Volunteer Algae Monitoring Program (VAMP) in the Indian River Lagoon

2018 ◽  
Vol 52 (4) ◽  
pp. 88-93
Author(s):  
Susan Hamburger ◽  
Kenneth T. Gioeli ◽  
David Berthold ◽  
H. Dail Laughinghouse
Keyword(s):  
Water Quality ◽  
Harmful Algal Blooms ◽  
Algal Blooms ◽  
Monitoring Program ◽  
Indian River Lagoon ◽  
Fort Lauderdale ◽  
Quality Testing ◽  
Indian River ◽  
Research And Education ◽  
The University

AbstractThe University of Florida's Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (UF/IFAS) Florida Master Naturalist Program (FMNP) is an adult environmental education program with more than 450 trained program graduates in St. Lucie County, Florida. It is a collaborative effort of the UF/IFAS Extension St. Lucie County, St. Lucie County Environmental Resources Department, and partner agencies. Four UF/IFAS Florida Master Naturalist volunteers were recruited and received training and supplies to conduct water quality testing and algae collection in the Indian River Lagoon as part of the Volunteer Algae Monitoring Program (VAMP). The UF/IFAS research and extension faculty developed VAMP in response to the 2016 harmful algal blooms (HABs) in the Indian River Lagoon that resulted in dramatic impacts on businesses, residents, and visitors in Martin, St. Lucie, and Indian River counties. These HAB episodes demonstrate the importance of having informed citizen scientists with an understanding of the problems and threats. The VAMP citizen scientists conducted a water quality awareness survey with the general public after proactively scouting for HABs by collecting samples and conducting water quality testing at three waypoints in the Indian River Lagoon during May to November 2017 (excluding October) and February 2018. They utilized UF/IFAS Water Watch chemistry tests and processed and shipped water samples to the Laughinghouse Lab at the UF/IFAS Fort Lauderdale Research and Education Center, which conducted algae counts and genetic testing to determine the presence of harmful algae expressing microcystin-producing genes. Test results indicated fluctuating and inconsistent levels of saxitoxin but no indications of microcystins across the three sites and over time.

scholarly journals High-Resolution Spatiotemporal Dynamics of Harmful Algae in the Indian River Lagoon (Florida)—A Case Study of Aureoumbra lagunensis, Pyrodinium bahamense, and Pseudo-nitzschia

2021 ◽  
Vol 8 ◽  
Author(s):  
Cary B. Lopez ◽  
Charles L. Tilney ◽  
Eric Muhlbach ◽  
Josée N. Bouchard ◽  
Maria Célia Villac ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Harmful Algal Blooms ◽  
Algal Blooms ◽  
Seasonal Pattern ◽  
Indian River Lagoon ◽  
Early Summer ◽  
Temperature Cycle ◽  
Estuarine Ecosystem ◽  
Indian River ◽  
Pyrodinium Bahamense ◽  
Aureoumbra Lagunensis

The Indian River Lagoon (IRL), located on the east coast of Florida, is a complex estuarine ecosystem that is negatively affected by recurring harmful algal blooms (HABs) from distinct taxonomic/functional groups. Enhanced monitoring was established to facilitate rapid quantification of three recurrent bloom taxa, Aureoumbra lagunensis, Pyrodinium bahamense, and Pseudo-nitzschia spp., and included corroborating techniques to improve the identification of small-celled nanoplankton (<10 μm in diameter). Identification and enumeration of these target taxa were conducted during 2015–2020 using a combination of light microscopy and species-specific approaches, specifically immunofluorescence flow cytometry as well as a newly developed qPCR assay for A. lagunensis presented here for the first time. An annual bloom index (ABI) was established for each taxon based on occurrence and abundance data. Blooms of A. lagunensis (>2 × 108 cells L–1) were observed in all 6 years sampled and across multiple seasons. In contrast, abundance of P. bahamense, largely driven by the annual temperature cycle that moderates life cycle transitions and growth, displayed a strong seasonal pattern with blooms (105–107 cells L–1) generally developing in early summer and subsiding in autumn. However, P. bahamense bloom development was delayed and abundance was significantly lower in years and locations with sustained A. lagunensis blooms. Pseudo-nitzschia spp. were broadly distributed with sporadic bloom concentrations (reaching 107 cells L–1), but with minimal concentrations of the toxin domoic acid detected (<0.02 μg L–1). In summer 2020, multiple monitoring tools characterized a novel nano-cyanobacterium bloom (reaching 109 cells L–1) that coincided with a decline in A. lagunensis and persisted into autumn. Statistical and time-series analyses of this spatiotemporally intensive dataset highlight prominent patterns in variability for some taxa, but also identify challenges of characterizing mechanisms underlying more episodic yet persistent events. Nevertheless, the intersect of temperature and salinity as environmental proxies proved to be informative in delineating niche partitioning, not only in the case of taxa with long-standing data sets but also for seemingly unprecedented blooms of novel nanoplanktonic taxa.

