1
|
Furgason CC, Smirnova AV, Dacks JB, Dunfield PF. Phytoplankton ecology in the early years of a boreal oil sands end pit lake. ENVIRONMENTAL MICROBIOME 2024; 19:3. [PMID: 38217061 PMCID: PMC10787447 DOI: 10.1186/s40793-023-00544-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/10/2023] [Accepted: 12/20/2023] [Indexed: 01/14/2024]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Base Mine Lake (BML) is the first full-scale end pit lake for the oil sands mining industry in Canada. BML sequesters oil sands tailings under a freshwater cap and is intended to develop into a functional ecosystem that can be integrated into the local watershed. The first stage of successful reclamation requires the development of a phytoplankton community supporting a typical boreal lake food web. To assess the diversity and dynamics of the phytoplankton community in BML at this reclamation stage and to set a baseline for future monitoring, we examined the phytoplankton community in BML from 2016 through 2021 using molecular methods (targeting the 23S, 18S, and 16S rRNA genes) and microscopic methods. Nearby water bodies were used as controls for a freshwater environment and an active tailings pond. RESULTS The phytoplankton community was made up of diverse bacteria and eukaryotes typical of a boreal lake. Microscopy and molecular data both identified a phytoplankton community comparable at the phylum level to that of natural boreal lakes, dominated by Chlorophyta, Cryptophyta, and Cyanophyta, with some Bacillariophyta, Ochrophyta, and Euglenophyta. Although many of the same genera were prominent in both BML and the control freshwater reservoir, there were differences at the species or ASV level. Total diversity in BML was also consistently lower than the control freshwater site, but consistently higher than the control tailings pond. The phytoplankton community composition in BML changed over the 5-year study period. Some taxa present in 2016-2019 (e.g., Choricystis) were no longer detected in 2021, while some dinophytes and haptophytes became detectable in small quantities starting in 2019-2021. Different quantification methods (qPCR analysis of 23S rRNA genes, and microscopic estimates of populations and total biomass) did not show a consistent directional trend in total phytoplankton over the 5-year study, nor was there any consistent increase in phytoplankton species diversity. The 5-year period was likely an insufficient time frame for detecting community trends, as phytoplankton communities are highly variable at the genus and species level. CONCLUSIONS BML supports a phytoplankton community composition somewhat unique from control sites (active tailings and freshwater lake) and is still changing over time. However, the most abundant genera are typical of natural boreal lakes and have the potential to support a complex aquatic food web, with many of its identified major phytoplankton constituents known to be primary producers in boreal lake environments.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Chantel C Furgason
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Calgary, 2500 University Dr. NW, Calgary, AB, Canada
| | - Angela V Smirnova
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Calgary, 2500 University Dr. NW, Calgary, AB, Canada
| | - Joel B Dacks
- Division of Infectious Diseases, Department of Medicine and Department of Biological Sciences, University of Alberta, 116 St. and 85 Ave., Edmonton, AB, Canada
| | - Peter F Dunfield
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Calgary, 2500 University Dr. NW, Calgary, AB, Canada.
| |
Collapse
|
2
|
Kamalanathan M, Hillhouse J, Claflin N, Rodkey T, Mondragon A, Prouse A, Nguyen M, Quigg A. Influence of nutrient status on the response of the diatom Phaeodactylum tricornutum to oil and dispersant. PLoS One 2021; 16:e0259506. [PMID: 34851969 PMCID: PMC8635359 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0259506] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/12/2021] [Accepted: 10/20/2021] [Indexed: 12/04/2022] Open
Abstract
Phytoplankton play a central role in our ecosystems, they are responsible for nearly 50 percent of the global primary productivity and major drivers of macro-elemental cycles in the ocean. Phytoplankton are constantly subjected to stressors, some natural such as nutrient limitation and some manmade such as oil spills. With increasing oil exploration activities in coastal zones in the Gulf of Mexico and elsewhere, an oil spill during nutrient-limited conditions for phytoplankton growth is highly likely. We performed a multifactorial study exposing the diatom Phaeodactylum tricornutum (UTEX 646) to oil and/or dispersants under nitrogen and silica limitation as well as co-limitation of both nutrients. Our study found that treatments with nitrogen limitation (-N and–N-Si) showed overall lower growth and chlorophyll a, lower photosynthetic antennae size, lower maximum photosynthetic efficiency, lower protein in exopolymeric substance (EPS), but higher connectivity between photosystems compared to non-nitrogen limited treatments (-Si and +N+Si) in almost all the conditions with oil and/or dispersants. However, certain combinations of nutrient limitation and oil and/or dispersant differed from this trend indicating strong interactive effects. When analyzed for significant interactive effects, the–N treatment impact on cellular growth in oil and oil plus dispersant conditions; and oil and oil plus dispersant conditions on cellular growth in–N-Si and–N treatments were found to be significant. Overall, we demonstrate that nitrogen limitation can affect the oil resistant trait of P. tricornutum, and oil with and without dispersants can have interactive effects with nutrient limitation on this diatom.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Manoj Kamalanathan
