Research note: Identity of the Qingdao algal bloom

In early July 2008, news agencies worldwide reported on a vast algal bloom that was threatening the upcoming Olympic sailing events in Qingdao, China. The identity of the culpable alga, however, remained undiscussed. We have identified the alga that caused the bloom by means of morphological and molecular data, including sequence data of the plastid encoded large subunit ribulose 1,5-bisphosphate carboxylase gene ( rbc L) and the nuclear encoded rDNA internal transcribed spacer (ITS) region. The bloom-forming alga falls within the morphological limits of the green seaweed Ulva prolifera O.F. Müller (' Enteromorpha prolifera (O.F. Müller) J. Agardh') but our phylogenetic analyses show that it forms a clade with representatives of the Ulva linza-procera-prolifera (LPP) complex. The Chinese rbc L sequences are identical to those of specimens collected from Japan, New Zealand, Finland and Portugal, suggesting that the taxon is widely distributed. rDNA ITS sequences showed a close affinity with Japanese isolates of the species complex. The Qingdao bloom is a typical illustration of a green tide, which occurs increasingly along several coasts worldwide.     

Reflections on the ballast water dispersal—harmful algal bloom paradigm

The ballast water dispersal—HAB paradigm, increasingly invoked circumstantially to explain puzzling and unaccountable HAB species outbreaks when lacking the multiple tests of confirmation recommended by Bolch and de Salas (2007), is evaluated. The types and examples of natural dispersions and taxon cycles are compared to exotic species bloom behavior linked to ballast water vectoring. The regional spreading, bloom behavior and disjunct distributions of the brown tide pelagophyte Aureococcus anophagefferens and the toxic dinoflagellate Gymnodinium catenatum, attributed to ballast water vectoring, are used as representative examples to evaluate the general application of the ballast water—HAB paradigm and associated interpretative problems. Human-aided emigration has a seeding and colonization ecology that differs from bloom ecology. For self-sustaining blooms to occur, these two ecologies must be accommodated by habitat growth conditions. The three stages that a non-native species must pass through (pioneering, persistence, community entry) to achieve colonization, community maintenance, and to bloom, and the niche-related factors and role of habitat disturbance are discussed. The relevance of cryptic occurrences, cyst deposits, dormancy periods and bloom rhythms of HAB species to their blooms attributed to ballast water-assisted introductions is also sketched. The different forms of HAB species rarity, their impact on the ballast water dispersal—HAB paradigm, and the dispersion and blooms of specialist and generalist HAB species are discussed. The remarkable novel and, often, monospecific blooms of dinoflagellate HAB species are being paralleled by similar eruptive bloom behavior cutting across phylogenetic lines, and being found also in raphidophytes, haptophytes, diatoms, silicoflagellates, etc. These blooms cannot be explained only as seeding events. An ecological release of ‘old barriers’ appears to be occurring generally at coastal bloom sites, i.e. something significant is happening ecologically and embedded within the ballast water—HAB paradigm. There may be a relationship between Life Form type [Smayda, T.J., Reynolds, C.S., 2001. Community assembly in marine phytoplankton: application of recent models to harmful dinoflagellate blooms. J. Plankton Res. 23, 447–461] and mode of expatriation; HAB dinoflagellate species commonly reported to produce ballast water-assisted toxic blooms invariably are members of cyst-producing Life Forms IV, V, VI. Ballast water vectoring of Life Forms I, II, III is rarely reported, even though many produce cysts, and where their novel introductions do occur they are more likely to be ichthyotoxic and vectored in shellfish stock consignments. The relevance of, and need to distinguish between morphospecies and their geographic/ribotype clades are discussed based on the Alexandrium tamarense/catenella/fundyense complex. Morphospecies-level ballast water dispersions are probably minor compared to the dispersal of the different ribotypes (toxic/non-toxic clades) making up HAB morphospecies; the redistribution and admixture of genotypes should be the focus. Ballast water-assisted expatriations impact the global occurrence of HABs through the direct transfer of previously absent species or introduction of genetic strains from the donor habitat that are ecologically favored over resident strains. The hybridization of species may be of potentially greater impact, resulting from the (1) mating of individuals from the donor and recipient habitats, or (2) through the interbreeding of strains introduced from two different donor sites into the recipient site, and whose progeny have greater ecological fitness than indigenous strains. Exceptional ecological changes of some sort appear to be occurring globally which, in combination with the genetically altered ecophysiological behavior of HAB species linked to ballast water dispersion and admixture, underpins the global HAB phenomenon. The impact of ballast water and shellfish transplantation on HABs and phytoplankton community ecology, generally, is considerably greater than the current focus on HAB species distributions, vectoring, and blooms. The methodological, investigative and conceptual potential of the ballast water—HAB paradigm should be exploited by developing a GEOHAB type intiative to advance quantification of global HAB ecology.     

