Using fossilised pigments to understand cyanobacterial blooms in New Zealand lakes

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jonathan Puddick ◽  
Carrie Page ◽  
Donato Romanazzi ◽  
Katie Gunning ◽  
Jamie Howarth ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
New Zealand ◽  
High Performance ◽  
Phytoplankton Community ◽  
Sediment Cores ◽  
Cyanobacterial Blooms ◽  
Lake Ecosystems ◽  
Sediment Samples ◽  
Phytoplankton Communities ◽  
Lake Catchment ◽  
Natural Component

<p>Phytoplankton (including cyanobacteria) are a natural component of lake ecosystems and are the base of many food webs. However, changes in the lake catchment, the lake itself and the wider environment (e.g., climate change) can alter the composition of phytoplankton communities. Of recent concern is the increase in the abundance of cyanobacteria and the formation of blooms in many of New Zealand’s low-land lakes (>30% of those that are monitored). Because regular monitoring data does not stretch back more than 10-30 years and many lakes are not regularly monitored, it is difficult to ascertain whether the intensity of present-day blooms are a new phenomenon or are part of a pre-existing cycle. The pigments produced by cyanobacteria (and other phytoplankton) are deposited in lake sediment and can be extracted from sediment cores and surface sediment samples. Analysis of these pigments by high-performance liquid chromatography has allowed us to reconstruct the historical phytoplankton community from nine New Zealand lakes and to track the emergence of cyanobacteria in impacted lakes. We will present data on the performance of different cyanobacteria pigment indicators and several case studies to demonstrate how fossilised pigment data can be used to understand shifts in lake phytoplankton communities.</p>

scholarly journals A simple optical index shows spatial and temporal heterogeneity in phytoplankton community composition during the 2008 North Atlantic Bloom Experiment

2015 ◽  
Vol 12 (7) ◽  
pp. 2179-2194 ◽  
Author(s):  
I. Cetinić ◽  
M. J. Perry ◽  
E. D'Asaro ◽  
N. Briggs ◽  
N. Poulton ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Community Composition ◽  
North Atlantic ◽  
High Performance ◽  
Phytoplankton Community ◽  
Spatial Scales ◽  
Optical Measurements ◽  
Optical Index ◽  
Phytoplankton Community Composition ◽  
The North ◽  
Phytoplankton Communities

Abstract. The ratio of two in situ optical measurements – chlorophyll fluorescence (Chl F) and optical particulate backscattering (bbp) – varied with changes in phytoplankton community composition during the North Atlantic Bloom Experiment in the Iceland Basin in 2008. Using ship-based measurements of Chl F, bbp, chlorophyll a (Chl), high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) pigments, phytoplankton composition and carbon biomass, we found that oscillations in the ratio varied with changes in plankton community composition; hence we refer to Chl F/bbp as an "optical community index". The index varied by more than a factor of 2, with low values associated with pico- and nanophytoplankton and high values associated with diatom-dominated phytoplankton communities. Observed changes in the optical index were driven by taxa-specific chlorophyll-to-autotrophic carbon ratios and by physiological changes in Chl F associated with the silica limitation. A Lagrangian mixed-layer float and four Seagliders, operating continuously for 2 months, made similar measurements of the optical community index and followed the evolution and later demise of the diatom spring bloom. Temporal changes in optical community index and, by implication, the transition in community composition from diatom to post-diatom bloom communities were not simultaneous over the spatial domain surveyed by the ship, float and gliders. The ratio of simple optical properties measured from autonomous platforms, when carefully validated, provides a unique tool for studying phytoplankton patchiness on extended temporal scales and ecologically relevant spatial scales and should offer new insights into the processes regulating patchiness.

Bloom Story: reconstructing historical cyanobacterial communities in six contrasting New Zealand lakes

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Maïlys Picard ◽  
Xavier Pochon ◽  
Andrew Rees ◽  
Jamie Howarth ◽  
Marc Schallenberg ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
New Zealand ◽  
Dna Analysis ◽  
Anthropogenic Activities ◽  
Sediment Cores ◽  
Geographic Location ◽  
Environmental Dna ◽  
Digital Pcr ◽  
Cyanobacterial Blooms ◽  
Key Drivers ◽  
Over Time

