Dataset Information

Monitoring Cyanobacterial Blooms during the COVID-19 Pandemic in Campania, Italy: The Case of Lake Avernus.

ABSTRACT: Cyanobacteria are ubiquitous photosynthetic microorganisms considered as important contributors to the formation of Earth's atmosphere and to the process of nitrogen fixation. However, they are also frequently associated with toxic blooms, named cyanobacterial harmful algal blooms (cyanoHABs). This paper reports on an unusual out-of-season cyanoHAB and its dynamics during the COVID-19 pandemic, in Lake Avernus, South Italy. Fast detection strategy (FDS) was used to assess this phenomenon, through the integration of satellite imagery and biomolecular investigation of the environmental samples. Data obtained unveiled a widespread Microcystis sp. bloom in February 2020 (i.e., winter season in Italy), which completely disappeared at the end of the following COVID-19 lockdown, when almost all urban activities were suspended. Due to potential harmfulness of cyanoHABs, crude extracts from the "winter bloom" were evaluated for their cytotoxicity in two different human cell lines, namely normal dermal fibroblasts (NHDF) and breast adenocarcinoma cells (MCF-7). The chloroform extract was shown to exert the highest cytotoxic activity, which has been correlated to the presence of cyanotoxins, i.e., microcystins, micropeptins, anabaenopeptins, and aeruginopeptins, detected by molecular networking analysis of liquid chromatography tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS) data.

SUBMITTER: Teta R

PROVIDER: S-EPMC8310267 | biostudies-literature | 2021 Jul

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature

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Monitoring Cyanobacterial Blooms during the COVID-19 Pandemic in Campania, Italy: The Case of Lake Avernus.

Teta Roberta R Sala Gerardo Della GD Esposito Germana G Stornaiuolo Mariano M Scarpato Silvia S Casazza Marco M Anastasio Aniello A Lega Massimiliano M Costantino Valeria V

Toxins 20210708 7

Cyanobacteria are ubiquitous photosynthetic microorganisms considered as important contributors to the formation of Earth's atmosphere and to the process of nitrogen fixation. However, they are also frequently associated with toxic blooms, named cyanobacterial harmful algal blooms (cyanoHABs). This paper reports on an unusual out-of-season cyanoHAB and its dynamics during the COVID-19 pandemic, in Lake Avernus, South Italy. Fast detection strategy (FDS) was used to assess this phenomenon, throug ...[more]

PMID: 34357943

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Project description:The current study reports the community succession of different toxin and non-toxin producing cyanobacteria at different stages of cyanobacterial harmful algal blooms (CyanoHABs) and their connectivity with nitrogen and phosphorus cycles in a freshwater lake using an ecogenomics framework. Comprehensive high throughput DNA sequencing, water quality parameter measurements, and functional gene expressions over temporal and spatial scales were employed. Among the cyanobacterial community, the lake was initially dominated by Cyanobium during the months of May, June, and early July, and later primarily by Aphanizomenon and Dolichospermum depicting functional redundancy. Finally, Planktothrix appeared in late August and then the dominance switched to Planktothrix in September. Microcystis aeruginosa and Microcystis panniformis; two species responsible for cyanotoxin production, were also present in August and September, but in significantly smaller relative abundance. MC-LR (0.06-1.32 µg/L) and MC-RR (0.01-0.26 µg/L) were two major types of cyanotoxins detected. The presence of MC-LR and MC-RR were significantly correlated with the Microcystis-related genes (16SMic/mcyA/mcyG) and their expressions (r = 0.33 to 0.8, p < 0.05). The metabolic analyses further linked the presence of different cyanobacterial groups with distinct functions. The nitrogen metabolisms detected a relatively higher abundance of nitrite/nitrate reductase in early summer, indicating significant denitrification activity and the activation of N-fixation in the blooms dominated by Aphanizomenon/Dolichospermum (community richness) during nutrient-limited conditions. The phosphorus and carbohydrate metabolisms detected a trend to initiate a nutrient starvation alert and store nutrients from early summer, while utilizing the stored polyphosphate and carbohydrate (PPX and F6PPK) during the extreme ortho-P scarcity period, mostly in August or September. Specifically, the abundance of Aphanizomenon and Dolichospermum was positively correlated with the nitrogen-fixing nif gene and (p < 0.001) and the PPX enzyme for the stored polyphosphate utilization (r = 0.77, p < 0.001). Interestingly, the lake experienced a longer N-fixing period (2-3 months) before non-fixing cyanobacteria (Planktothrix) dominated the entire lake in late summer. The Provo Bay site, which is known to be nutrient-rich historically, had early episodes of filamentous cyanobacteria blooms compared to the rest of the lake.

Project description:Anthropogenic activities release large amounts of nitrogen (N) and phosphorus (P) nutrients into the environment. Sources of nutrients include surface and sub-surface runoffs from agricultural practices with the application of chemical fertilizers and manure as well as combined sewer overflows (CSOs). Nutrient runoffs contribute to the eutrophication of aquatic ecosystems and enhance the growth of cyanobacteria. Precipitation is an important driving force behind the runoff of nutrients from agricultural fields into surrounding water bodies. To understand the dynamics between nutrient input, precipitation and cyanobacterial growth in Missisquoi Bay, Lake Champlain (Quebec), one location in Pike River (a major tributary into the bay) and four locations in Missisquoi Bay were monitored from April to November in 2017 and 2018. Biweekly water samples were analyzed using chemical methods and high-throughput sequencing of 16S rRNA gene amplicons. High concentrations of N and P were typically measured in April and May. Three major spikes in nutrient concentrations were observed in early and mid-summer as well as early fall, all of which were associated with intense cumulative precipitation events of 40 to 100 mm within 7 days prior to sampling. Despite the high concentrations of nutrients in the spring and early summer, the cyanobacterial blooms appeared in mid to late summer as the water temperature increased. Dolichospermum sp. was the major bloom-forming cyanobacterium during both summers. A second intense bloom event of Microcystis was also observed in the fall (October and November) for both years. Variation in the cyanobacteria population was strongly associated with inorganic and readily available fractions of N and P such as nitrites and nitrates (NOx), ammonia (NH3) and dissolved organic phosphorus (DOP). During blooms, total Kjeldahl nitrogen (TKN) and total particulate phosphorus (TPP) fractions had a substantial influence on total nitrogen (TN) and total phosphorus (TP) concentrations, respectively. The abundance of bacteria involved in the metabolism of nitrogen compared to that of phosphorus revealed the importance of nitrogen on overall microbial dynamics as well as CB formation in the bay. Our findings emphasize the combined influence of precipitation events, temperature and several bioavailable fractions of nitrogen and phosphorus on cyanobacterial bloom episodes.

Dataset Information

Monitoring Cyanobacterial Blooms during the COVID-19 Pandemic in Campania, Italy: The Case of Lake Avernus.

Publications

Monitoring Cyanobacterial Blooms during the COVID-19 Pandemic in Campania, Italy: The Case of Lake Avernus.

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