铜锈环棱螺对藻华水体理化指标的影响

采用池塘围隔对比试验的方法,研究了不同密度(392 ind·m^-2、196 ind·m^-2、98 ind·m^-2、0 ind·m^-2)铜锈环棱螺(Bellamyaaeruginosa)对藻华水体主要理化因子的影响.实验从2009年9月14日开始,持续60d.结果显示:环棱螺可以明显提高藻华水体的透明度(SD),实验中、后期,三个处理组围隔水体的SD均能保持在60cm以上,而对照组SD改变不明显,波动于29～40.3cm之间;多数时间内处理组水体的溶解氧(DO)含量都显著低于对照组,说明环棱螺的存在可直接或间接降低水体DO浓度.试验表明,单一投放螺类可有效降低藻华水体的叶绿素a(Chl-a)含量,但难以削减营养盐浓度.实验条件下,围隔水体总氮和正磷酸盐浓度的下降趋势均与螺的密度呈现负相关性(R=-0.9851,p<0.05;R=-0.9678,p<0.05);对SD、DO、pH、Chl-a、NH₄⁺-N、NO₃^--N、PO₄^3--P等7个主要理化指标数据进行了Duncan多重比较分析以及聚类分析,结果显示对照组和处理组在p<0.05水平上均存在显著差异,说明环棱螺的投放能在一定程度上调控水体质量.     

Satellite monitoring of cyanobacterial harmful algal bloom frequency in recreational waters and drinking water sources

Cyanobacterial harmful algal blooms (cyanoHAB) cause extensive problems in lakes worldwide, including human and ecological health risks, anoxia and fish kills, and taste and odor problems. CyanoHABs are a particular concern in both recreational waters and drinking water sources because of their dense biomass and the risk of exposure to toxins. Successful cyanoHAB assessment using satellites may provide an indicator for human and ecological health protection. In this study, methods were developed to assess the utility of satellite technology for detecting cyanoHAB frequency of occurrence at locations of potential management interest. The European Space Agency's MEdium Resolution Imaging Spectrometer (MERIS) was evaluated to prepare for the equivalent series of Sentinel-3 Ocean and Land Colour Imagers (OLCI) launched in 2016 as part of the Copernicus program. Based on the 2012 National Lakes Assessment site evaluation guidelines and National Hydrography Dataset, the continental United States contains 275,897 lakes and reservoirs >1 ha in area. Results from this study show that 5.6% of waterbodies were resolvable by satellites with 300 m single-pixel resolution and 0.7% of waterbodies were resolvable when a three by three pixel (3 × 3-pixel) array was applied based on minimum Euclidian distance from shore. Satellite data were spatially joined to U.S. public water surface intake (PWSI) locations, where single-pixel resolution resolved 57% of the PWSI locations and a 3 × 3-pixel array resolved 33% of the PWSI locations. Recreational and drinking water sources in Florida and Ohio were ranked from 2008 through 2011 by cyanoHAB frequency above the World Health Organization’s (WHO) high threshold for risk of 100,000 cells mL⁻¹. The ranking identified waterbodies with values above the WHO high threshold, where Lake Apopka, FL (99.1%) and Grand Lake St. Marys, OH (83%) had the highest observed bloom frequencies per region. The method presented here may indicate locations with high exposure to cyanoHABs and therefore can be used to assist in prioritizing management resources and actions for recreational and drinking water sources.     

Modeling the impact of awareness on the mitigation of algal bloom in a lake

The proliferation of algal bloom in water bodies due to the enhanced concentration of nutrient inflow is becoming a global issue. A prime reason behind this aquatic catastrophe is agricultural runoff, which carries a large amount of nutrients that make the lakes more fertile and cause algal blooms. The only solution to this problem is curtailing the nutrient loading through agricultural runoff. This could be achieved by raising awareness among farmers to minimize the use of fertilizers in their farms. In view of this, in this paper, we propose a mathematical model to study the effect of awareness among the farmers of the mitigation of algal bloom in a lake. The growth rate of awareness among the farmers is assumed to be proportional to the density of algae in the lake. It is further assumed that the presence of awareness among the farmers reduces the inflow rate of nutrients through agricultural runoff and helps to remove the detritus by cleaning the bottom of the lake. The results evoke that raising awareness among farmers may be a plausible factor for the mitigation of algal bloom in the lake. Numerical simulations identify the most critical parameters that influence the blooms and provide indications to possibly mitigate it.     