<p>Anthropogenic nutrient enrichment, hydrological modifications, and introduced species are contributing to an increase in the frequency and intensity of cyanobacterial blooms. This study aimed to document the evolution of cyanobacterial assemblages over time and explore the drivers of cyanobacterial blooms. Environmental DNA was extracted from sediment cores dating back approximately 1,000-years collected from six New Zealand lakes (Rotoehu, Pounui, Wairarapa, Paringa, Johnson, Hayes). Samples were analysed using cyanobacterial 16S rRNA metabarcoding and droplet digital PCR. Picocyanobacteria had the highest relative abundance. Marked shifts in species composition were observed over time but species varied between lakes. Marked shifts in total abundance (from ddPCR data) were observed through time in all lakes, and the metabarcoding data revealed these abundances to be bloom-forming taxa only in impacted lakes. Historical cyanobacterial communities seemed to be mostly influenced by anthropogenic activities and the geographic location of the lakes. Comparison with other paleolimnological proxies suggests land-use and non-native fish as key drivers in species and abundance shifts. Sedimentary environmental DNA analysis can complement traditional paleo-approaches, and provide novel information on microbial communities, and new insights into causes and consequences of cyanobacterial blooms.</p>

Wildfire impacts on phytoplankton communities of three small lakes on the Boreal Plain, Alberta, Canada: a paleolimnological study

2003 ◽  
Vol 60 (5) ◽  
pp. 584-593 ◽  
Author(s):  
T Charette ◽  
E E Prepas
Keyword(s):  
High Performance Liquid Chromatography ◽  
Liquid Chromatography ◽  
High Performance ◽  
Phytoplankton Community ◽  
Sedimentary Pigments ◽  
Small Lakes ◽  
Headwater Lakes ◽  
Phytoplankton Communities ◽  
Β Carotene ◽  
Cyanobacterial Biomass

Quantification of sedimentary pigments with high performance liquid chromatography enabled the examination of changes in phytoplankton community indicators after wildfire in three lakes on the Boreal Plain with 50-year sediment chronologies. The response of phytoplankton indicators to wildfire was strongest in the shallow Lake B19, with post-fire increased concentrations of β-carotene (all phytoplankton), cyanobacterial pigments (echinenone, canthaxanthin), and lutein (chlorophytes) (p < 0.05). In the relatively deep headwater Lake B3, the indicator for all phytoplankton was not different after fire (p = 0.3), but important changes occurred in the phytoplankton community for 4 years after fire. The concentrations of cyanobacterial (echinenone, myxoxanthophyll) and diatoms + chrysophytes (fucoxanthin) indicators were higher and lower (p < 0.05), respectively, after fire. The relatively deep and non-headwater Lake B4 was little impacted by fire. An increase in cyanobacterial biomass after fire is most likely to occur in shallow headwater lakes on the Boreal Plain.

Differences between Nearshore and Offshore Phytoplankton Communities in Lake Ontario

1987 ◽  
Vol 44 (12) ◽  
pp. 2155-2163 ◽  
Author(s):  
I. M. Gray
Keyword(s):  
Chlorophyll A ◽  
Phytoplankton Biomass ◽  
Algal Biomass ◽  
Phytoplankton Community ◽  
Seasonal Pattern ◽  
Principal Component ◽  
Lake Ontario ◽  
Dominant Group ◽  
Phytoplankton Communities ◽  
Eutrophic Species

Differences between nearshore and offshore phytoplankton biomass and composition were evident in Lake Ontario in 1982. Phytoplankton biomass was characterized by multiple peaks which ranged over three orders of magnitude. Perhaps as a consequence of the three times higher current velocities at the northshore station, phytoplankton biomass ranged from 0.09 to 9.00 g∙m−3 compared with 0.10 to 2.40 g∙m−3 for the midlake station. Bacillariophyceae was the dominant group at the northshore station until September when Cyanophyta contributed most to the biomass (83%). Although Bacillariophyceae was the principal component of the spring phytoplankton community at the midlake station, phytoflagellates (49%) and Chlorophyceae (25%) were responsible for summer biomass, with the Chlorophyceae expanding to 80% in the fall. The seasonal pattern of epilimnetic chlorophyll a correlated with temperature. While chlorophyll a concentrations were similar to values from 1970 and 1972, algal biomass had declined and a number of eutrophic species (Melosira binderana, Stephanodiscus tenuis, S. hantzschii var. pusilla, and S. alpinus) previously found were absent in 1982.

QuEChERS with ultrasound-assisted extraction combined with high-performance liquid chromatography for the determination of 16 polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons in sediment

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ling Wu ◽  
Qiurong He ◽  
Jing Zhang ◽  
Yongxin Li ◽  
Weiqing Yang ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
High Performance Liquid Chromatography ◽  
Liquid Chromatography ◽  
Aromatic Hydrocarbons ◽  
High Performance ◽  
Ultrasound Assisted Extraction ◽  
Sediment Samples ◽  
Assisted Extraction ◽  
Polycyclic Aromatic ◽  
Ultrasound Assisted

