[Abundance of Toxic and Non-toxic Microcystis sp. in Lake Hongze and Its Correlation with Environmental Factors].

In the present study, the eutrophic level of 30 water samples collected from Lake hongze in August 2014 were analyzed, and the abundance of toxic and non-toxic Microcystis sp., together with their spatial distribution, was investigated by quantitative real-time PCR techniques. The results showed that the average concentrations of total nitrogen and total phosphorus were 1.63 and 0.11 mg x L(-1), respectively. The trophic state index ( TSI) ranged from 58.1 to 73.6, and the water quality was in the state of eutrophication based on TSI. Toxic Microcystis was widely distributed in Lake Hongze, and its abundance varied sharply, from 1. 13 x 10(4) to 3.51 x 10(6) copies x mL(-1), and the abundance of total Microcystis ranged from 1.06 x 10(5) to 1.10 x 10(7) copies x m(-1), meanwhile, the proportion of toxic Microcystis in the total Microcystis ranged from 8.5% to 38.5%, with the average value of 23.6%. Correlation analysis indicated that there was a significant positive correlation among total Mirocystis, toxic Microcystis and the toxic proportion (P < 0.01). The abundance of total and toxic Microcystis was significantly positively correlated to chlorophyll a ( Chl-a) concentrations and TSI (P < 0.01), but was negatively correlated to transparency (SD) (P < 0.01). The ratio of toxic Microcystis to total Microcystis was significantly positively correlated to Chl-a, TN, TP and TSI (P < 0.01), but significantly negatively correlated to the ratio of TN to TP and SD (P < 0.01). Therefore, reducing total nitrogen and phosphorus concentrations could not only lower the eutrophication level of Lake Hongze, but also inhibit the competition advantage of the toxic Microcystis over non-toxic Microcystis.

The dynamics of toxic and nontoxic Microcystis during bloom in the large shallow lake, Lake Taihu, China.

Lake Taihu is a large shallow freshwater lake (surface area 2,338 km(2), mean depth 1.9 m) in China, which has experienced toxic cyanobacterial bloom dominated by Microcystis annually during the last few decades. In the present study, the dynamics of toxic and nontoxic Microcystis in three sampling stations (Meiliang Bay (site N2), Gonghu Bay (site N4), and the lake center area (site S4)) were quantified using quantitative real-time PCR (qPCR) during bloom periods from April to September, 2010. Our data showed that the abundance of toxic Microcystis and the toxic proportion gradually increased from April to August in water samples and reached the peak in August. During the study period, toxic Microcystis genotypes comprised between 26.2 and 64.3, between 4.4 and 22.1, and between 10.4 and 20.6 % of the total Microcystis populations in the three sampling sites, respectively. Correlation analysis suggested that there was a strong positive relationship between total Microcystis, toxic Microcystis and the toxic proportion. Chlorophyll a, total phosphorus, and water temperature were positively correlated with the abundances of total Microcystis and toxic Microcystis. Furthermore, the toxic proportion was positively correlated with total phosphorus (P < 0.05) and water temperature (P < 0.01), showing that global warming together with eutrophication could promote more frequent toxic blooms.