铜锈环棱螺对藻华水体沉积物-水界面营养盐通量的影响

于2008年在室内小型试验模拟生态系统中进行了为期1个月的铜锈环棱螺生物干扰对底泥耗氧率和上覆水营养盐通量的影响试验,根据铜锈环棱螺放养密度设置了3个处理组和1个对照组。与试验前相比,培养1个月后,所有处理组和对照组的底泥耗氧率均显著下降;各处理组的底泥耗氧率初期高于对照组,后期低于对照组,且密度高的处理组其底泥耗氧率高于密度低的处理组。除12月7日外,对照组沉积物始终向上覆水释放铵氮,且释放量逐渐减小,而各处理组中,除试验初期沉积物向上覆水释放铵氮外,试验中后期均表现为吸收铵氮。除试验初期外,处理组和对照组中亚硝酸盐+硝酸盐通量主要表现为向上覆水中释放,且处理组1与对照组间存在显著差异(P<0.05)。磷酸盐通量主要表现为,试验初期沉积物向上覆水中释放,后期被沉积物吸收。本试验结果表明,短期内铜锈环棱螺的生物干扰增加了底泥耗氧率,但其长期效应可使底泥耗氧率下降,铜锈环棱螺的存在促进了沉积物中的总体硝化速率,加快了沉积物中的N循环。     

In situ and satellite observations of a harmful algal bloom and water condition at the Pearl River estuary in late autumn 1998

Harmful algal blooms (HABs) have posed a serious threat to the aquaculture and fisheries industries in recent years, especially in Asia. During 1998 there were several particularly serious blooms in the coastal waters of south China, which caused a serious damage to aquaculture. We report a massive dinoflagellate bloom near the mouth of Pearl River in November 1998 with analyses of data from both in situ sea water measurements and satellites. A multi-parameter environmental mapping system was used to obtain real-time measurements of water quality properties and wind data through the algal bloom area, which allow us to compare water measurements from inside and outside of the bloom areas. This bloom with high concentrations of algal cells was evident as a series of red colored parallel bands of surface water that were 100–300 m long and 10–30 m wide with a total area of about 20–30 km² by visual. The algal density reached 3.8×10⁷ cells l⁻¹ and the surface chlorophyll-a (Chl-a) concentration was high. The algal species has been identified as Gymnodinium cf. catenatum Graham. The water column in the bloom area was stratified, where the surface temperature was 24–25 °C, the salinity was 18–20%, and the northern wind was about 3–4 m s⁻¹ in the bloom area. The SeaWiFS image has shown high Chl-a area coinciding with the bloom area. The sea surface temperature (SST) image of the Pearl River estuary combined with the in situ measurements indicated that the bloom occurred along a mixing front between cooler lower salinity river water and warmer higher saline South China Sea (SCS) water.     

Intensive outdoor algal cultures: How mixing enhances the photosynthetic production rate

Experiments were carried out to define the effect of mixing upon primary productivity. The method compares the production of a water column with ¹⁴C-labelled samples (i) along a classic vertical profile and (ii) with a rotating system moving between the surface and the bottom of the pond, which was 0·5 m deep. In all the experiments, photosynthesis was best in the moving flask. The effect of mixing is particularly important at sunrise and sunset hours: the vertical photosynthetic budget may be over 2·5 times that of homogeneous non-turbulent water. These results have clear implications for monitoring intensive outdoor algal cultures.     

Protist assemblages in winter sea ice: setting the stage for the spring ice algal bloom

This study documents, for the first time, the abundance and species composition of protist assemblages in Arctic sea ice during the dark winter period. Lack of knowledge of sea-ice assemblages during the dark period has left questions about the retention and survival of protist species that initiate the ice algal bloom. Sea-ice and surface water samples were collected between December 27, 2007 and January 31, 2008 within the Cape Bathurst flaw lead, Canadian Beaufort Sea. Samples were analyzed for protist identification and counts, chlorophyll (chl) a, and total particulate carbon and nitrogen concentrations. Sea-ice chl a concentrations (max. 0.27 μg l⁻¹) and total protist abundances (max. 4 × 10³ cells l⁻¹) were very low, indicating minimal retention of protists in the ice during winter. The diversity of winter ice protists (134 taxa) was comparable to spring ice assemblages. Pennate diatoms dominated the winter protist assemblage numerically (averaging 77% of total protist abundances), with Nitzschia frigida being the most abundant species. Only 56 taxa were identified in surface waters, where dinoflagellates were the dominant group. Our results indicate that differences in the timing of ice formation may have a greater impact on the abundance than structure of protist assemblages present in winter sea ice and at the onset of the spring ice algal bloom.     

