Temperature and species richness effects in phytoplankton communities

Growing status rather than temperature was more associated with phytoplankton stoichiometry

Phytoplankton growth is regulated primarily by temperature and nutrient availability. Due to the increasing trend of global warming and eutrophication, it is important to unravel the responses of phytoplankton to varying temperatures and nutrients. This study investigated the interactive effects of temperature (15 °C vs 25 °C) and nitrogen/phosphorus availability (N/P ratios: 13-77) on phytoplankton stoichiometry and community assembly in subtropical reservoir communities. We assumed that (1) Temperature effect on stoichiometry would intensify under nutrient limitation due to altered metabolic demands. Phosphorus limitation would dominate at higher temperatures through growth rate-mediated utilization; (2) Stoichiometric homeostasis would primarily reflect growth phase rather than thermal regime. Results demonstrated that temperature-nutrient interactions shape cellular stoichiometry through growth dynamics. Biomass increased with warming and nutrient enrichment, particularly under P-repleted conditions. Alkaline phosphatase, acting as a strategy for P-limitation, showed temperature-dependent, phase-specific patterns. Cellular elemental contents exhibited greater thermal sensitivity during the exponential growth, aligning with ribosomal investment demands. The homeostasis of phytoplankton was growth-phase dependent, with stationary-phase communities showing plasticity at 25 °C and stability at 15 °C. Temperature affected the stoichiometry indirectly by adjusting the growth rate and metabolism which changes the nutrient demand and resource allocation within cells. Cyanobacteria dominated warmer treatments through enhanced P-use efficiency. This study highlighted temperature-mediated shifts in nutrient limitation thresholds and homeostasis strategies, which provides evidences for predicting bloom dynamic under eutrophication and climate change in this region.

Interspecific trait variability and plasticity of the Baltic Sea phytoplankton species along a salinity gradient

In the face of changing climate and global water cycle, the plastic response of phytoplankton species to salinity fluctuations is increasingly important. This study used a multivariate approach to determine interspecific trait variability and plasticity of 10 Baltic Sea phytoplankton species along the salinity gradient. Phytoplankton species representing a broad range of sizes and taxonomic groups were grown at six salinity conditions (0, 5, 15, 20, 30 and 35 psu), and 15 different traits were measured at the end of the experiment. Results showed species-specific salinity preferences. Nutrient uptake and resource use efficiency (RUE) explained interspecific trait variability among the species. Variability in nutrient uptake reflected species-specific differences in cell size. RUE and cellular elemental content were the most plastic traits across the salinity gradient and did not scale with cell size. Interestingly, low trait plasticity did not always translate into low biomass production, as a diatom Phaeodactylum tricornutum exemplified. As expected, the salinity range between 5 and 20 psu was optimal for most phytoplankton species, corresponding to the brackish Baltic Sea where they were isolated. Many species survive in salinities above this range, but not in freshwater, which can have consequences for the plankton community functioning with predicted Baltic Sea freshening.

Favored competition of Uroglena sp. against coexisting microorganisms in spring of lower temperatures: clarification through a systematic incubation study

Uroglena sp. is a major contributor to the fishy odor in drinking water, with temperature being a key factor regulating its growth. However, no study has yet detailed its effect on Uroglena sp.'s growth. Uroglena sp. mainly blooms in spring when temperatures are lower, though similar lower temperatures are also present in autumn and winter. Therefore, the objectives of this study were to investigate the growth and decline behavior of Uroglena sp. under different temperatures and to assess the impact of microorganism composition in different samples on the growth of Uroglena sp. To achieve the objectives of this study, surface water samples collected in May (spring), September (autumn), and January (winter) were incubated under different temperatures. Findings revealed that Uroglena sp. exhibited higher and more prolonged growth at a low temperature of 5 °C. Within the temperature range of 10 to 20 °C, Uroglena sp. exhibited less vigorous growth and lysed more rapidly. No growth was observed at 30 °C. The limited growth of Uroglena sp. at higher temperatures is attributed to an increased abundance of bacteria and competition with other microalgae including Nitzschia sp., Sphaerocystis sp., Scenedesmus sp., Fragilaria sp., Attheya sp., Golenkinia sp., Melosira sp., and Dinobryon sp. This indicates that the coexistence of microalgae and bacteria plays a significant role in the growth of Uroglena sp. The maximum concentration of Uroglena sp. during incubation was higher for the water sample of May compared to the sample of September and January, which reached about 2500 colony/mL at 5 °C for the sample of May. The generally higher growth of Uroglena sp. with the sample of May suggests that less significant microalgae competition in the season could create more favorable conditions for the bloom of Uroglena sp.

Understanding phycosomal dynamics to improve industrial microalgae cultivation

Algal-bacterial interactions are ubiquitous in both natural and industrial systems, and the characterization of these interactions has been reinvigorated by potential applications in biosystem productivity. Different growth conditions can be used for operational functions, such as the use of low-quality water or high pH/alkalinity, and the altered operating conditions likely constrain microbial community structure and function in unique ways. However, research is necessary to better understand whether consortia can be designed to improve the productivity, processing, and sustainability of industrial-scale cultivations through different controls that can constrain microbial interactions for maximal light-driven outputs. The review highlights current knowledge and gaps for relevant operating conditions, as well as suggestions for near-term and longer-term improvements for large-scale cultivation and polyculture engineering.

Development and testing of a planktonic index of biotic integrity (P-IBI) for Lake Fuxian, China

Lake Fuxian has the largest reserves of high-quality water resources in China, and understanding its ecological health status is the basis of its environmental protection. Based on a seasonal field investigation of the plankton community, we established a planktonic index of biotic integrity (P-IBI) evaluation system to assess the lake's ecosystem health. The biological integrity of Lake Fuxian was relatively good during winter and spring, but gradually deteriorated from summer to autumn. Areas with poor biological integrity were mainly distributed near tourist attractions along the lake's west coast. Redundancy analysis (RDA) was performed to explore the relationships between the P-IBI, its selected indicators, and the environmental variables. Water temperature (WT), pH, ammonia nitrogen (NH3-N), and dissolved oxygen (DO) significantly influenced the P-IBI and its selected indicators. NH3-N and DO were significantly positively correlated with the P-IBI, indicating that it could be used as a water quality indicator to indirectly reflect lake biological integrity. We demonstrated that the P-IBI can effectively reflect temporal and spatial variations of biological integrity and could be used as a potential tool to evaluate Lake Fuxian ecosystem health.

