Population dynamics of dominant dinoflagellate species in the North Sea: in situ growth rates, photosynthetic potential, and losses due to parasitism.

In the North Sea, Tripos and Dinophysis are commonly occurring mixotrophic planktonic dinoflagellate genera. In order to understand their bloom dynamics, an occurring bloom dominated by T. furca and D. norvegica was followed for several days. High cell abundances of these species were located to estimate: in situ growth rates from cell cycle analyses, depth distributions, growth rates sustained by photosynthesis, and parasite infection prevalence in all T. furca, T. fusus, D. norvegica and D. acuminata. Cell abundances were over 10000 cells L-1 for T. furca and up to 18000 cells L-1 for D. norvegica. Cells accumulated between 15-25 m depth and presented low specific in situ growth rates of 0.04-0.15 d-1 for T. furca and 0.02-0.16 d-1 for D. norvegica. Photosynthesis could sustain growth rates of 0.01-0.18 d-1 for T. furca and 0.02 to 0.14 d-1 for D. norvegica, suggesting that these species were relying mainly on photosynthesis. Parasite infections where generally low, with occasional high prevalence in D. norvegica (by Parvilucifera sp.) and T. fusus (by Amoebophrya sp.), while both parasites showed comparable prevalence in D. acuminata, which could offset in situ growth rates by parasite-induced host mortality. The restructuring effect of parasites on dinoflagellate blooms is often overlooked and this study elucidates their effect to cell abundances and their growth at the final stages of a bloom.

Ocean urea fertilization for carbon credits poses high ecological risks.

The proposed plan for enrichment of the Sulu Sea, Philippines, a region of rich marine biodiversity, with thousands of tonnes of urea in order to stimulate algal blooms and sequester carbon is flawed for multiple reasons. Urea is preferentially used as a nitrogen source by some cyanobacteria and dinoflagellates, many of which are neutrally or positively buoyant. Biological pumps to the deep sea are classically leaky, and the inefficient burial of new biomass makes the estimation of a net loss of carbon from the atmosphere questionable at best. The potential for growth of toxic dinoflagellates is also high, as many grow well on urea and some even increase their toxicity when grown on urea. Many toxic dinoflagellates form cysts which can settle to the sediment and germinate in subsequent years, forming new blooms even without further fertilization. If large-scale blooms do occur, it is likely that they will contribute to hypoxia in the bottom waters upon decomposition. Lastly, urea production requires fossil fuel usage, further limiting the potential for net carbon sequestration. The environmental and economic impacts are potentially great and need to be rigorously assessed.

Metabolic and physiological changes in Prymnesium parvum when grown under, and grazing on prey of, variable nitrogen:phosphorus stoichiometry.

Mixotrophy is found in almost all classes of phytoplankton in a wide range of aquatic habitats ranging from oligotrophic to eutrophic marine and freshwater systems. Few studies have addressed how the nutritional status of the predator and/or the prey affects mixotrophic metabolism despite the realization that mixotrophy is important ecologically. Laboratory experiments were conducted to examine changes in growth rates and physiological states of the toxic haptophyte Prymnesium parvum when fed Rhodomonas salina of varying nutritional status. Haemolytic activity of P. parvum and prey mortality of R. salina were also measured. P. parvum cultures grown to be comparatively low in nitrogen (low-N), phosphorus (low-P) or low in both nutrients (low-NP) were mixed with low-NP, low-N, and low-P R. salina in all possible combinations, i.e., a 3×3 factorial design. N deficiency was obtained in the low-N cultures, while true P deficiency may not have been obtained in the low-P cultures. Mortality rates of R. salina (both due to ingestion and/or cell rupture as a function of grazing or toxic effects) were higher when R. salina cells were low-P, N-rich, regardless of the nutritional state of P. parvum. Mortality rates were, however, directly related to the initial prey:predator cell ratios. On the other hand, growth of the predator was a function of nutritional status and a significant positive correlation was observed between growth rates of P. parvum and cell-specific depletion rates of N, whereas no such relationship was found between P. parvum growth rates and depletion rates of P. In addition, the greatest changes in chlorophyll content and stoichiometric ratios of P. parvum were observed in high N:P conditions. Therefore, P. parvum may show enhanced success under conditions of higher inorganic N:P, which are likely favored in the future due to increases in eutrophication and altered nutrient stoichiometry driven by anthropogenic nutrient loads that are increasingly enriched in N relative to P.