AFLP fingerprinting shows that a single Prymnesium parvum harmful algal bloom consists of multiple clones

Due to slow rates of molecular evolution, DNA sequences used to identify and build phylogenies of algal species involved in harmful algal blooms (HABs) are generally invariant at the intraspecific level. This means that it is unknown whether HAB events result from the growth of a single clone, a few dominant clones, or multiple clones. This is true despite the fact that several physiological and demographic traits, as well as toxicity, are known to vary across clones. We generated AFLP fingerprints from a set of 6 clonal isolates, taken from a bloom of Prymnesium parvum at a striped bass mariculture facility. This new haptophyte bloom was recently implicated in fish kills at several sites in the United States. The AFLP fragments were highly reproducible and showed that all isolates were distinguishable due to abundant AFLPs unique to single isolates. These results demonstrate that blooms can be genetically diverse outbreaks and indicate that AFLP can be a powerful molecular tool for characterizing and monitoring this diversity.     

Three-year study of benthic algal spring bloom development in a small, Danish lowland stream

Seasonal development of benthic algae was studied over a three-year period in a small, nutrient-rich lowland stream to investigate inter-annual variation in the algal spring bloom and differences in algal biomass regulation on two different substrata: fine-grained sediments and stones. The algal spring bloom was initiated when irradiance at the sediment surface exceeded 7 mol photons m^-2 d^-1 and mean water velocity was concomitantly below the threshold for bed load transport in the stream. Large inter-annual and substratum-dependent differences in peak algal biomass were observed, thus suggesting that different parameters regulate algal biomass development on the two substrata. On fine-grained sediments algal biomass development was predominantly coupled to light availability, while on stony substrata algal composition and peak biomass might be affected by invertebrate grazing.     

The kinetics of algal photoadaptation in the context of vertical mixing

The responses of phytoplankton to turbulent motions in the surfacemixed layer can be measured to estimate the rate of verticalmixing. If the time scale for the response (photoadaptation)is shorter than that for vertical mixing, phytoplankton willexhibit a vertical gradient associated with adaptation to ambientlight, whereas if mixing occurs with a time scale shorter thanthat of photoadaptation, the surface mixed layer will be uniformwith respect to the photoadaptive parameter. To examine thephysiological bases for a model of vertical mixing and photoadaptation,we grew the marine diatom Thalassiosira pseudonana (clone 3H)at three photon flux densities and subjected the cultures toreciprocal light shifts, measuring physiological and chemicalchanges over the following 10 h. Several parameters, easilymeasured in nature and attributable primarily to phytoplankton,responded to fluctuating light on different time scales. Aftercultures were exposed to relatively bright light, both the initialslope of the photosynthesis-irradiance curve and in vivo fluorescencewere depressed on a time scale of less than an hour. Photosyntheticcapacity was also reduced transiently, but recovered over manyhours to a high level characteristic of an adapted state. First-orderkinetics (the current model of choice for describing photoadaptation)reasonably described the rapid responses of phytoplankton tobright light, but other parameters (i.e. cellular chemical compositionand photosynthetic capacity) changed as a result of unbalancedgrowth and required much longer to adapt from low to high lightas compared to from high to low light. A logistic model of thisadaptation is presented. The model suggests that hysteresisof adaptation during vertical mixing may have important consequences.The vertical distributions of photoadaptive properties in mixedlayers not only reveal the rate of vertical mixing, but showhow phytoplankton integrate environmental fluctuations.     