Seasonal dynamics of phytoplankton in the northern part of Suez Gulf, Egypt

This study was conducted to evaluate the seasonal variability of phytoplankton in the northern part of the Gulf of Suez (Suez Bay), considering the contribution of physicochemical parameters of bay water in shaping the dynamics, and eutrophication assessment. Water and phytoplankton samples were collected seasonally at nine stations in the Suez Bay during the period from the winter to autumn of 2012. A total of 423 phytoplankton species were identified, comprised mainly of 224 diatoms, 127 dinoflagellates, 33 cyanophytes, 20 chlorophytes, and 9 euglenophytes; the rest of the species (10 species) belong to other six groups. Of these, 28 species were potentially harmful. The total phytoplankton abundance exhibits a significant seasonal variation, with the autumn being the most fertile season, followed by the winter due to the proliferation of diatom species Thalassionema nitzschioides and Proboscia alata f. gracillima, respectively. While the seasonal species richness indicates that the winter attained the highest number of species, followed by summer. Generally, the major diatom genera were Chaetoceros (16 species), Navicula (15 species), Nitzschia (15 species), and Amphora (14 species), while dinoflagellates were principally composed of the genera Protoperidinium (34 species), and Tripos (26 species). Water temperature, pH, salinity, nitrate, and nitrite were the most important explanatory parameters in regard to phytoplankton abundance and chlorophyll a concentration. In addition, the phytoplankton stability exhibited a significant positive relationship with the mean values of dissolved oxygen and biological oxygen demand and the variability of salinity and phosphate, while a negative relationship was observed with ammonia and nitrite and the variability of nitrate. Based on the trophic index (TRIX), the bay water was classified as mesotrophic (moderately polluted) for almost the entire year except in the autumn as it turned eutrophic. The results explored the potential importance of the environmental heterogeneity in the bay as a key structuring mechanism of phytoplankton abundance and biomass, influenced by anthropogenic activities.

Analysis on the stability of plankton in a food web with empirical organism body mass distribution

The mechanism supporting the stability of complex food webs is an important, yet still controversial issue in ecology. Integrating the bioenergetic model with a natural plankton food web with empirical organism body mass distribution, we studied the effects of taxa diversity, nutrient enrichment simulation and connectance on the stability of plankton, and the underlying mechanisms. The behavior and functions of plankton with different body masses in the system were also explored. The results showed that genus richness promoted the temporal stability of community but reduced that of population. Meanwhile, the effects of taxon extinction on community biomass and temporal stability depended on the body masses of those lost taxa. Enrichment decreased phytoplankton and zooplankton community stability directly by increasing the temporal variability of biomass and indirectly by reducing taxa diversity. Enrichment preferentially caused phytoplankton taxa with the highest individual biomass to go extinct and the ones with smaller to increase in biomass. The effects, as well as the underlying mechanisms of connectance on phytoplankton and zooplankton stability were different. High connectance promoted the persistence and biomasses of both zooplankton and small-bodied phytoplankton but reduced those of larger-bodied phytoplankton. The results and methodology in this research will be helpful in understanding and analyzing the stability of plankton communities.

Elevated CO2 significantly increases N2 fixation, growth rates, and alters microcystin, anatoxin, and saxitoxin cell quotas in strains of the bloom-forming cyanobacteria, Dolichospermum

The effect of rising CO₂ levels on cyanobacterial harmful algal blooms (CHABs) is an emerging concern, particularly within eutrophic ecosystems. While elevated pCO₂ has been associated with enhanced growth rates of some cyanobacteria, few studies have explored the effect of CO₂ and nitrogen availability on diazotrophic (N₂-fixing) cyanobacteria that produce cyanotoxins. Here, the effects of elevated CO₂ and fixed nitrogen (NO₃^-) availability on the growth rates, toxin production, and N₂ fixation of microcystin, saxitoxin, and anatoxin-a - producing strains of the genus Dolichospermum were quantified. Growth rates of all Dolichospermum spp. were significantly increased by CO₂ or both CO₂ and NO₃^- with rates being highest in treatments with the highest levels of CO₂ and NO₃^-for all strains. While NO₃^- suppressed N₂ fixation, diazotrophy significantly increased when NO₃^--enriched Dolichospermum spp. were supplied with higher CO₂ compared to cultures grown under lower CO₂ levels. This suggests that diazotrophy will play an increasingly important role in N cycling in CO₂-enriched, eutrophic lentic systems. NO₃^- significantly increased quotas of the N-rich cyanotoxins, microcystin and saxitoxin, at ambient and enriched CO₂ levels, respectively. In contrast, elevated CO₂ significantly decreased cell quotas of microcystin and saxitoxin, but significantly increased cell quotas of the N-poor cyanotoxin, anatoxin. N₂ fixation was significantly negatively and positively correlated with quotas of N-rich and N-poor cyanotoxins, respectively. Findings suggest cellular quotas of N-rich toxins (microcystin and saxitoxin) may be significantly reduced, or cellular quotas of N-poor toxins (anatoxin) may be significantly enhanced, under elevated CO₂ conditions during diazotrophic cyanobacterial blooms. Finally, in the future, ecosystems that experience combinations of excessive N loading and CO₂ enrichment may become more prone to toxic blooms of Dolichospermum.