Evidence of sewage-driven eutrophication and harmful algal blooms in Florida's Indian River Lagoon

Harmful Algae ◽  
2015 ◽  
Vol 43 ◽  
pp. 82-102 ◽  
Author(s):  
Brian E. Lapointe ◽  
Laura W. Herren ◽  
David D. Debortoli ◽  
Margaret A. Vogel
Keyword(s):  
Harmful Algal Blooms ◽  
Algal Blooms ◽  
Indian River Lagoon ◽  
Indian River

scholarly journals Mesozooplankton Community Dynamics and Grazing Potential Across Algal Bloom Cycles in a Subtropical Estuary

2021 ◽  
Vol 8 ◽  
Author(s):  
L. Holly Sweat ◽  
Hunter Alexander ◽  
Edward J. Phlips ◽  
Kevin B. Johnson
Keyword(s):  
Harmful Algal Blooms ◽  
Algal Blooms ◽  
Community Dynamics ◽  
Algal Bloom ◽  
Indian River Lagoon ◽  
Environmental Data ◽  
Brown Tide ◽  
Mesozooplankton Community ◽  
Indian River ◽  
Subtropical Estuary

Mesozooplankton, as abundant grazers of microalgae in coastal systems, have the potential to prevent or mitigate harmful algal blooms (HABs) and their effects. The Indian River Lagoon (IRL) is a subtropical estuary in eastern Florida (United States) where repeated blooms, dominated by the toxic dinoflagellate Pyrodinium bahamense, the brown tide species Aureoumbra lagunensis, pico/nano planktonic cyanobacteria and other nano-eukaryotes, have highlighted the need to better understand fluctuations in the grazing potential of mesozooplankton populations across bloom cycles. Mesozooplankton and abiotic environmental data were collected at five sites in the northern IRL system at 6-week intervals from November 2013 through June 2016. A total of 107 taxa from 14 phyla were detected. Communities varied across sites, dates and between bloom and non-bloom periods, with densities up to 338 individuals L–1. Eight taxa comprising 85–94% of the total population at each site were identified as primary potential grazers, including barnacle nauplii, cladocerans, adult copepods, gastropod veligers, larvaceans, and polychaete metatrochophores. Although abundant, the estimated grazing potential of the primary taxa, calculated from their measured densities and previously published grazing rates, suggest that mesozooplankton lack the capacity to suppress phytoplankton once they reach bloom levels. These findings illustrate the utility of monitoring data and underscore the importance of systematically evaluating algal bloom controls with a consideration for the dynamic conditions of each unique ecosystem.

scholarly journals Determination of Cell Abundances and Paralytic Shellfish Toxins in Cultures of the Dinoflagellate Gymnodinium catenatum by Fourier Transform Near Infrared Spectroscopy

2018 ◽  
Vol 6 (4) ◽  
pp. 147 ◽  
Author(s):  
Marta Lopes ◽  
Ana Amorim ◽  
Cecília Calado ◽  
Pedro Reis Costa
Keyword(s):  
Harmful Algal Blooms ◽  
Algal Blooms ◽  
Near Infrared ◽  
Monitoring Program ◽  
Nir Spectroscopy ◽  
Shellfish Poisoning ◽  
Toxic Algae ◽  
Paralytic Shellfish ◽  
Gymnodinium Catenatum

Harmful algal blooms are responsible worldwide for the contamination of fishery resources, with potential impacts on seafood safety and public health. Most coastal countries rely on an intense monitoring program for the surveillance of toxic algae occurrence and shellfish contamination. The present study investigates the use of near infrared (NIR) spectroscopy for the rapid in situ determination of cell concentrations of toxic algae in seawater. The paralytic shellfish poisoning (PSP) toxin-producing dinoflagellate Gymnodinium catenatum was selected for this study. The spectral modeling by partial least squares (PLS) regression based on the recorded NIR spectra enabled the building of highly accurate (R2 = 0.92) models for cell abundance. The models also provided a good correlation between toxins measured by the conventional methods (high-performance liquid chromatography with fluorescence detection (HPLC-FLD)) and the levels predicted by the PLS/NIR models. This study represents the first necessary step in investigating the potential of application of NIR spectroscopy for algae bloom detection and alerting.

The impacts of the 2004 hurricanes on hydrology, water quality, and seagrass in the Central Indian River Lagoon, Florida

2006 ◽  
Vol 29 (6) ◽  
pp. 954-965 ◽  
Author(s):  
Joel S. Steward ◽  
Robert W. Virnstein ◽  
Margaret A. Lasi ◽  
Lori J. Morris ◽  
Janice D. Miller ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Water Quality ◽  
Indian River Lagoon ◽  
Indian River
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