Prorocentrum minimum (Pavillard) Schiller: A review of a harmful algal bloom species of growing worldwide importance

Prorocentrum minimum (Pavillard) Schiller, a common, neritic, bloom-forming dinoflagellate, is the cause of harmful blooms in many estuarine and coastal environments. Among harmful algal bloom species, P. minimum is important for the following reasons: it is widely distributed geographically in temperate and subtropical waters; it is potentially harmful to humans via shellfish poisoning; it has detrimental effects at both the organismal and environmental levels; blooms appear to be undergoing a geographical expansion over the past several decades; and, a relationship appears to exist between blooms of this species and increasing coastal eutrophication. Although shellfish toxicity with associated human impacts has been attributed to P. minimum blooms from a variety of coastal environments (Japan; France; Norway; Netherlands; New York, USA), only clones isolated from the Mediterranean coast of France, and shellfish exposed to P. minimum blooms in this area, have been shown to contain a water soluble neurotoxic component which killed mice. Detrimental ecosystem effects associated with blooms range from fish and zoobenthic mortalities to shellfish aquaculture mortalities, attributable to both indirect biomass effects (e.g., low dissolved oxygen) and toxic effects. P. minimum blooms generally occur under conditions of high temperatures and incident irradiances and low to moderate salinities in coastal and estuarine environments often characterized as eutrophic, although they have been found under widely varying salinities and temperatures if other factors are conducive for growth. The physiological flexibility of P. minimum in response to changing environmental parameters (e.g., light, temperature, salinity) as well as its ability to utilize both inorganic and organic nitrogen, phosphorus, and carbon nutrient sources, suggest that increasing blooms of this species are a response to increasing coastal eutrophication.     

陆源物质输送对赤潮高发区的影响-以铝为例

近年来长江口附近海域富营养化问题日趋严重,赤潮爆发次数增多,而富含营养物质的长江水的输入可能是海内富营养化的主要物质来源．Al在海洋中停留时间较短且不易受到人为活动的影响,常用Al作为陆源输入及不同水团运动的有效示踪元素．结果表明。研究海域中溶解态Al的浓度秋季高于夏季,且与水体的盐度和悬浮颗粒物浓度表现出一定的关系．赤潮高发区内溶解态Al的浓度一般大于0．04pmol.L-1,明显表现出受到陆源输入的影响．赤潮发生时由于其自身的絮凝及赤潮生物颗粒物表面的吸附作用使水体中的溶解态Al含量平均下降约40％,而在赤潮发生过程中溶解态Al形态变化及机理尚需进一步深入研究．     

水华爆发的突变模型——以巢湖为例

面对湖泊水库富营养化的严峻形势,水华防治是当务之急,而根据富营养化现状对水华进行准确的判定和预报更是重中之重.从水生态系统的角度出发,综合考虑TP、T、Chla和DO等4个对巢湖富营养化乃至水华影响最为突出的因子,构建了巢湖水华突变的尖点模型,通过模型来模拟巢湖富营养化引发水华的情势.在对巢湖2000～2003年时间序列的监测数据进行数据拟合的基础上,发现南淝河入湖区断面处逐月TP、T、Chla和DO数据的演变规律符合突变理论的尖点模型特征.经检验,模型的相对误差控制在10%左右,具有较好的拟合精度.根据模型的突变判别,巢湖的水生态系统2003年7月在南淝河入湖区断面处发生了突变,这一模拟结论与该断面2003年8月爆发水华的实际情况相一致.研究表明,水华突变模型的建立,准确地反映了巢湖富营养化引发水华的实际情况,系统地勾勒出富营养化状态下水生态系统各要素间的动态响应模式,揭示了水华爆发的突变机理.通过水华突变模型的构建,不仅能够对巢湖水华的发生进行判断和预报,还可以对各项防治措施的实施效果进行预测和模拟,进而为综合整治方案的优化和统筹提供科学依据.水华的爆发是多诱因的综合作用结果,是营养物质长期累积、由量变到质变的演化过程,作为目前唯一的一种研究由渐变引起突变的系统理论,突变理论满足水华研究的数理要求,为水华现象的数值模拟提供了可行的解决方案.     

鲢鳙控藻排泄物生态效应研究进展

利用鲢鳙控藻非经典生物操纵来控制蓝藻水华至今还存在分歧,主要集中在可能引起水体浮游生物个体小型化和微型藻类生物量激增等生态问题。这一现象的产生是由多种因素引起的,其中排泄物的影响不容忽视。根据国内外文献,综述了鲢鳙控藻排泄物的物质组成、未消化藻类的生长和光合活性以及消化部分在养殖水体中的迁移转化和对水体营养盐的直接贡献。由于养殖水体营养物质来源和生物转化过程的错综复杂性,往往很难用传统的方法来界定排泄物来源的氮对生态系统群落结构与功能改变的贡献及其传递过程。针对目前研究现状,建议借助叶绿素荧光成像系统和同位素示踪技术,从鱼类排泄物的角度评价鲢鳙控藻的生态后效及各自影响程度的差异,为非经典生物操纵的机理探讨和可行性分析提供参考依据。