Satellite-Based Monitoring of the Algal Communities of Aras Dam Reservoir: Meteorological Dependence Analysis and the Footprint of COVID-19 Pandemic Lockdown on the Eutrophication Status

Aras Dam Lake is a strategic aquatic ecosystem in Iran and there are reports of toxic phytoplankton blooms in this reservoir. This study was performed to determine the effect of meteorological variables on the formation and expansion of toxic phytoplankton communities in Aras dam reservoir. The data of this project have been obtained using field studies and satellite data (MODIS and Sentinel-2). Sampling to determine the composition of phytoplankton communities in the area was carried out seasonally in two time periods from 2003 to 2014, and environmental assessments were also performed based on meteorological and satellite data over an 18-year period (2003-2020). The Chlorophyll-a content was obtained from MODIS and correlated with meteorological data. The statistical analysis showed that the highest coefficient of determination is related to the correlation of chlorophyll-a and Evaporation (R ² = 0.86). Also, the relative root mean square error is equal to 18%, 18.1% and 21.2% for the chlorophyll-a -SST, chlorophyll-a -wind and chlorophyll-a -Evaporation relations, respectively. Moreover, in a supplementary study, correlation between the chlorophyll-a content with selected meteorological variables including evaporation, wind speed and water surface temperature were investigated seasonally. The results showed that the trend of changes in chlorophyll-a content with three considered variables are parabolic functions and chlorophyll-a -Evp (R ² = 0.86, MAPE = 15.2%) model indicates better performance. The results also showed that the eutrophication rate of the reservoir during lockdown period increased in comparison with the same time at pre-pandemic period, which can be related to increase of incoming waste loads in this reservoir.

Climate Change Impacts on the Marine Cycling of Biogenic Sulfur: A Review

A key component of the marine sulfur cycle is the climate-active gas dimethylsulfide (DMS), which is synthesized by a range of organisms from phytoplankton to corals, and accounts for up to 80% of global biogenic sulfur emissions. The DMS cycle starts with the intracellular synthesis of the non-gaseous precursor dimethylsulfoniopropionate (DMSP), which is released to the water column by various food web processes such as zooplankton grazing. This dissolved DMSP pool is rapidly turned over by microbially mediated conversion using two known pathways: demethylation (releasing methanethiol) and cleavage (producing DMS). Some of the formed DMS is ventilated to the atmosphere, where it undergoes rapid oxidation and contributes to the formation of sulfate aerosols, with the potential to affect cloud microphysics, and thus the regional climate. The marine phase cycling of DMS is complex, however, as heterotrophs also contribute to the consumption of the newly formed dissolved DMS. Interestingly, due to microbial consumption and other water column sinks such as photolysis, the amount of DMS that enters the atmosphere is currently thought to be a relatively minor fraction of the total amount cycled through the marine food web-less than 10%. These microbial processes are mediated by water column temperature, but the response of marine microbial assemblages to ocean warming is poorly characterized, although bacterial degradation appears to increase with an increase in temperature. This review will focus on the potential impact of climate change on the key microbially mediated processes in the marine cycling of DMS. It is likely that the impact will vary across different biogeographical regions from polar to tropical. For example, in the rapidly warming polar oceans, microbial communities associated with the DMS cycle will likely change dramatically during the 21st century with the decline in sea ice. At lower latitudes, where corals form an important source of DMS (P), shifts in the microbiome composition have been observed during thermal stress with the potential to alter the DMS cycle.

Monoculture and co-culture tests of the toxicity of four typical herbicides on growth, photosynthesis and oxidative stress responses of the marine diatoms Pseudo-nitzschia mannii and Chaetoceros decipiens

The toxicity of four herbicides in mixture (alachlor, diuron, des-isopropyl-atrazine and simazine) on the growth and the photosynthesis parameters of two marine diatoms Pseudo-niszchia mannii and Chaetoceros decipiens have been investigated for 9 days in monoculture and co-culture tests. The catalase (CAT) and guaiacol peroxidase (GPX) were also monitored to assess the oxidative stress response. In single-species assays, while both species displayed no affected instantaneous growth rate by herbicides, their physiological responses were different. Chl a content of P. mannii significantly decreased upon herbicide exposure, due probably to pigment destruction or inhibition of their synthesis. This decrease was associated with a reduction in the chlorophyll fluorescence parameters (ABS₀/RC, TR₀/RC, ET₀/RC and DI₀/RC). In contrast, C. decipiens maintained an effective photosynthetic performance under herbicide exposure, as Chl a per cell content and the specific energy fluxes per reaction center remained unchanged relative to control values. GPX activity was significantly higher in contaminated P. mannii and C. decipiens monocultures than in controls at early herbicide exposure (1 day), whereas a significant induction of CAT activity occurred later (from day 3 for C. decipiens and at day 9 for P. mannii) in response to herbicides. In control co-culture, P. mannii was eliminated by C. decipiens. As observed in the monoculture, the herbicides did not affect the photosynthetic performance of C. decipiens in co-culture, but significantly reduced its instantaneous growth rate. The oxidative stress response in co-culture has similar trends to that of C. decipiens in monoculture, but the interspecies competition likely resulted in higher CAT activity under herbicide exposure. Results of this study suggest that herbicide toxicity for marine diatoms might be amplified by interspecies interactions in natural communities, which might lead to different physiological and growth responses.