Abstract Background Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) have attracted worldwide attention due to their carcinogenic, teratogenic and mutagenic effects, environmental persistence and bioaccumulation characteristics. Therefore, the sensitive, reliable and rapid detection of PAHs in sediment is of great importance. Objective To develop a high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) with fluorescence and ultraviolet detection after QuEChERS treatment for simultaneous determination of 16 U.S. Environmental Protection Agency priority PAHs in sediment samples. Methods The samples were ultrasonically extracted with acetone and then the supernatant was purified with a modified QuEChERS method. After centrifugation, the supernatant was injected into the HPLC system for analysis. The separation was accomplished on a ZORBAX Eclipse PAH column (150 × 4.6 mm, 3.5 μm) and the column temperature was set at 30 °C. The flow rate of the mobile phase consisting of water and acetonitrile in gradient elution mode was fixed at 0.9 mL/min. Detection was conducted on an ultraviolet detector and a fluorescence detector simultaneously. The qualitative analysis was based on retention time and the quantification was based on standard curves. Results Under the optimal conditions, this method showed good linearities in the range of 10–200 μg/L with correlation coefficients greater than 0.9993. The method had the limits of detection (LODs) ranging from 0.00108 to 0.314 ng/g. The mean recoveries ranged from 78.4 to 117% with the intra-day and inter-day relative standard deviations (RSDs) of 0.592–10.7 and 1.01–13.0%, respectively. The proposed method was successfully applied to the detection of 16 PAHs in sediment samples collected from the Funan River in Chengdu, China with the total contents of 431 to 2143 ng/g·dw. Conclusions The established method is simple, rapid, environment-friendly and cost- effective. It can be applied to the analysis of 16 PAHs in sediment samples. Highlights A method of QuEChERS with ultrasound-assisted extraction combined with HPLC has been established for the analysis of 16 PAHs in sediment samples and the proposed method has been successfully applied to the analysis PAHs in real sediment samples.

scholarly journals Phytoplankton community composition in the south-eastern Black Sea determined with pigments measured by HPLC-CHEMTAX analyses and microscopy cell counts

2014 ◽  
Vol 95 (1) ◽  
pp. 35-52 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ertugrul Agirbas ◽  
Ali Muzaffer Feyzioglu ◽  
Ulgen Kopuz ◽  
Carole A. Llewellyn
Keyword(s):  
Black Sea ◽  
High Performance ◽  
Phytoplankton Community ◽  
Phytoplankton Community Structure ◽  
The South ◽  
Coastal Station ◽  
Chl A ◽  
South Eastern ◽  
Cell Counts ◽  
Offshore Station

The phytoplankton community structure and abundance in the south-eastern Black Sea was measured from February to December 2009 using and comparing high performance liquid chromatography pigment and microscopy analyses. The phytoplankton community was characterized by diatoms, dinoflagellates and coccolithophores, as revealed by both techniques. Fucoxanthin, diadinoxanthin, peridinin and 19′-hexanoyloxyfucoxanthin were the main accessory pigments showing significant correlation with diatom-C r2 = 0.56–0.71, P < 0.05), diatom-C (r2 = 0.85–0.91, P < 0.001), dinoflagellate-C (r2 = 0.39–0.88, P < 0.05) and coccolithophore-C (r2 = 0.80–0.71, P < 0.05), respectively. Microscopy counts indicated a total of 89 species, 71% of which were dinoflagellates, 23% were diatoms and 6% other species (mainly coccolithophores). Pigment-CHEMTAX analysis also indicated the presence of pico- and nanoplankton. Phytoplankton carbon (phyto-C) concentrations were highest in the upper water column, whereas chlorophyll-a (Chl-a) showed a deep maximum. Average phyto-C was higher at the coastal station (291 ± 66 µg l−1) than at the offshore station (258 ± 35 µg l−1), not statistically different (P > 0.05). The coastal station also had higher Chl-a concentrations (0.52–3.83 µg l−1) compared to the offshore station (0.63–2.55 µg l−1), not significant (P > 0.05). Our results are consistent with other studies and indicate that the southern Black Sea is shifting towards mesotrophy with the increasing prevalence of dinoflagellates compared to diatoms.

