensions of water, its intensity depends on the different species of phytoplankton involved in the proliferation. The spreading of these formations involves an interaction of biological, chemical, meteorological and anthropogenic factors. Several species with potential toxicity have been reported along Mexican coasts, such as Gymnodinium catenatum, Karenia brevis, Pyrodinium bahamense var. compressum. The toxic bloom not only causes an impact during the event, it produces negative effects afterward, such as accumulating deposits of organic matter, alterations of benthic community structure and composition, species presence/absence, and bioaccumulation of toxins in organisms such as bivalve molluscs mainly. Poisoning may occur by consuming contaminated seafood or by direct exposure to aerosols of the toxins, which can provoke diarrhea or even death. Due to the impact of this type of event on the economy, environment and public health, strategies for monitoring, prevention, and systematic mitigation have been implemented for the evaluation of HAB effects. The aim of this review was to determine the state-of-the art of HAB, their reports and effects on the environment and public health in Mexico.

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Nutrient Retention in Ecologically Functional Floodplains: A Review

Water ◽

10.3390/w12102762 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 12 (10) ◽

pp. 2762

Author(s):

Brad A. Gordon ◽

Olivia Dorothy ◽

Christian F. Lenhart

Keyword(s):

Harmful Algal Blooms ◽

Algal Blooms ◽

Effective Means ◽

Nutrient Retention ◽

Field Studies ◽

Nutrient Concentrations ◽

Nutrient Loads ◽

Nutrient Deposition ◽

Hydraulic Load ◽

The Many

Nutrient loads in fresh and coastal waters continue to lead to harmful algal blooms across the globe. Historically, floodplains—low-lying areas adjacent to streams and rivers that become inundated during high-flow events—would have been nutrient deposition and/or removal sites within riparian corridors, but many floodplains have been developed and/or disconnected. This review synthesizes literature and data available from field studies quantifying nitrogen (N) and phosphorus (P) removal within floodplains across North America and Europe to determine how effective floodplain restoration is at removing nutrients. The mean removal of nitrate-N (NO3−-N), the primary form of N in floodplain studies, was 200 (SD = 198) kg-N ha−1 year−1, and of total or particulate P was 21.0 (SD = 31.4) kg-P ha−1 year−1. Based on the literature, more effective designs of restored floodplains should include optimal hydraulic load, permanent wetlands, geomorphic diversity, and dense vegetation. Floodplain restorations along waterways with higher nutrient concentrations could lead to a more effective investment for nutrient removal. Overall, restoring and reconnecting floodplains throughout watersheds is a viable and effective means of removing nutrients while also restoring the many other benefits that floodplains provide.

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The Use of Allelochemicals of Aquatic Macrophytes to Suppress the Development of Cyanobacterial “Blooms”

10.5772/intechopen.95609 ◽

2021 ◽

Author(s):

Evgeny Kurashov ◽

Julia Krylova ◽

Elena Protopopova

Keyword(s):

Harmful Algal Blooms ◽

Algal Blooms ◽

Aquatic Macrophytes ◽

Field Experiments ◽

Water Bodies ◽

Cyanobacterial Blooms ◽

Natural Phenomenon ◽

Anthropogenic Factors ◽

New Generation ◽

The Impact

Harmful algal “blooms”, or HABs, is a hazardous natural phenomenon that often occurs under the influence of anthropogenic factors, for example, during the anthropogenic eutrophication of water bodies. An increase in the frequency and duration of cyanobacterial “blooms” carries a number of serious threats, including local and global degradation of water resources and the impact of cyanotoxins. There are various methods of fighting cyanobacterial “blooms” - physical, chemical, the use of bacterial preparations, etc. However, these methods are not effective enough and, most importantly, do not allow effectively solving the problem of suppressing HABs in water bodies without damage to other components of the aquatic ecosystem. Allelopathy is a natural phenomenon for both stimulatory and inhibitory effects of one plant upon another including microorganisms that resolves this problem. Allelochemicals of macrophytes can be considered as natural algaecides and become the basis of a nature-like convergent technology to suppress the development of plankton cyanobacteria and prevent HABs in water bodies. In our work, we used some allelochemicals of aquatic macrophytes to create a combined algicide of the new generation for suppressing the development of cyanobacteria. The effectiveness of suppressing cyanobacterial “blooms” is demonstrated by the example of field experiments with mesocosms and natural phytoplankton.