Inland heat waves (IHWs) and associated impacts on hydro-biology of aquatic ecosystems in lower Ganga basin, India

The present study assessed the occurrence and impact of heat waves on the ecology of two ecosystems namely Bhomra wetland and Ganga River stretch, India. The water samples collected from these ecosystems were analyzed for estimating the hydrological and biological variables during heat wave. The inland heat index (IHI) was derived from the climatic variables, relative humidity and temperature. The study indicated the predominant and periodic occurrence of inland heat waves (IHW) with indices ranging from 34.8 to 42.8 °C and 35.9 to 43.5 °C at the Bhomra and Ganga River stretch respectively during the summer months (March-June). The first two components of the principal component analysis of physico-chemical parameters and heat index explained 45.6% and 59% of the variation in the Bhomra and Ganga River stretch respectively. PCA showed a similar pattern in variation of IHWs and dissolved oxygen, nutrients, hardness and alkalinity, but a distinct pattern with conductivity and TDS in the wetland. IHW exhibited a similar pattern of variation with TDS, conductivity, dissolved oxygen, pH and hardness and distinct pattern with alkalinity, phosphate and nitrate in the river stretch. The first two components of PCA of IHI and plankton abundance explained 89% of the variation and IHI had a similar pattern of variation with the abundance of diatoms and a diverse pattern of variation with blue-green and green algae in the studied ecosystems which might affect the food availability of the associated fishes. The study suggests that IHW influences the water quality and primary producers and also summarizes the impact of IHW on ecosystem services and necessitates mitigation measures.

Hydrodynamics Regulate Longitudinal Plankton Community Structure in an Alpine Cascade Reservoir System

Previous studies report significant changes on biotic communities caused by cascade reservoir construction. However, factors regulating the spatial–temporal plankton patterns in alpine cascade reservoir systems have not been fully explored. The current study explored effects of environmental factors on the longitudinal plankton patterns, through a 5-year-long study on the environmental factors and communities of phytoplankton and zooplankton in an alpine cascade reservoir system located upstream of Yellow River region. The findings showed that phytoplankton and zooplankton species numbers in the studied cascade reservoir system were mainly regulated by the hydrological regime, whereas nutrient conditions did not significantly affect the number of species. Abundance and biovolume of phytoplankton in cascade reservoirs were modulated by the hydrological regime and nutrient conditions. The drainage rate, N:P ratio, and sediment content in cascade reservoirs were negatively correlated with abundance and biovolume of phytoplankton. Abundance and biovolume of zooplankton were not significantly correlated with the hydrological regime but showed a strong positive correlation with nutrient conditions in cascade reservoirs. Shannon–Wiener index (H’) and the Pielou index (J) of phytoplankton were mainly regulated by the hydrological regime factors, such as drainage rate and sediment content in cascade reservoirs. However, temperature and nutrient conditions were the main factors that regulated the Shannon–Wiener index (H’) and the Pielou index (J) of zooplankton. Species number, abundance, and biovolume of phytoplankton showed a significant positive correlation with those of zooplankton. Hydrodynamics and nutrient conditions contributed differently in regulating community structure of phytoplankton or zooplankton. These findings provide an understanding of factors that modulate longitudinal plankton community patterns in cascade reservoir systems.

Dynamics of phytoplankton community in seasonally open and closed wetlands in the Teesta-Torsa basin, India, and management implications for sustainable utilization

The present study deals with the broader understanding of phytoplankton assemblage pattern and their ecohydrological interactions in two ecologically distinct floodplain wetlands of Teesta - Torsa basin, India. Analyses of data revealed significant seasonal variations (p ≤ 0.05) of ten water variables (temperature, transparency, pH, conductivity, total dissolved solids, dissolved oxygen, total hardness, total alkalinity, PO₄ - P, and SiO₄ - Si) in both the wetlands; however, no significant variation was observed among the sampling stations. In total, 128 species of phytoplankton were recorded (118 species belonging to 94 genera in seasonally open; 103 species belonging to 86 genera in closed wetland). Four algal groups, viz. Cyanophyceae, Coscinodiscophyceae, Bacillariophyceae, and Chlorophyceae, were the dominant quantitative component, remarkably influencing the total phytoplankton population in both the wetlands, contributing ~ 87% of total phytoplankton. Species Aulacoseira granulata alone contributed 12 - 41% and 8 - 34% to the total phytoplankton in the seasonally open and closed wetland, respectively, and indicated high organic load in both the wetlands. Altogether thirty-six and thirty-one phytoplankton taxa appeared as major indicators across the seasons for seasonally open and closed wetland, respectively. The indicator taxa (Aulacoseira, Oscillatoria, Dolichospermum, Spirogyra, Synedra, Nitzschia, Navicula, Euglena, Phacus) in both the wetlands hinted that the wetlands are under pollution pressure. The assemblage structure of phytoplankton was related to transparency, NO₃ - N, PO₄ - P, SiO₄ - Si, total dissolved solids, and temperature as evident from BIO - ENV. Furthermore, the marginal test also selected similar variables (depth, transparency, conductivity, PO₄ - P, SiO₄ - Si) for seasonally open and the variables such as depth, conductivity, total dissolved solids, total alkalinity, and NO₃ - N for the closed wetland. The study showed that the seasonal riverine connectivity greatly influences the variations in phytoplankton community in the seasonally open wetland.

Phytoplankton biodiversity is more important for ecosystem functioning in highly variable thermal environments

The 21st century has seen an acceleration of anthropogenic climate change and biodiversity loss, with both stressors deemed to affect ecosystem functioning. However, we know little about the interactive effects of both stressors and in particular about the interaction of increased climatic variability and biodiversity loss on ecosystem functioning. This should be remedied because larger climatic variability is one of the main features of climate change. Here, we demonstrated that temperature fluctuations led to changes in the importance of biodiversity for ecosystem functioning. We used microcosm communities of different phytoplankton species richness and exposed them to a constant, mild, and severe temperature-fluctuating environment. Wider temperature fluctuations led to steeper biodiversity-ecosystem functioning slopes, meaning that species loss had a stronger negative effect on ecosystem functioning in more fluctuating environments. For severe temperature fluctuations, the slope increased through time due to a decrease of the productivity of species-poor communities over time. We developed a theoretical competition model to better understand our experimental results and showed that larger differences in thermal tolerances across species led to steeper biodiversity-ecosystem functioning slopes. Species-rich communities maintained their ecosystem functioning with increased fluctuation as they contained species able to resist the thermally fluctuating environments, while this was on average not the case in species-poor communities. Our results highlight the importance of biodiversity for maintaining ecosystem functions and services in the context of increased climatic variability under climate change.

