Phytoplankton biomass and composition in a well-flushed, sub-tropical estuary: The contrasting effects of hydrology, nutrient loads and allochthonous influences.

The primary objective of this study was to examine trends in phytoplankton biomass and species composition under varying nutrient load and hydrologic regimes in the Guana Tolomato Matanzas estuary (GTM), a well-flushed sub-tropical estuary located on the northeast coast of Florida. The GTM contains both regions of significant human influence and pristine areas with only modest development, providing a test case for comparing and contrasting phytoplankton community dynamics under varying degrees of nutrient load. Water temperature, salinity, Secchi disk depth, nutrient concentrations and chlorophyll concentrations were determined on a monthly basis from 2002 to 2012 at three representative sampling sites in the GTM. In addition, microscopic analyses of phytoplankton assemblages were carried out monthly for a five year period from 2005 through 2009 at all three sites. Results of this study indicate that phytoplankton biomass and composition in the GTM are strongly influenced by hydrologic factors, such as water residence times and tidal exchanges of coastal waters, which in turn are affected by shifts in climatic conditions, most prominently rainfall levels. These influences are exemplified by the observation that the region of the GTM with the longest water residence times but lowest nutrient loads exhibited the highest phytoplankton peaks of autochthonous origin. The incursion of a coastal bloom of the toxic dinoflagellate Karenia brevis into the GTM in 2007 demonstrates the potential importance of allochthonous influences on the ecosystem.

Role of Light Intensity and Temperature in the Regulation of Hydrogen Photoproduction by the Marine Cyanobacterium Oscillatoria sp. Strain Miami BG7.

The effects of several key environmental factors on the development and control of hydrogen production in the marine blue-green alga (cyanobacterium) Oscillatoria sp. strain Miami BG7 were studied in relation to the potential application of this strain to a bio-solar energy technology. The production of cellular biomass capable of evolving hydrogen gas was strongly affected by light intensity, temperature, and the input of ammonia as a nutrient. Depletion of combined nitrogen from the growth media was a prerequisite for the initiation of hydrogen production. Maximum hydrogen-producing capability coincided with the end of the linear phase of growth. Hydrogen production exhibited considerable flexibility to environmental extremes. The rate of production saturated at low light intensities (i.e., 15 to 30 muEinsteins/m per s), and no photoinhibition was observed at high light intensity (i.e., 1,000 muEinsteins/m per s). The upper temperature limit for production was 46 degrees C. Above the light compensation point for O(2) evolution H(2) production was inhibited. However, this problem was alleviated by two related phenomena. (i) The capacity of cells to evolve oxygen deteriorated with increasing culture age and nitrogen depletion, and (ii) the ability of these cells to produce oxygen in closed anaerobic hydrogen production systems was temporally limited.

Partitioning of monomethylmercury between freshwater algae and water.

Phytoplankton-water monomethylmercury (MeHg) partition constants (KpI) have been determined in the laboratory for two green algae Selenastrum capricornutum and Cosmarium botrytis, the blue-green algae Schizothrix calcicola, and the diatom Thallasiosira spp., algal species that are commonly found in natural surface waters. Two methods were used to determine KpI, the Freundlich isotherm method and the flow-through/dialysis bag method. Both methods yielded KpI values of about 10(6.6) for S. capricornutum and were not significantly different. The KpI for the four algae studied were similar except for Schizothrix, which was significantly lower than S. capricornutum. The KpI for MeHg and S. capricornutum (exponential growth) was not significantly different in systems with predominantly MeHgOH or MeHgCl species. This is consistent with other studies that show metal speciation controls uptake kinetics, but the reactivity with intracellular components controls steady-state concentrations. Partitioning constants determined with exponential and stationary phase S. capricornutum cells at the same conditions were not significantly different, while the partitioning constant for exponential phase, phosphorus-limited cells was significantly lower, suggesting that P-limitation alters the ecophysiology of S. capricornutum sufficiently to impact partitioning, which may then ultimately affect mercury levels in higher trophic species.