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Harmful algal blooms: the impacts on cultural ecosystem services and human well-being in a case study setting, Cornwall, UK

Marine Policy ◽

10.1016/j.marpol.2018.06.002 ◽

2018 ◽

Vol 97 ◽

pp. 232-238 ◽

Cited By ~ 18

Author(s):

Cheryl Willis ◽

Eleni Papathanasopoulou ◽

Duncan Russel ◽

Yuri Artioli

Keyword(s):

Ecosystem Services ◽

Harmful Algal Blooms ◽

Algal Blooms ◽

Well Being ◽

Cultural Ecosystem Services ◽

Study Setting

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255. Public Health Response to Harmful Algal Blooms

10.3320/1.2765781 ◽

2001 ◽

Author(s):

P. Webb

Keyword(s):

Public Health ◽

Harmful Algal Blooms ◽

Algal Blooms ◽

Public Health Response ◽

Health Response

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National coastal management challenges and needs

Shore & Beach ◽

10.34237/1008843 ◽

2020 ◽

pp. 34-43

Author(s):

Nicole Elko ◽

Tiffany Roberts Briggs

Keyword(s):

Coastal Management ◽

Harmful Algal Blooms ◽

Algal Blooms ◽

Local Community ◽

Extreme Event ◽

Technical Information ◽

Interdisciplinary Approach ◽

Beach Erosion ◽

The U.S

In partnership with the U.S. Geological Survey Coastal and Marine Hazards and Resources Program (USGS CMHRP) and the U.S. Coastal Research Program (USCRP), the American Shore and Beach Preservation Association (ASBPA) has identified coastal stakeholders’ top coastal management challenges. Informed by two annual surveys, a multiple-choice online poll was conducted in 2019 to evaluate stakeholders’ most pressing problems and needs, including those they felt most ill-equipped to deal with in their day-to-day duties and which tools they most need to address these challenges. The survey also explored where users find technical information and what is missing. From these results, USGS CMHRP, USCRP, ASBPA, and other partners aim to identify research needs that will inform appropriate investments in useful science, tools, and resources to address today’s most pressing coastal challenges. The 15-question survey yielded 134 complete responses with an 80% completion rate from coastal stakeholders such as local community representatives and their industry consultants, state and federal agency representatives, and academics. Respondents from the East, Gulf, West, and Great Lakes coasts, as well as Alaska and Hawaii, were represented. Overall, the prioritized coastal management challenges identified by the survey were: Deteriorating ecosystems leading to reduced (environmental, recreational, economic, storm buffer) functionality, Increasing storminess due to climate change (i.e. more frequent and intense impacts), Coastal flooding, both Sea level rise and associated flooding (e.g. nuisance flooding, king tides), and Combined effects of rainfall and surge on urban flooding (i.e. episodic, short-term), Chronic beach erosion (i.e. high/increasing long-term erosion rates), and Coastal water quality, including harmful algal blooms (e.g. red tide, sargassum). A careful, systematic, and interdisciplinary approach should direct efforts to identify specific research needed to tackle these challenges. A notable shift in priorities from erosion to water-related challenges was recorded from respondents with organizations initially formed for beachfront management. In addition, affiliation-specific and regional responses varied, such as Floridians concern more with harmful algal blooms than any other human and ecosystem health related challenge. The most common need for additional coastal management tools and strategies related to adaptive coastal management to maintain community resilience and continuous storm barriers (dunes, structures), as the top long-term and extreme event needs, respectively. In response to questions about missing information that agencies can provide, respondents frequently mentioned up-to-date data on coastal systems and solutions to challenges as more important than additional tools.

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