Influences of pesticides, nutrients, and local environmental variables on phytoplankton communities in lentic small water bodies in a German lowland agricultural area

Agrochemicals such as pesticides and nutrients are concurrent chemical stressors in freshwater aquatic ecosystems surrounded by agricultural areas. Lentic small water bodies (LSWB) are ecologically significant habitats especially for maintaining biodiversity but highly understudied. Phytoplankton are ideal indicator species for stress responses. Functional features of the phytoplankton are important in revealing the processes that determine the structure of the communities. In this study, we investigated the effects of pesticides, nutrients, and local environmental variables on the species composition and functional features of phytoplankton communities in LSWB. We studied pesticide toxicity of ninety-four pesticides, three nutrients (NH₄-N, NO₃-N and PO₄-P) and local environment variables (precipitation, water level change, temperature, dissolved oxygen concentration, electrical conductivity, pH) in five LSWB over twelve weeks during the spring pesticide application period. We explored respective changes in species composition of phytoplankton community and functional features. Redundancy analysis and variance partitioning analysis were applied to correlate phytoplankton community compositions with the pesticide toxicity (as maximum toxicity in toxic units), nutrients and local environment variables. We used multiple linear regression models to identify the main environmental variables driving the functional features of phytoplankton communities. Pesticide toxicity, nutrients and local environmental variables significantly (p < 0.001) contributed to shaping phytoplankton community composition individually. Local environment variables showed the highest pure contribution for driving phytoplankton composition (12%), followed by nutrients (8%) and pesticide toxicity (2%). Functional features (represented by functional diversity and functional redundancy) of the phytoplankton community were significantly affected by pesticide toxicity and nutrients concentrations. The functional richness and functional evenness were negatively affected by PO₄-P concentrations. Pesticide toxicity was positively correlated with functional redundancy indices. Our findings emphasized the relative importance of concurrent multiple stressors (e.g., pesticides and nutrients) on phytoplankton community structure, directing potential effects on metacommunity structures in aquatic ecosystems subjected to agricultural runoff.

Water quality drives the regional patterns of an algal metacommunity in interconnected lakes

The metacommunity approach provides insights into how the biological communities are assembled along the environmental variations. The current study presents the importance of water quality on the metacommunity structure of algal communities in six river-connected lakes using long-term (8 years) monitoring datasets. Elements of metacommunity structure were analyzed to evaluate whether water quality structured the metacommunity across biogeographic regions in the riverine ecosystem. The algal community in all lakes was found to exhibit Clementsian or quasi-Clementsian structure properties such as significant turnover, grouped and species sorting indicating that the communities responded to the environmental gradient. Reciprocal averaging clearly classified the lakes into three clusters according to the geographical region in river flow (upstream, midstream, and downstream). The dispersal patterns of algal genera, including Aulacoseira, Cyclotella, Stephanodiscus, and Chlamydomonas across the regions also supported the spatial-based classification results. Although conductivity, chemical oxygen demand, and biological oxygen demand were found to be important variables (loading > |0.5|) of the entire algal community assembly, water temperature was a critical factor in water quality associated with community assembly in each geographical area. These results support the notion that the structure of algal communities is strongly associated with water quality, but the relative importance of variables in structuring algal communities differed by geological regions.

Review of characterization, factors, impacts, and solutions of Lake eutrophication: lesson for lake Tana, Ethiopia

Lake eutrophication and water quality deterioration have become a major environmental problem in urban areas and fertilized basins in developing countries across the world. This paper reviews the characterization, driving factors, and impacts of lake eutrophication as well as the mechanism of preventing and recovering lake eutrophication with case studies of eutrophic lakes across the world including Lake Tana, Ethiopia. In most waterbodies including lakes and reservoirs, total phosphorus concentration, chlorophyll a concentration, and Secchi disk visibility in association with species composition are the common criteria to classify lakes and reservoir as oligotrophic, mesotrophic, and eutrophic. Nutrient-rich runoff from cultivated land and industrialized and urbanized cities concentrated in phosphorus are the critical factors that drove eutrophication in water bodies. Among others, controlling external loading of nutrient, ecological, and mechanical methods were found to be common mechanisms to prevent and recover lake eutrophication. Avoiding the factors that are under human control, i.e., a reduction of external loading of nutrients especially targeted on phosphorus reduction into the water basins, relocates sewage, industrial and domestic waste discharges to be lined out of the catchment of the lake. Furthermore, motivating the community to use less phosphorus-containing fertilizers and promoting phosphorus-free detergents are suggested solutions to sustainably prevent and reduce eutrophication in the long run. These could be some possible measures to safeguard endangered Lake Tana of Ethiopia.

Environmental determinants of the distribution of planktonic diplonemids and kinetoplastids in the oceans

We analysed a widely used barcode, the V9 region of the 18S rRNA gene, to study the effect of environmental conditions on the distribution of two related heterotrophic protistan lineages in marine plankton, kinetoplastids and diplonemids. We relied on a major published dataset (Tara Oceans) where samples from the mesopelagic zone were available from just 32 of 123 locations, and both groups are most abundant in this zone. To close sampling gaps and obtain more information from the deeper ocean, we collected 57 new samples targeting especially the mesopelagic zone. We sampled in three geographic regions: the Arctic, two depth transects in the Adriatic Sea, and the anoxic Cariaco Basin. In agreement with previous studies, both protist groups are most abundant and diverse in the mesopelagic zone. In addition to that, we found that their abundance, richness, and community structure also depend on geography, oxygen concentration, salinity, temperature, and other environmental variables reflecting the abundance of algae and nutrients. Both groups studied here demonstrated similar patterns, although some differences were also observed. Kinetoplastids and diplonemids prefer tropical regions and nutrient-rich conditions and avoid high oxygen concentration, high salinity, and high density of algae.