- Department of Marine Biology, Texas A&M University at Galveston, Galveston, Texas, United States of America
- * E-mail: ,
| | - Jessica Hillhouse
- Department of Marine Biology, Texas A&M University at Galveston, Galveston, Texas, United States of America
| | - Noah Claflin
- Department of Marine Biology, Texas A&M University at Galveston, Galveston, Texas, United States of America
| | - Talia Rodkey
- Department of Marine Biology, Texas A&M University at Galveston, Galveston, Texas, United States of America
| | - Andrew Mondragon
- Department of Marine Biology, Texas A&M University at Galveston, Galveston, Texas, United States of America
| | - Alexandra Prouse
- Department of Marine Biology, Texas A&M University at Galveston, Galveston, Texas, United States of America
| | - Michelle Nguyen
- Department of Marine Biology, Texas A&M University at Galveston, Galveston, Texas, United States of America
| | - Antonietta Quigg
- Department of Marine Biology, Texas A&M University at Galveston, Galveston, Texas, United States of America
- Department of Oceanography, Texas A&M University, College Station, Texas, United States of America
| |
Collapse
|
3
|
Nanjappa D, Liang Y, Bretherton L, Brown C, Quigg A, Irwin AJ, Finkel ZV. Contrasting transcriptomic responses of a microbial eukaryotic community to oil and dispersant. ENVIRONMENTAL POLLUTION (BARKING, ESSEX : 1987) 2021; 288:117774. [PMID: 34274645 DOI: 10.1016/j.envpol.2021.117774] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/22/2021] [Revised: 07/05/2021] [Accepted: 07/08/2021] [Indexed: 06/13/2023]
Abstract
Dispersants can aid dispersion and biodegradation of oil in seawater, but the wider ecotoxicological effects of oil and dispersant to the base of marine food webs is unclear. Here we apply a metatranscriptomic approach to identify molecular responses of a natural marine microbial eukaryotic community to oil and chemically dispersed oil. Oil exposure stimulated the upregulation of ketogenesis in the eukaryotic community, which may alleviate carbon- and energy-limitation and reduce oxidative stress. In contrast, a chemically dispersed oil treatment stimulated eukaryotic genes and pathways consistent with nitrogen and oxygen depletion. These results suggest that the addition of dispersant may elevate bacterial biodegradation of crude oil, indirectly increasing competition for nitrogen between prokaryotic and eukaryotic communities as oxygen consumption induces bacterial anaerobic respiration and denitrification. Eukaryotic microbial communities may mitigate some of the negative effects of oil exposure such as reduced photosynthesis and elevated oxidative stress, through ketosis, but the addition of dispersant to the oil fundamentally alters the environmental and ecological conditions and therefore the biochemical response of the eukaryotic community.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Deepak Nanjappa
- Department of Oceanography, Dalhousie University, Halifax, NS, Canada.
| | - Yue Liang
- Department of Oceanography, Dalhousie University, Halifax, NS, Canada
| | - Laura Bretherton
- Department of Oceanography, Dalhousie University, Halifax, NS, Canada
| | - Chris Brown
- Environmental Science Program, Mount Allison University, Sackville, NB, Canada
| | - Antonietta Quigg
- Department of Marine Biology, Texas A&M University at Galveston, Galveston, TX, USA
| | - Andrew J Irwin
- Department of Oceanography, Dalhousie University, Halifax, NS, Canada; Department of Mathematics & Statistics, Dalhousie University, Halifax, NS, Canada
| | - Zoe V Finkel
- Department of Oceanography, Dalhousie University, Halifax, NS, Canada
| |
Collapse
|
4
|
Kamalanathan M, Schwehr KA, Labonté JM, Taylor C, Bergen C, Patterson N, Claflin N, Santschi PH, Quigg A. The Interplay of Phototrophic and Heterotrophic Microbes Under Oil Exposure: A Microcosm Study. Front Microbiol 2021; 12:675328. [PMID: 34408728 PMCID: PMC8366316 DOI: 10.3389/fmicb.2021.675328] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/02/2021] [Accepted: 06/28/2021] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
