Cyanobacteria blooms

Freshwater cyanobacteria blooms implicated in human and livestock intoxications have been extensively studied. And they have become a serious health problem in recent years. Blooms of marine cyanobacteria are also becoming an increasingly familiar occurrence within the tropical and subtropical regions of the world. Several systematic surveys within Europe and the USA have concluded that the two most commonly isolated groups of cyanotoxins are the alkaloids-neurotoxins and the cyclic peptide hepato-toxins, both of which are destructive to liver cells. Several genera... 

Cyanobacteria blooms can pose an extremely serious threat to human health (970-972), and some of the causative toxins contain halogen. The fresh water toxic cyanobacterium Oscillatoria agardhii produces oscillaginin A (916), which features the novel 3-amino-10-chloro-2-hydroxydecanoic acid, and is the source of the micro-cystins, which are heptatoxins (973). The prolific cyanobacterium Lyngbya majuscula from Curacao has furnished the novel barbamide (917) (974) and dechlorobarbamide (918) (975). Extensive biosynthetic studies show that the amino acids leucine, cysteine, and phenylalanine are involved in barbamide production (976-982). The chlorination of leucine is of great interest and may involve a radical mechanism (976, 980-983). 

Sellner, K.G., Trophodynamics of marine cyanobacteria blooms, in Marine Pelagic Cyanobacteria Trichodesmium and other Diazotrophs, Carpenter, E.J., Ed., Kluwer Academic Press, Netherlands, 1992, 75. 

Sivonen, K., Himberg, K., Luukkainen, R., Niemela, S.I., Poon, G.K., and Codd, G.A. 1989. Preliminary characterization of neurotoxic cyanobacteria blooms and strains from Finland. Toxic Ass 4,339—352. 

Sorensson, F., and Sahlsten, E. (1987). Nitrogen dynamics of a cyanobacteria bloom in the Baltic Sea New versus regenerated production. Mar. Ecol. Prog. Ser. 37, 277—284. 

Figure 11.2 Estuarine and coastal phytoplankton blooms symptomatic of nitrogen-enhanced primary production or eutrophication. Clockwise, starting with upper left (A) cyanobacteria blooms in the Gulf of Finland, Baltic Sea (photo courtesy of P. Moisander) (B) dinoflagellete red tide bloom off the coast of Japan (photo courtesy of ECOHAB Program) (C) dinoflagellate/ diatom bloom near the coast of Hong Kong, China (photo courtesy ECOHAB Program), and (D) cyanobacterial bloom on the St.Johns River Estuary, Florida (photo courtesyj. Burns).

N2 fixation occurs mainly in the Baltic Proper, where the N/P ratio is low compared to the Redfield value during summer (Graneli et al., 1990 WulfFet al., 2001 Fig. 15.4). Because of the patchy nature of cyanobacteria blooms, strong... 

Bianchi, T. S., EngeUiaupt, E., Westtnan, P., Andren, T., RolfF, C., and Eltngren, R. (2000). Cyanobacteria blooms in the Baltic sea Natural or human-induced Limnol. Oceanogr. 45, 716-726. 

Moisander, P. H., Steppe, T. F., Hall, N. S., Kuparinen, J., and Paerl, H. W. (2003). Variability in nitrogen and phosphorus limitation for Baltic sea phytoplankton during nitrogen-fixing cyanobacteria blooms. Mar. Ecol. Prog. Ser. 262, 81—95. 

Poutanen, E. L., and Nikkila, K. (2001). Carotenoid pigments as tracers of cyanobacteria blooms in recent and post-glacial sediments of the Baltic Sea. Ambio 30, 179-183. 

Rydin, E., Hyenstrand, P., Gunnerhed, M., and Blomqvist, P. (2002). Nutrient limitation of cyanobacteria blooms An enclosure experiment from the coastal zone of NW Baltic Proper. Mar. Ecol. Prog. Ser. 239, 31-36. 

Tuomainen, J. M., Hietanen, S., Kuparinen, J., Martikainen, P. J., and Servomaa, K. (2003). Baltic Sea cyanobacteria bloom contains denitrification and nitrification genes, but has neghgible denitrification activity. FEMS Microbiol. Ecol. 45, 83—96. 

Paul, V. J., Thacker, R. W., Banks, K., and Golubic, S. (2005). Benthic cyanobacteria bloom impacts the reefs of South Florida (Broward County, USA). Coral Reefs 24, 693—697. 

Shen, P., Shi, Q., Hua, Z., Kong, F., Wang, Z., Zhuang, S., Chen, D. (2003). Analysis of microsystins in cyanobacteria blooms and surface water samples from Mei-lang Bay, Taihu Lake, China. Environment Int. 29, 641-647. 

How far the transport of reduced (bioavailable ) Fe(ll) by diffusion and/or upwelling of Fe(ll) to the surface water is linked or contributes to the fertilization of nitrogen-fixing cyanobacteria blooms in Baltic surface waters during summer remains an open question. 

The horizontal distribution of the cyanobacteria blooms can be followed well by satellite imagery (e.g., Kahrti et al., 1994). In summer 2005, the bloom covered the entire Baltic Proper, but the western parts were excluded. In summer 2006, the bloom started as usual in the northern Gotland Sea, but was terminated very fast in the central Baltic and proceeded into the southern and western Baltic. Both bloom developments are discussed in detail in Section 15.4.2. 

Satellite images of chi a are also used to observe the seasonal phytoplankton development. The maximum occurrence of cyanobacteria was determined in August in the period 1979-1986 (Siegel et al., 1999). fhe SeaWiFS time series (1998-2004) document that in several recent years, such as 1999, 2001, 2002, and 2003, the maximum was observed already in July. The differences in the temporal course, as well as in the spatial development of cyanobacteria blooms can be shown by comparisons of 2005 and 2006. In summer 2005, the maximum intensity was reached on July 13,2005, the warmest day of the year (23-25 °C) in the central Baltic. In summer 2006, the bloom started also in early July in the northern Gotland Sea, but disappeared quickly there and grew after mid-July mainly in the southern and western parts until the end of August (Fig. 15.7). 

Nitrogen fixation has its peak in summer during the cyanobacteria bloom. Detailed analyses revealed that the most intensive nitrogen fixation occurred during the growth phase of the bloom, whereas the established bloom is less active (Fig. 15.8 cf. also Ohlendieck et al., 2000). Laamanen and Kuosa (2005) found the highest heterocyst frequency of Aphanizomenion flos-aquae before the annual biomass peak. 

Janssen, E, Neumann, T., Schmidt, M., 2004. Inter-annual variability in cyanobacteria blooms in the... 

Kahru, M., 1997. Using satellites to monitor large-scale environmental change a case study of cyanobacteria blooms in the Baltic. In Kahru, M., Brown, C. W, Monitoring Algal Blooms. Springer, Berlin, pp. 43-61. 

Kahru, M., Horstmann, U., Rud, O., 1994. Satellite detection of increased cyanobacteria blooms in the Baltic Sea natural fluctuations or ecosystem change Ambio, 23, 469-472. 

---