Diversity and temperature indirectly reduce CO2 concentrations in experimental freshwater communities

Biodiversity loss and climate warming are occurring in concert, with potentially profound impacts on ecosystem functioning. We currently know very little about the combined effects of these changes on the links between the community structure, dynamics and the resulting in situ CO₂ concentrations in freshwater ecosystems. Here we aimed to determine both individual and combined effects of temperature and non-resource diversity (species inedible for a given consumer) on CO₂ concentration. Our analysis further aimed to establish both direct effects on CO₂ concentrations and potential indirect effects that occur via changes to the phytoplankton and zooplankton biomasses. Our results showed that there were no interactive effects of changes in temperature and diversity on CO₂ concentration in the water. Instead, independent increases in either temperature or non-resource diversity resulted in a substantial reduction in CO₂ concentrations, particularly at the highest non-resource diversity. The effects of non-resource diversity and warming on CO₂ were indirect, resulting largely from the positive impacts on total biomass of primary producers. Our study is the first to experimentally partition the impacts of temperature and diversity on the consumer–resource dynamics and associated changes to CO₂ concentrations. It provides new mechanistic insights into the role of diverse plankton communities for ecosystem functioning and their importance in regulating CO₂ dynamics under ongoing climate warming.

Effects of benzo [a] pyrene (BaP) on the composting and microbial community of sewage sludge

Benzo [a] pyrene (BaP), the most ubiquitous polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) found in sludge, can impact the composting processes of sewage sludge as well as the quality of compost produced. In the present study, we investigated the effects of BaP at various concentrations on physicochemical characteristics, heavy metal passivation, and microbial community during the composting processes. The removal efficiency of BaP at 5 and 20 mg kg^-1 after composting was 51.1% and 74.2%, respectively. In comparison with the control, the content of residual Cu, Pb, Cr and Ni in 5 mg kg^-1 BaP contained system declined dramatically on the second day of composting, while such content in 20 mg kg^-1 BaP system significantly decreased on the 8th day. Regardless of the presence of BaP in the sludge, composting process had a positive passivation effect on Cu, Pb, Cr and Ni. A stronger inhibitory effect of BaP at higher concentration was observed on microorganism, which reduced microbial abundance and species in the composting, and influenced microbial diversity. Besides, microbial communities in BaP-containing composting would improve the transformation of silicates and minerals, increase the concentration of humus and extend the passivation time of heavy metals. As these results verified, composting process could remove BaP from the sludge effectively, and BaP had a significant impact on heavy metal passivation and abundance and composition of microbial community during the composting process.

Response of Natural Cyanobacteria and Algae Assemblages to a Nutrient Pulse and Elevated Temperature

Eutrophication (nutrient over-enrichment) is the primary worldwide water quality issue often leading to nuisance cyanobacterial blooms. Climate change is predicted to cause further rise of cyanobacteria blooms as cyanobacteria can have a competitive advantage at elevated temperatures. We tested the hypothesis that simultaneous rise in nutrients and temperature will promote cyanobacteria more than a single increase in one of the two drivers. To this end, controlled experiments were run with seston from 39 different urban water bodies varying in trophic state from mesotrophic to hypertrophic. These experiments were carried out at two different temperatures, 20°C (ambient) and 25°C (warming scenario) with or without the addition of a surplus of nutrients (eutrophication scenario). To facilitate comparisons, we quantified the effect size of the different treatments, using cyanobacterial and algal chlorophyll a concentrations as a response variable. Cyanobacterial and algal chlorophyll a concentrations were determined with a PHYTO-PAM phytoplankton analyzer. Warming caused an 18% increase in cyanobacterial chlorophyll-a, while algal chlorophyll-a concentrations were on average 8% higher at 25°C than at 20°C. A nutrient pulse had a much stronger effect on chlorophyll-a concentrations than warming. Cyanobacterial chlorophyll-a concentrations in nutrient enriched incubations at 20 or 25°C were similar and 9 times higher than in the incubations without nutrient pulse. Likewise, algal chlorophyll-a concentrations were 6 times higher. The results of this study confirm that warming alone yields marginally higher cyanobacteria chlorophyll-a concentrations, yet that a pulse of additional nutrients is boosting blooms. The responses of seston originating from mesotrophic waters seemed less strong than those from eutrophic waters, which indicates that nutrient control strategies –catchment as well as in-system measures– could increase the resilience of surface waters to the negative effects of climate change.

The Species-Specific Responses of Freshwater Diatoms to Elevated Temperatures Are Affected by Interspecific Interactions

Numerous experimental simulations with different warming scenarios have been conducted to predict how algae will respond to warming, but their conclusions are sometimes contradictory to each other. This might be due to a failure to consider interspecific interactions. In this study, the dominant diatom species in a seasonal succession were isolated and verified to adapt to different temperature ranges by constant temperature experiment. Both unialgal and mixed cultures were exposed to two fluctuant temperature treatments that simulated the temperature variations from early spring to summer, with one treatment 4 °C higher (warming scenario) than the other. We found that the specific response of diatoms to warming was affected by interspecific interactions. Spring warming had no significant effect on eurythermal species and had a positive effect on the abundance of warm-adapted diatom species, but interspecific interactions reduced this promotional effect. Cold-adapted species had a negative response to spring warming in the presence of other diatom species but had a positive response to early spring warming in the absence of interspecific interactions. In addition, warming resulted in the growth of all diatom species peaking earlier in unialgal cultures, but this effect could be weakened or amplified by interspecies interactions in mixed cultures. Our results suggest that the specific diatom species with different optimal growth temperature ranges responding to warming were expected if there were no interspecific interactions. However, in natural environments, the inevitable and complex interspecific interactions will influence the responses of diatoms to warming. This important factor should not be ignored in the prediction of organism responses to climate warming.