Distribution, occurrence and biotoxin composition of the main shellfish toxin producing microalgae within European waters: A comparison of methods of analysis.

Harmful algal blooms (HABs) are a natural global phenomena emerging in severity and extent. Incidents have many economic, ecological and human health impacts. Monitoring and providing early warning of toxic HABs are critical for protecting public health. Current monitoring programmes include measuring the number of toxic phytoplankton cells in the water and biotoxin levels in shellfish tissue. As these efforts are demanding and labour intensive, methods which improve the efficiency are essential. This study compares the utilisation of a multitoxin surface plasmon resonance (multitoxin SPR) biosensor with enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) and analytical methods such as high performance liquid chromatography with fluorescence detection (HPLC-FLD) and liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS) for toxic HAB monitoring efforts in Europe. Seawater samples (n=256) from European waters, collected 2009-2011, were analysed for biotoxins: saxitoxin and analogues, okadaic acid and dinophysistoxins 1/2 (DTX1/DTX2) and domoic acid responsible for paralytic shellfish poisoning (PSP), diarrheic shellfish poisoning (DSP) and amnesic shellfish poisoning (ASP), respectively. Biotoxins were detected mainly in samples from Spain and Ireland. France and Norway appeared to have the lowest number of toxic samples. Both the multitoxin SPR biosensor and the RNA microarray were more sensitive at detecting toxic HABs than standard light microscopy phytoplankton monitoring. Correlations between each of the detection methods were performed with the overall agreement, based on statistical 2×2 comparison tables, between each testing platform ranging between 32% and 74% for all three toxin families illustrating that one individual testing method may not be an ideal solution. An efficient early warning monitoring system for the detection of toxic HABs could therefore be achieved by combining both the multitoxin SPR biosensor and RNA microarray.

Defining Planktonic Protist Functional Groups on Mechanisms for Energy and Nutrient Acquisition: Incorporation of Diverse Mixotrophic Strategies.

Arranging organisms into functional groups aids ecological research by grouping organisms (irrespective of phylogenetic origin) that interact with environmental factors in similar ways. Planktonic protists traditionally have been split between photoautotrophic "phytoplankton" and phagotrophic "microzooplankton". However, there is a growing recognition of the importance of mixotrophy in euphotic aquatic systems, where many protists often combine photoautotrophic and phagotrophic modes of nutrition. Such organisms do not align with the traditional dichotomy of phytoplankton and microzooplankton. To reflect this understanding, we propose a new functional grouping of planktonic protists in an eco-physiological context: (i) phagoheterotrophs lacking phototrophic capacity, (ii) photoautotrophs lacking phagotrophic capacity, (iii) constitutive mixotrophs (CMs) as phagotrophs with an inherent capacity for phototrophy, and (iv) non-constitutive mixotrophs (NCMs) that acquire their phototrophic capacity by ingesting specific (SNCM) or general non-specific (GNCM) prey. For the first time, we incorporate these functional groups within a foodweb structure and show, using model outputs, that there is scope for significant changes in trophic dynamics depending on the protist functional type description. Accordingly, to better reflect the role of mixotrophy, we recommend that as important tools for explanatory and predictive research, aquatic food-web and biogeochemical models need to redefine the protist groups within their frameworks.

Consequences of increased temperature and acidification on bacterioplankton community composition during a mesocosm spring bloom in the Baltic Sea.

