Cyanobacterial blooms in oligotrophic lakes: Shifting the high‐nutrient paradigm

Reinl, Kaitlin L.; Brookes, Justin D.; Carey, Cayelan C.; Harris, Theodore D.; Ibelings, Bastiaan Willem; Morales‐Williams, Ana M.; Domis, Lisette de Senerpont; Atkins, Karen; Isles, Peter D. F.; Mesman, Jorrit P.; North, Rebecca L.; Rudstam, Lars G.; Stelzer, Julio Alberto Alegre; Venkiteswaran, Jason J.; Yokota, Kiyoko; Zhan, Qing

doi:10.1111/fwb.13791

Cited by 81 publications

(60 citation statements)

References 139 publications

(199 reference statements)

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Order By: Relevance

“…These taxa are normally rare but occasionally become highly abundant when environmental conditions permit. Indeed, cyanobacteria are known to be able to remain dormant in unfavorable conditions with periodical increases in abundance and the formation of blooms within freshwater systems when conditions are preferable ( Reinl et al, 2021 ). Previous studies investigating freshwater phytoplankton, including cyanobacteria, have shown that local environmental processes predominantly drive biodiversity patterns with spatial patterns contributing to a lesser extent ( Stomp et al, 2011 ; Touzet et al, 2013 ; Wood et al, 2017 ).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

The Role of Environmental Processes and Geographic Distance in Regulating Local and Regionally Abundant and Rare Bacterioplankton in Lakes

et al. 2022

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Bacteria are vital components of lake systems, driving a variety of biogeochemical cycles and ecosystem services. Bacterial communities have been shown to have a skewed distribution with a few abundant species and a large number of rare species. The contribution of environmental processes or geographic distance in structuring these components is uncertain. The discrete nature of lakes provides an ideal test case to investigate microbial biogeographical patterns. In the present study, we used 16S rRNA gene metabarcoding to examine the distribution patterns on local and regional scales of abundant and rare planktonic bacteria across 167 New Zealand lakes covering broad environmental gradients. Only a few amplicon sequence variants (ASVs) were abundant with a higher proportion of rare ASVs. The proportion of locally abundant ASVs was negatively correlated with the percentage of high productivity grassland in the catchment and positively with altitude. Regionally rare ASVs had a restricted distribution and were only found in one or a few lakes. In general, regionally abundant ASVs had higher occupancy rates, although there were some with restricted occupancy. Environmental processes made a higher contribution to structuring the regionally abundant community, while geographic distances were more important for regionally rare ASVs. A better understanding of the processes structuring the abundance and distribution of bacterial communities within lakes will assist in understand microbial biogeography and in predicting how these communities might shift with environmental change.

show abstract

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

The Role of Environmental Processes and Geographic Distance in Regulating Local and Regionally Abundant and Rare Bacterioplankton in Lakes

et al. 2022

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…forming a DCM). The option of nitrogen fixation in phytoplankton is another feature which might improve model performance in stratified or oligotrophic lakes, where nitrogen limitation can be important (Reinl et al, 2021).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Water Ecosystems Tool (WET) 0.1.0 – a new generation of flexible aquatic ecosystem model

Schnedler‐Meyer

Andersen

et al. 2022

Preprint

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Abstract. We present the Water Ecosystems Tool (WET) – a new generation of an open source, highly customizable aquatic ecosystem model. WET is a completely modularized aquatic ecosystem model, developed in the syntax of the Framework for Aquatic Biogeochemical Models (FABM), which enables coupling to multiple physical models ranging from zero to three dimensions, and is based on the FABM-PCLake model. The WET model has been extensively modularized, empowering users with flexibility of food web configurations, and also incorporates model features from other state-of-the-art models, with new options for nitrogen fixation and vertical migration. With the new structure, features and flexible customization options, WET is suitable in a wide range of aquatic ecosystem applications. We demonstrate these new features and their impacts on model behavior for a temperate lake for which a model calibration of the FABM-PCLake model was previously published, and discuss the benefits of the new model.

show abstract

“…Climate change therefore is not likely to have much impact on bloom formation in oligotrophic waterbodies. Nonetheless, in very large oligotrophic waterbodies transient surface films can recruit themselves from the large water volume and, under certain conditions, accumulate to dense scums with potentially hazardous concentrations of cyanotoxins [45]. Further exceptions, discussed in Section 3.3, include cyanobacteria that grow on surfaces (including macrophytes), as well as metalimnetic layers in deep, stratified lakes, particularly Planktotrhix rubescens.…”

Section: Climate Change Is Not Likely To Exacerbate Blooms In Oligotrophic and Oligo-mesotrophic Waterbodiesmentioning

confidence: 99%

Cyanobacteria and Cyanotoxins in a Changing Environment: Concepts, Controversies, Challenges

Chorus

Fastner

Welker³

2021

Water

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Concern is widely being published that the occurrence of toxic cyanobacteria is increasing in consequence of climate change and eutrophication, substantially threatening human health. Here, we review evidence and pertinent publications to explore in which types of waterbodies climate change is likely to exacerbate cyanobacterial blooms; whether controlling blooms and toxin concentrations requires a balanced approach of reducing not only the concentrations of phosphorus (P) but also those of nitrogen (N); how trophic and climatic changes affect health risks caused by toxic cyanobacteria. We propose the following for further discussion: (i) Climate change is likely to promote blooms in some waterbodies—not in those with low concentrations of P or N stringently limiting biomass, and more so in shallow than in stratified waterbodies. Particularly in the latter, it can work both ways—rendering conditions for cyanobacterial proliferation more favourable or less favourable. (ii) While N emissions to the environment need to be reduced for a number of reasons, controlling blooms can definitely be successful by reducing only P, provided concentrations of P can be brought down to levels sufficiently low to stringently limit biomass. Not the N:P ratio, but the absolute concentration of the limiting nutrient determines the maximum possible biomass of phytoplankton and thus of cyanobacteria. The absolute concentrations of N or P show which of the two nutrients is currently limiting biomass. N can be the nutrient of choice to reduce if achieving sufficiently low concentrations has chances of success. (iii) Where trophic and climate change cause longer, stronger and more frequent blooms, they increase risks of exposure, and health risks depend on the amount by which concentrations exceed those of current WHO cyanotoxin guideline values for the respective exposure situation. Where trophic change reduces phytoplankton biomass in the epilimnion, thus increasing transparency, cyanobacterial species composition may shift to those that reside on benthic surfaces or in the metalimnion, changing risks of exposure. We conclude that studying how environmental changes affect the genotype composition of cyanobacterial populations is a relatively new and exciting research field, holding promises for understanding the biological function of the wide range of metabolites found in cyanobacteria, of which only a small fraction is toxic to humans. Overall, management needs case-by-case assessments focusing on the impacts of environmental change on the respective waterbody, rather than generalisations.

show abstract

Cyanobacterial blooms in oligotrophic lakes: Shifting the high‐nutrient paradigm

Cited by 81 publications

References 139 publications

The Role of Environmental Processes and Geographic Distance in Regulating Local and Regionally Abundant and Rare Bacterioplankton in Lakes

The Role of Environmental Processes and Geographic Distance in Regulating Local and Regionally Abundant and Rare Bacterioplankton in Lakes

Water Ecosystems Tool (WET) 0.1.0 – a new generation of flexible aquatic ecosystem model

Cyanobacteria and Cyanotoxins in a Changing Environment: Concepts, Controversies, Challenges

Contact Info

Product

Resources

About