Impact of coastal power plant cooling system on planktonic diversity of a polluted creek system

A tropical coastal power plant with a once-through cooling system that pumped sea water along with tiny marine phytoplankton and zooplankton for waste heat discharge recorded reduction in the population density of these organisms by 64% and 93%, respectively, at the discharge site. The depletion of organic carbon is 0.69 tons per annum with loss of 20 to 24 lakhs fish fecundity. The synergistic effect of tropical summer ambiance and waste heat discharge from the power plant considerably reduced the phytoplankton population in the coolant water discharge point during April, June, and July. This resulted in changes in the phytoplankton community structure from Bacillariophyceae > Dyanophyceae > Cyanophyceae to Bacillariophyceae > Cyanophyceae > Dyanophyceae in the Ennore creek system. A unique epibiotic assemblage of the diatoms Licmophora juergensii and Licmophora flabellata was observed on Phormidium sp., a mat-forming Cyanobacterium preharbored along the 4.5-km-long transport channel of the cooling tower blow out of the thermal power plant. These pedunculate fouling diatoms have a symbiotic association with Phormidium sp., which grows few microns high above the substrate, thus creating obstructive flow in cooling water channels of the power plant. Further, loss of fish larvae during zooplankton population reduction creates an impact on the local fishery. However, the emerging scenario of global warming predicts that the migration of fish population toward cooler regions shall further aggravate the fishery reduction near the power plant cooling operation along the tropical coasts. The marine organisms living in tropical coastal waters operated at upper limits of thermal tolerance produce a demand for the regulatory bodies in India to enforce a drop in discharge criteria for coolant water, with the pre-existing power stations permitted to discharge up to 10 °C above the ambient temperature and newer power stations permitted to discharge a maximum of 7 °C. It becomes a requisite for power stations to draw additional seawater along with the plankton. Therefore, an emerging technology of subsurface intake systems called beachwell that resolves the issue of coolant water intake without biota was advocated.

Dissolved organic matter signatures vary between naturally acidic, circumneutral and groundwater-fed freshwaters in Australia

Dissolved organic matter (DOM) plays important roles in both abiotic and biotic processes within aquatic ecosystems, and these in turn depend on the quality of the DOM. We collected and characterized chromophoric DOM (CDOM) from different Australian freshwater types (circumneutral, naturally acidic and groundwater-fed waterways), climatic regions and seasons. CDOM quality was characterized using absorbance and fluorescence spectroscopy. Excitation emission scans followed by parallel factor (PARAFAC) analysis showed that CDOM was characterized by three main components: protein-like, fulvic-like and humic-like components commonly associated with various waters globally in the Openfluor database. Principal component analysis showed that CDOM quality varied between naturally acidic, circumneutral and groundwater-fed waters, with unique CDOM quality signatures shown for each freshwater type. CDOM quality also differed significantly within some sites between seasons. Clear differences in dominant CDOM components were shown between freshwater types. Naturally acidic waters were dominated by highly aromatic (as indicated by the specific absorbance co-efficient (SAC₃₄₀) and the specific UV absorbance (SUVA₂₅₄) values which ranged between 31 and 50 cm² mg^-1 and 3.9-5.7 mg C^-1 m^-1 respectively), humic-like CDOM of high molecular weight (as indicated by abs_254/365 which ranged from 3.8 to 4.3). In contrast, circumneutral waters were dominated by fulvic-like CDOM of lower aromaticity (SAC₃₄₀: 7-21 cm² mg^-1 and SUVA₂₅₄: 1.5-3.0 mg C^-1 m^-1) and lower molecular weight (abs_254/365 5.1-9.3). The groundwater-fed site had a higher abundance of protein-like CDOM, which was the least aromatic (SAC₃₄₀: 2-5 cm² mg^-1 and SUVA₂₅₄: 0.58-1.1 mg C^-1 m^-1). CDOM was generally less aromatic, of a lower molecular weight and more autochthonous in nature during the summer/autumn sampling compared to winter/spring. Significant relationships were shown between various CDOM quality parameters and pH. This is the first study to show that different freshwater types (circumneutral, naturally acidic and groundwater-fed) contain distinct CDOM quality signatures in Australia, a continent with unique flora and geology.

Interplay between r- and K-strategists leads to phytoplankton underyielding under pulsed resource supply

Fluctuations in nutrient ratios over seasonal scales in aquatic ecosystems can result in overyielding, a condition arising when complementary life-history traits of coexisting phytoplankton species enables more complete use of resources. However, when nutrient concentrations fluctuate under short-period pulsed resource supply, the role of complementarity is less understood. We explore this using the framework of Resource Saturation Limitation Theory (r-strategists vs. K-strategists) to interpret findings from laboratory experiments. For these experiments, we isolated dominant species from a natural assemblage, stabilized to a state of coexistence in the laboratory and determined life-history traits for each species, important to categorize its competition strategy. Then, using monocultures we determined maximum biomass density under pulsed resource supply. These same conditions of resource supply were used with polycultures comprised of combinations of the isolated species. Our focal species were consistent of either r- or K-strategies and the biomass production achieved in monocultures depended on their efficiency to convert resources to biomass. For these species, the K-strategists were less efficient resource users. This affected biomass production in polycultures, which were characteristic of underyielding. In polycultures, K-strategists sequestered more resources than the r-strategists. This likely occurred because the intermittent periods of nutrient limitation that would have occurred just prior to the next nutrient supply pulse would have favored the K-strategists, leading to overall less efficient use of resources by the polyculture. This study provides evidence that fluctuation in resource concentrations resulting from pulsed resource supplies in aquatic ecosystems can result in phytoplankton assemblages' underyielding.