Despite the paramount importance of bacteria for biogeochemical cycling of carbon and nutrients, little is known about the potential effects of climate change on these key organisms. The consequences of the projected climate change on bacterioplankton community dynamics were investigated in a Baltic Sea spring phytoplankton bloom mesocosm experiment by increasing temperature with 3°C and decreasing pH by approximately 0.4 units via CO2 addition in a factorial design. Temperature was the major driver of differences in community composition during the experiment, as shown by denaturing gradient gel electrophoresis (DGGE) of amplified 16S rRNA gene fragments. Several bacterial phylotypes belonging to Betaproteobacteria were predominant at 3°C but were replaced by members of the Bacteriodetes in the 6°C mesocosms. Acidification alone had a limited impact on phylogenetic composition, but when combined with increased temperature, resulted in the proliferation of specific microbial phylotypes. Our results suggest that although temperature is an important driver in structuring bacterioplankton composition, evaluation of the combined effects of temperature and acidification is necessary to fully understand consequences of climate change for marine bacterioplankton, their implications for future spring bloom dynamics, and their role in ecosystem functioning.

Effects from log-yard stormwater runoff on the microalgae Scenedesmus subspicatus: intra-storm magnitude and variability.

This paper describes the effects posed by stormwater runoff from an industrial log-yard on the microalgae Scenedesmus subspicatus. The effects of stormwater runoff sampled during two rain events were determined by exposing S. subspicatus cells to different concentrations (% v:v) of each sample. The effects were measured as the percentage change in growth rates in relation to a control culture after exposure times of 24, 48, 72 and 96 h. The runoff from the first rain event had no negative effects to S. subspicatus, posing in most cases growth stimulation, whereas the runoff from the second rain event inhibited algae growth. Differences in runoff physico-chemical characteristics combined with the hydrological factors of each rain event explained these opposite effects. The hypothesis of toxic first flush phenomenon was confirmed in the second rain event on the basis of normalized inhibitory effects and runoff volume. It was found that 42, 51 and 50% of the inhibitory effects during exposures of 24, 48 and 72 h were associated with the initial 4% of the total discharged volume. The fact that negative effects were observed in the two runoff events analyzed, raises concern about the potential environmental threats posed by runoff originated from wood-based industrial areas during the entire hydrological year.

Phylogenetic analyses of nitrogen-fixing cyanobacteria from the Baltic Sea reveal sequence anomalies in the phycocyanin operon.

The examination of molecular phylogenies of cyanobacteria and other micro-organisms is increasing dramatically. The use of a single locus in these studies leaves the resulting phylogenies unconfirmed. In this study, the partial sequences of two loci containing segments of protein-encoding genes, the hetR and the phycocyanin locus (PC-IGS), were examined. Laboratory strains and natural populations of the heterocyst-forming cyanobacteria Anabaena, Aphanizomenon and Nodularia from the Baltic Sea were used, in total 41 sequences were determined and their phylogenies were analysed with maximum-likelihood methods. The hetR phylogenies suggested that the planktonic Aphanizomenon and Nodularia each comprise one species, while there were numerous Anabaena species present in the Baltic Sea. In the case of Nodularia, the PC-IGS phylogenies were incongruent with this and suggested that several lineages of Nodularia plankton species existed. In the hetR phylogeny, the floating and nodularin-producing strains of Nodularia were grouped together. For both the hetR and PC-IGS loci of cultured species of Nodularia their molecular phylogeny did not correspond well with the affiliation suggested by morphology. In sequences derived from species of Anabaena and Aphanizomenon the PC-IGS and hetR phylogenies were congruent, suggesting that Aphanizomenon sp. from the Baltic Sea is genetically distinct from both Aphanizomenon flos-aquae from lakes and Aphanizomenon sp. TR183 from the Baltic Sea. In both Nodularia and Anabaena/Aphanizomenon, the PC-IGS sequences showed a significant degree of either recombination events or selection, while none was detected within the hetR sequences. This is the first study comprising the phylogenies of multiple loci from all heterocystous cyanobacteria from the Baltic Sea and shows that earlier results using the PC-IGS locus should be interpreted cautiously in the absence of a confirmation using a second locus.

