Impact of atypical ammonium concentrations on phytoplankton abundance and composition in fresh versus estuarine waters

Esparza, M.; Farrell, Ann E.; Craig, Douglas J.; Swanson, Curt; Dhaliwal, Bhupinder S.; Berg, Gry Mine

doi:10.3354/ab00588

Cited by 12 publications

(6 citation statements)

References 51 publications

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“…Of the bottom-up factors that could negatively impact phytoplankton growth, the two that have received the most attention are excessive ammonium (NH 4 + ) build-up from wastewater effluent (Dugdale et al 2007, Parker et al 2012, Esparza et al 2014, Kraus et al 2017 and light limitation due to high turbidity (Cole & Cloern 1984, 1987, Alpine & Cloern 1988. These factors are linked in that light limitation, resulting in low levels of primary productivity and biomass, allows dissolved nutrients to accumulate in the water column.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Effects of nitrogen source, concentration, and irradiance on growth rates of two diatoms endemic to northern San Francisco Bay

Berg¹,

Driscoll²,

Hayashi³

et al. 2019

Aquat. Biol.

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Impacts on growth rates from exposure to ammonium (NH 4 +) and nitrate (NO 3 −), at non-limiting concentrations, in combination with irradiances varying from 25 to 600 µmol photons m −2 s −1 were investigated in the pelagic diatom Thalassiosira weisflogii and the benthic diatom Entomoneis paludosa recently isolated from Suisun Bay in northern San Francisco Bay. Growth rates were higher in T. weisflogii (0.76 ± 0.3 d −1) compared with E. paludosa (0.58 ± 0.2 d −1) across all irradiances and nitrogen (N) treatments. Differences in growth rates with N source were regulated by irradiance in both diatoms and were greatest at the intermediate irradiance due to saturation of rates at 85 µmol photons m −2 s −1 when growing on NH 4 + and at 200 µmol photons m −2 s −1 when growing on NO 3 −. Notable physiological differences between these 2 diatoms included a larger range in the quantum yield of photosystem II (F v /F m) and in chlorophyll a per cell as a function of irradiance in T. weissflogii compared with E. paludosa. In addition, a negative interaction of high NH 4 + concentration (1000 µmol l −1) and irradiance (≥200 µmol photons m −2 s −1) was observed on growth rates in E. paludosa that was not evident in T. weissflogii. Differences in physiological parameters of these diatoms are discussed in relation to their distributions and frequency of occurrence in Suisun Bay.

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Effects of nitrogen source, concentration, and irradiance on growth rates of two diatoms endemic to northern San Francisco Bay

Berg¹,

Driscoll²,

Hayashi³

et al. 2019

Aquat. Biol.

Self Cite

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“…Cyanobacteria (blue‐green algae) are less nutritious, and some species may produce toxins (Chorus and Bartram , Lehman et al ). However, laboratory‐based studies also suggest that phytoplankton responses to the availability of

{NH}_{4}^{+}

vs.

{NO}_{3}^{-}

can vary among species or even within a single species, depending on growing conditions and other factors (e.g., Donald et al , Cloern and Jassby , Donald et al , Zhang et al , Cloern et al , Collos and Harrison , Esparza et al ).…”

mentioning

confidence: 99%

A river‐scale Lagrangian experiment examining controls on phytoplankton dynamics in the presence and absence of treated wastewater effluent high in ammonium

Kraus

Carpenter

Bergamaschi

et al. 2017

Limnology & Oceanography

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Phytoplankton are critical component of the food web in most large rivers and estuaries, and thus identifying dominant controls on phytoplankton abundance and species composition is important to scientists, managers, and policymakers. Recent studies from a variety of systems indicate that ammonium (NH 1 4 ) in treated wastewater effluent decreases primary production and alters phytoplankton species composition. However, these findings are based mainly on laboratory and enclosure studies, which may not adequately represent natural systems. To test effects of effluent high in ammonium on phytoplankton at the ecosystem scale, we conducted whole-river-scale experiments by halting discharges to the Sacramento River from the regional wastewater treatment plant (WWTP), and used a Lagrangian approach to compare changes in phytoplankton abundance and species composition in the presence (1EFF) and absence (2EFF) of effluent. Over 5 d of downstream travel from 20 km above to 50 km below the WWTP, chlorophyll concentrations declined from 15-25 to 2.5 lg L 21 , irrespective of effluent addition. Benthic diatoms were dominant in most samples. We found no significant difference in phytoplankton abundance or species composition between 1EFF and 2EFF conditions. Moreover, greatest declines in chlorophyll occurred upstream of the WWTP where NH 1 4 concentrations were low. Grazing by clams and zooplankton could not account for observed losses, suggesting other factors such as hydrodynamics and light limitation were responsible for phytoplankton declines. These results highlight the advantages of conducting ecosystem-scale, Lagrangian-based experiments to understand the dynamic and complex interplay between physical, chemical, and biological factors that control phytoplankton populations.

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“…Two other studies of direct relevance to the planned upgrades to WTPs were conducted by Esparza et al (2014) and Kraus et al (2017). The first study showed no inhibition of diatoms after acute exposure to ammonium (> 1000 µmol ammonium compared to background concentrations of ~2 µmol ammonium), and, in fact, ammonium strongly stimulated diatom growth.…”

Section: Nutrient Concentrations and Formsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Status, Trends, and Drivers of Harmful Algal Blooms Along the Freshwater-to-Marine Gradient in the San Francisco Bay–Delta System

Kudela¹,

Howard²,

Monismith³

et al. 2023

SFEWS

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Harmful algal blooms (HABs) are on the rise worldwide. Known drivers for the proliferation and intensification of HAB events include increasing nutrient pollution, climate change, regulation and modification of hydrological flow, and the combined effect of climate drivers and nutrient pollution. The San Francisco Bay–Delta system has largely been immune to severe or acute HAB events, but there is both a potential and realized threat which has been underestimated and under-reported, in part because of the lack of coordinated sampling and data reporting. There is also increasing evidence that HABs must be considered in the context of a freshwater-to-marine continuum, and that the physical and political boundaries separating components of the Bay–Delta system are porous barriers to HABs and their toxins. Much remains to be learned about the ecology and physiology of HAB organisms in this system, but five primary environmental drivers can be identified: temperature, salinity, irradiance, nutrients, and stratification/residence time. All these drivers are responding rapidly to climate change, but nutrients are the primary variable that is largely under human control. Plans for the development of a comprehensive monitoring, prediction, and mitigation strategy across the freshwater-to-marine continuum have been documented; effectively following through on these plans provides a roadmap toward identifying the drivers and threats—and reducing the potential consequences now and in the future. While HABs alone are not a sufficient motivator for potentially costly and extensive mitigation efforts, there is strong evidence that decreasing nutrient loads, maintaining hydrological connectivity while minimizing stagnant regions, and managing the biota to maintain biodiversity of the Bay–Delta system will result in multiple co-benefits, including reduction of the HAB threat potential.

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Impact of atypical ammonium concentrations on phytoplankton abundance and composition in fresh versus estuarine waters

Cited by 12 publications

References 51 publications

Effects of nitrogen source, concentration, and irradiance on growth rates of two diatoms endemic to northern San Francisco Bay

Effects of nitrogen source, concentration, and irradiance on growth rates of two diatoms endemic to northern San Francisco Bay

A river‐scale Lagrangian experiment examining controls on phytoplankton dynamics in the presence and absence of treated wastewater effluent high in ammonium

Status, Trends, and Drivers of Harmful Algal Blooms Along the Freshwater-to-Marine Gradient in the San Francisco Bay–Delta System

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