Factors influencing the growth of Mougeotia in experimentally acidified mesocosms

2000 ◽  
Vol 57 (3) ◽  
pp. 538-547 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jennifer L Klug ◽  
Janet M Fischer
Keyword(s):  
Inorganic Carbon ◽  
Phytoplankton Community ◽  
Dissolved Inorganic Carbon ◽  
Abiotic Factors ◽  
Minor Role ◽  
Little Rock ◽  
Factors Associated ◽  
Phytoplankton Communities ◽  
Mesocosm Experiments ◽  
Potential Factors

Acidification causes profound changes in species composition in aquatic systems. We conducted mesocosm experiments in three northern Wisconsin lakes (Trout Lake, Little Rock - Reference, Little Rock - Treatment) to test how different phytoplankton communities respond to acidification. Major differences exist among these lakes in water chemistry and phytoplankton community composition. In each lake, three pH treatments (control, press (sustained pH 4.7), and pulse (alternating pH 4.7 and ambient pH)) were maintained for 6 weeks. We observed a striking increase in species in the genus Mougeotia in all systems. Mougeotia is a filamentous green alga often found in acidified lakes. The magnitude of the Mougeotia increase differed among lakes and treatments, and we used an autoregressive model to identify potential factors responsible for these differences. Our results suggest that biotic factors such as competition with other algae played a relatively minor role in regulating Mougeotia dynamics. Instead, pH and abiotic factors associated with changes in pH (e.g., dissolved inorganic carbon) were important predictors of Mougeotia dynamics.

scholarly journals Timing of sea ice retreat can alter phytoplankton community structure in the western Arctic Ocean

2014 ◽  
Vol 11 (7) ◽  
pp. 1705-1716 ◽  
Author(s):  
A. Fujiwara ◽  
T. Hirawake ◽  
K. Suzuki ◽  
I. Imai ◽  
S.-I. Saitoh
Keyword(s):  
Community Structure ◽  
Sea Ice ◽  
Arctic Ocean ◽  
Phytoplankton Community ◽  
Phytoplankton Community Structure ◽  
Western Arctic Ocean ◽  
Phytoplankton Communities ◽  
Ice Retreat ◽  
Western Arctic ◽  
Sea Ice Retreat

Abstract. This study assesses the response of phytoplankton assemblages to recent climate change, especially with regard to the shrinking of sea ice in the northern Chukchi Sea of the western Arctic Ocean. Distribution patterns of phytoplankton groups in the late summers of 2008–2010 were analysed based on HPLC pigment signatures and, the following four major algal groups were inferred via multiple regression and cluster analyses: prasinophytes, diatoms, haptophytes and dinoflagellates. A remarkable interannual difference in the distribution pattern of the groups was found in the northern basin area. Haptophytes dominated and dispersed widely in warm surface waters in 2008, whereas prasinophytes dominated in cold water in 2009 and 2010. A difference in the onset date of sea ice retreat was evident among years–the sea ice retreat in 2008 was 1–2 months earlier than in 2009 and 2010. The spatial distribution of early sea ice retreat matched the areas in which a shift in algal community composition was observed. Steel-Dwass's multiple comparison tests were used to assess the physical, chemical and biological parameters of the four clusters. We found a statistically significant difference in temperature between the haptophyte-dominated cluster and the other clusters, suggesting that the change in the phytoplankton communities was related to the earlier sea ice retreat in 2008 and the corollary increase in sea surface temperatures. Longer periods of open water during the summer, which are expected in the future, may affect food webs and biogeochemical cycles in the western Arctic due to shifts in phytoplankton community structure.

scholarly journals Feeding patterns in Eubranchipus grubii (Dybowski 1860) (Branchiopoda: Anostraca) and its potential influence on the phytoplankton communities of vernal pools

2018 ◽  
Vol 77 (2) ◽  
Author(s):  
Sofia Celewicz ◽  
Michał Jan Czyż ◽  
Bartłomiej Gołdyn
Keyword(s):  
Cell Volume ◽  
Phytoplankton Community ◽  
Grazing Pressure ◽  
Potential Influence ◽  
Filter Feeder ◽  
Algal Communities ◽  
Phytoplankton Communities ◽  
Fairy Shrimps ◽  
The Mean ◽  
And Control

Filtration patterns in the fairy shrimp Eubranchipus grubii were analysed under laboratory conditions using water containing phytoplankton from their actual locality in western Poland. After 48 hours of feeding, we compared the structure of algal communities in water samples in treatments with males, females and control. The mean filtration rate for E. grubii was relatively high (14,488 mL h-1) in comparison to other crustacean filter feeders and was higher for females than for males. Fairy shrimps grazed effectively on all 11 dominant phytoplankton taxa and there was no sign of overall preferences with regard to taxon, cell volume, length or shape. Female fairy shrimps removed significantly more cells of three taxa (Cryptomonas erosa, C. ovata and Trachelomonas volvocina). The differences between sexes did not depend on the cell volume or length of particular phytoplankton taxa but were significantly related to their initial abundance, initial biomass and shape. The higher the abundance and biomass of the algal taxa, the more intensively it was grazed by females than by males. Females were also observed to graze more on spherical and elongated cells. In conclusion, our results show E. grubii to be an effective, generalist filter feeder capable of significantly influencing the phytoplankton community of a vernal pool. Possible implications of such grazing pressure are also discussed.

Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document