Temporary cyst formation in phytoplankton: a response to allelopathic competitors?

Competition among phytoplankton for limiting resources may involve direct or indirect interactions. A direct interaction of competitors is the release of chemicals that inhibit other species, a process known as allelopathy. Here, we investigated the allelopathic effect of three toxic microalgae species (Alexandrium tamarense, Karenia mikimotoi and Chrysochromulina polylepis) on a natural population of the dinoflagellate Scrippsiella trochoidea. Our major findings were that in addition to causing death of S. trochoidea cells, the allelopathic species also induced the formation of temporary cysts in S. trochoidea. Because cysts were not lysed, encystment may act as a defence mechanism for S. trochoidea to resist allelochemicals, especially when the allelopathic effect is moderate. By forming temporary cysts, S. trochoidea may be able to overcome the effect of allelochemicals, and thereby have an adaptive advantage over other organisms unable to do so.

Multiple species of the dinophagous dinoflagellate genus Amoebophrya infect the same host species.

Populations of the dinoflagellate Dinophysis norvegica in the Baltic Sea and in the adjacent North Sea are infected by the endoparasite Amoebophrya sp. The high diversity recently unveiled within the genus Amoebophrya brings uncertainty about their identities. We applied molecular biology techniques--18S rDNA sequencing and fluorescent in situ hybridization (FISH)--to compare this host-parasite system from both environments. The North Sea Amoebophrya sp. 18S rDNA sequence was 89% identical to the previously described Baltic Sea Amoebophrya sp. sequence, suggesting they are different species. In spite of that, a phylogenetical analysis placed the North Sea parasite sequence in a well-supported cluster with other Amoebophrya sp. sequences. The D. norvegica 18S rDNA sequences from both environments were 100% identical, indicating that the hosts have not evolved independently. A DNA probe designed for the Baltic Sea Amoebophrya sp. 18S rRNA was used in FISH assays on infected D. norvegica populations from both environments. The probe stained all infected cells from the Baltic sample, whereas none from the North Sea were stained. The results indicate that D. norvegica is released from one parasite when entering the Baltic Sea, and become less infected by an alternative parasite species.

Modeling the increase of nodularin content in Baltic Sea Nodularia spumigena during stationary phase in phosphorus-limited batch cultures.

Nodularin (Nod), produced by the brackish/marine cyanobacterium Nodularia spumigena, is a potent hepatotoxin, tumor promoter and is possibly carcinogenic to mammals. It is structurally and toxicologically related to the microcystins, produced by Microcystis aeruginosa in fresh water. A better understanding of the kinetics of Nod production might provide an insight into the physiological and ecological function of cyanobacterial hepatotoxins. The present study presents a simple model simulating the concentration of Nod in N. spumigena KAC66 during phosphorus-limited growth. The main assumption of the model is that the Nod production rate is proportional to the chlorophyll-a (Chla) concentration. The model was tuned to data from phosphorus-limited batch cultures of N. spumigena KAC66 at saturating light and was able to predict 96% or more of the variation in both Chla and Nod concentration. No significant effect of available nitrogen source was found on the Chla-specific Nod production rate although specific growth rates were higher in ammonium and nitrate grown cultures compared to cultures grown with N(2) as the sole nitrogen source. Literature data on microcystin production by M. aeruginosa in phosphorus-limited chemostats fitted the model predictions well, except at very low dilution rates (0.1 day(-1)). The good fit with the proposed model to our own and literature data suggests that the production of hepatotoxic cyanotoxins is not regulated upon growth reduction due to phosphate limitation.