Taiwanese marine microbenthic algal communities remain similar yet chlorophyll a concentrations rise in mesocosms with elevated CO2 and temperature

The effects of increasing CO₂ concentrations and temperature on microalgal assemblages were examined in Taiwan using mesocosms that simulate coral reef ecosystem. We assessed changes in abundance and diversity of benthic algae grown at 25°C and 28°C, under ambient (~400μatm) and at high CO₂ conditions (800-1000μatm). Total alkalinity, pCO₂, and the aragonite saturation state, were all significantly different between control and high CO₂ treatments in both temperature treatments. Chl a concentration increased significantly in CO₂-treated groups at 25°C, but benthic microalgal abundance was not significantly different. The number of microalgal species and the microalgal community structure did not differ between control and CO₂-treated groups at both temperatures. Our results suggest that increasing CO₂ may boost benthic microalgal primary productivity if sufficient nutrients are available, although site-specific responses are difficult to predict.

Non-target effects of a glyphosate-based herbicide on Common toad larvae (Bufo bufo, Amphibia) and associated algae are altered by temperature

BACKGROUND

Glyphosate-based herbicides are the most widely used pesticides in agriculture, horticulture, municipalities and private gardens that can potentially contaminate nearby water bodies inhabited by amphibians and algae. Moreover, the development and diversity of these aquatic organisms could also be affected by human-induced climate change that might lead to more periods with extreme temperatures. However, to what extent non-target effects of these herbicides on amphibians or algae are altered by varying temperature is not well known.

METHODS

We studied effects of five concentrations of the glyphosate-based herbicide formulation Roundup PowerFlex (0, 1.5, 3, 4 mg acid equivalent glyphosate L-1 as a one time addition and a pulse treatment of totally 4 mg a.e. glyphosate L-1) on larval development of Common toads (Bufo bufo, L.; Amphibia: Anura) and associated algae communities under two temperature regimes (15 vs. 20 °C).

RESULTS

Herbicide contamination reduced tail growth (-8%), induced the occurrence of tail deformations (i.e. lacerated or crooked tails) and reduced algae diversity (-6%). Higher water temperature increased tadpole growth (tail and body length (tl/bl) +66%, length-to-width ratio +4%) and decreased algae diversity (-21%). No clear relation between herbicide concentrations and tadpole growth or algae density or diversity was observed. Interactive effects of herbicides and temperature affected growth parameters, tail deformation and tadpole mortality indicating that the herbicide effects are temperature-dependent. Remarkably, herbicide-temperature interactions resulted in deformed tails in 34% of all herbicide treated tadpoles at 15 °C whereas no tail deformations were observed for the herbicide-free control at 15 °C or any tadpole at 20 °C; herbicide-induced mortality was higher at 15 °C but lower at 20 °C.

DISCUSSION

These herbicide- and temperature-induced changes may have decided effects on ecological interactions in freshwater ecosystems. Although no clear dose-response effect was seen, the presence of glyphosate was decisive for an effect, suggesting that the lowest observed effect concentration (LOEC) in our study was 1.5 mg a.e. glyphosate L-1 water. Overall, our findings also question the relevance of pesticide risk assessments conducted at standard temperatures.

Phytoplankton responses to temperature increases are constrained by abiotic conditions and community composition

Effects of temperature changes on phytoplankton communities seem to be highly context-specific, but few studies have analyzed whether this context specificity depends on differences in the abiotic conditions or in species composition between studies. We present an experiment that allows disentangling the contribution of abiotic and biotic differences in shaping the response to two aspects of temperature change: permanent increase of mean temperature versus pulse disturbance in form of a heat wave. We used natural communities from six different sites of a floodplain system as well as artificially mixed communities from laboratory cultures and grew both, artificial and natural communities, in water from the six different floodplain lakes (sites). All 12 contexts (2 communities × 6 sites) were first exposed to three different temperature levels (12, 18, 24 °C, respectively) and afterward to temperature pulses (4 °C increase for 7 h day(-1)). Temperature-dependent changes in biomass and community composition depended on the initial composition of phytoplankton communities. Abiotic conditions had a major effect on biomass of phytoplankton communities exposed to different temperature conditions, however, the effect of biotic and abiotic conditions together was even more pronounced. Additionally, phytoplankton community responses to pulse temperature effects depended on the warming history. By disentangling abiotic and biotic effects, our study shows that temperature-dependent effects on phytoplankton communities depend on both, biotic and abiotic constraints.

Phytoplankton variability in relation to some environmental factors in the eastern coast of Suez Gulf, Egypt

Water samples were seasonally collected from 12 stations of the eastern coast of Suez Gulf during autumn of 2012 and winter, spring, and summer of 2013 in order to investigate phytoplankton community structure in relation to some physicochemical parameters. The study area harbored a diversified phytoplankton community (138 species), belonging to 67 genera. Four algal groups were represented and classified as Bacillariophyceae (90 species), Dinophyceae (28 species), Cyanophyceae (16 species), and Chlorophyceae (4 species). The results indicated a relative high occurrence of some species namely.; Pleurotaenium trabecula of green algae; Chaetoceros lorenzianus, Proboscia alata var. gracillima, Pseudosolenia calcar-avis, and Pseudo-nitzschia pungens of diatoms; Trichodesmium erythraeum and Pseudoanabaena limnetica of cyanophytes. Most of other algal species were fairly distributed at the selected stations of the study area. The total abundance of phytoplankton was relatively low (average of 2989 unit/L) in the eastern coast of Suez Gulf, as compared its western coast and the northern part of the Red Sea. The diversity of phytoplankton species was relatively high (2.35-3.82 nats) with an annual average of 3.22 nats in the present study. The results concluded that most of eastern coast of Suez Gulf is still healthy, relatively unpolluted, and oligotrophic area, which is clearly achieved by the low values of dissolved phosphate (0.025-0.3 μM), nitrate (0.18-1.26 μM), and dissolved ammonium (0.81-5.36 μM). Even if the occurrence of potentially harmful algae species was low, the study area should be monitored continuously. The dissolved oxygen ranged between 1.77 and 8.41 mg/L and pH values between 7.6 and 8.41. The multiple regression analysis showed that the dissolved nitrate and pH values were the most effective factors that controlled the seasonal fluctuations of phytoplankton along the eastern coast of Suez Gulf during 2012-2013.