Microbial interactions influence nearly one-half of the global biogeochemical flux of major elements of the marine ecosystem. Despite their ecological importance, microbial interactions remain poorly understood and even less is known regarding the effects of anthropogenic perturbations on these microbial interactions. The Deepwater Horizon oil spill exposed the Gulf of Mexico to ∼4.9 million barrels of crude oil over 87 days. We determined the effects of oil exposure on microbial interactions using short- and long-term microcosm experiments with and without Macondo surrogate oil. Microbial activity determined using radiotracers revealed that oil exposure negatively affected substrate uptake by prokaryotes within 8 h and by eukaryotes over 72 h. Eukaryotic uptake of heterotrophic exopolymeric substances (EPS) was more severely affected than prokaryotic uptake of phototrophic EPS. In addition, our long-term exposure study showed severe effects on photosynthetic activity. Lastly, changes in microbial relative abundances and fewer co-occurrences among microbial species were mostly driven by photosynthetic activity, treatment (control vs. oil), and prokaryotic heterotrophic metabolism. Overall, oil exposure affected microbial co-occurrence and/or interactions possibly by direct reduction in abundance of one of the interacting community members and/or indirect by reduction in metabolism (substrate uptake or photosynthesis) of interacting members.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Manoj Kamalanathan
- Department of Marine Biology, Texas A&M University at Galveston, Galveston, TX, United States
| | - Kathleen A Schwehr
- Department of Marine and Coastal Environmental Science, Texas A&M University at Galveston, Galveston, TX, United States
| | - Jessica M Labonté
- Department of Marine Biology, Texas A&M University at Galveston, Galveston, TX, United States
| | - Christian Taylor
- Department of Marine and Coastal Environmental Science, Texas A&M University at Galveston, Galveston, TX, United States
| | - Charles Bergen
- Department of Marine and Coastal Environmental Science, Texas A&M University at Galveston, Galveston, TX, United States
| | - Nicole Patterson
- Department of Marine and Coastal Environmental Science, Texas A&M University at Galveston, Galveston, TX, United States
| | - Noah Claflin
- Department of Marine Biology, Texas A&M University at Galveston, Galveston, TX, United States
| | - Peter H Santschi
- Department of Marine and Coastal Environmental Science, Texas A&M University at Galveston, Galveston, TX, United States.,Department of Oceanography, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX, United States
| | - Antonietta Quigg
- Department of Marine Biology, Texas A&M University at Galveston, Galveston, TX, United States.,Department of Oceanography, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX, United States
| |
Collapse
|
5
|
Quigg A, Parsons M, Bargu S, Ozhan K, Daly KL, Chakraborty S, Kamalanathan M, Erdner D, Cosgrove S, Buskey EJ. Marine phytoplankton responses to oil and dispersant exposures: Knowledge gained since the Deepwater Horizon oil spill. MARINE POLLUTION BULLETIN 2021; 164:112074. [PMID: 33540275 DOI: 10.1016/j.marpolbul.2021.112074] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/06/2020] [Revised: 10/16/2020] [Accepted: 01/15/2021] [Indexed: 06/12/2023]
Abstract
The Deepwater Horizon oil spill of 2010 brought the ecology and health of the Gulf of Mexico to the forefront of the public's and scientific community's attention. Not only did we need a better understanding of how this oil spill impacted the Gulf of Mexico ecosystem, but we also needed to apply this knowledge to help assess impacts from perturbations in the region and guide future response actions. Phytoplankton represent the base of the food web in oceanic systems. As such, alterations of the phytoplankton community propagate to upper trophic levels. This review brings together new insights into the influence of oil and dispersant on phytoplankton. We bring together laboratory, mesocosm and field experiments, including insights into novel observations of harmful algal bloom (HAB) forming species and zooplankton as well as bacteria-phytoplankton interactions. We finish by addressing knowledge gaps and highlighting key topics for research in novel areas.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Antonietta Quigg
- Texas A&M University at Galveston, 200 Seawolf Parkway, Galveston, TX 77553, USA.
| | - Michael Parsons
- Florida Gulf Coast University, 10501 FGCU Blvd South, Fort Myers, FL 33965, USA.
| | - Sibel Bargu
- Louisiana State University, 1235 Energy, Coast & Environment Building, Baton Rouge, LA 70803, USA.
| | - Koray Ozhan
- Middle East Technical University, P.O. Box 28, 33731 Erdemli, Mersin, Turkey.
| | - Kendra L Daly
- University of South Florida, 140 Seventh Ave S., St. Petersburg, FL 33701, USA.
| | - Sumit Chakraborty
- Mote Marine Laboratory, 1600 Ken Thompson Parkway, Sarasota, FL 34236, USA.
| | - Manoj Kamalanathan
- Texas A&M University at Galveston, 200 Seawolf Parkway, Galveston, TX 77553, USA.
| | - Deana Erdner
- University of Texas Marine Science Institute, 750 Channel View Drive, Port Aransas, TX 78373, USA.
| | - Sarah Cosgrove
- University of Texas Marine Science Institute, 750 Channel View Drive, Port Aransas, TX 78373, USA.
| | - Edward J Buskey
- University of Texas Marine Science Institute, 750 Channel View Drive, Port Aransas, TX 78373, USA.
| |
Collapse
|
6
|
Crude oil exposure reduces ice algal growth in a sea-ice mesocosm experiment. Polar Biol 2021. [DOI: 10.1007/s00300-021-02818-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/22/2022]
|