Phytoplankton Assemblages in Selected Freshwaters of New Jersey

MEIYIN WU & YARITZA ACOSTA

NJ Phytoplankton Monitoring

Higher intensity of HAB events

Little information available on freshwater phytoplankton and cyanobacteria taxa in New Jersey

Algal bloom from October 2016 in Orange Reservoir, NJ (South Mountain Reservation)

Algal bloom from October 2016 in the Passaic River, NJ.

ObjectivesCompile a list of freshwater phytoplankton in New Jersey

Understand distribution and abundance of phytoplankton in New Jersey

Identify potential toxin-producing cyano taxa

Photo credit :https://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/Features/Phytoplankton/

Study Sites

60 freshwater waterbodies◦ New Jersey Department of Environmental

Protection

◦ Taxa data from Passaic Valley Water Commission

64 Samples

20 New Jersey Water Management Areas

20 Counties

49 Municipalities

MethodsSampling

◦ 1 m depth or surface grab samples

◦ 250 ml amber jars wrapped in aluminum foil

◦ stored in ice

Identification/cell density

◦ conducted within 24 hours of collection

◦ Microscope-hemocytometer

◦ Taxa identified to the lowest taxonomic level possible

◦ Wehr et al 2015 & Bellinger et al. 2015

Microcystins

◦ EPA Method 546/Abraxis ELISA Kits

◦ Triplicate

◦ 0.15 to 5 μg/LRetrieved from: https://s3-ap-southeast-2.amazonaws.com/production-oms/data/13930/pool_and_spa_master/1338939680_hp-united.jpg

Retrieved from: https://image.slidesharecdn.com/hemocytometer-manualcellcounting1-141130214600-conversion-gate01/95/hemocytometer-manual-cell-counting-1-6-638.jpg?cb=1417384177

Freshwater Phytoplankton TaxaTaxa richness: 65

Range: 1-31

Average: 6

Most diverse site: Passaic Valley Water Commission

R²=0.04979

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10000

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1000000

20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30

TotalCellD

ensity(cells/m

L)

Temperature(°C)

R²=0.17173

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TotalCellD

ensity(cells/m

L)

DissolvedOxygen(mg/L)

Freshwater Phytoplankton Taxa

Group/ PhylumNo. of Taxa

Green Algae/Chlorophyta 27 42%

Diatoms/ Bacillariophyta 21 32%

Blue-Green/Cyanobacteria 9 14%

Golden Algae/Chrysophyceae 4 6%

Dinoflagellates/Dinoflagellata 3 5%

Red Algae/Rhodophyta 1 2%Synedra spp.

Fragilaria spp.Selenastrum spp.

Scenedesmus spp.

Freshwater Cyanobacteria TaxaCyano taxa richness: 9

◦ All are potential toxin producers

◦ Weston’s Mill Pond, New Jersey American Water Reservoir 2

Sites with presence of cyano: 45/60 or 75%

Relative dominance of cyano

◦ Range: 1% - 94%

◦ Average: 45%

◦ New Jersey American Water Reservoir 1 & Smithville Lake

R²=0.03629

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CyanobacteriaCellDensity(cells/mL)

Temperature(°C)

R²=0.24609

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CyanobacteriaCellDensity(cells/mL)

DissolvedOxygen(mg/L)

Cyanobacteria

Chrococcus limneticus Gomphosphaeria spp.

Microcystis spp. Anabaena spp. Aphanizomenonspp.

Lyngbya spp. Oscillatoria spp.

Phormidiumspp.

Synechococcus spp.

Cyanobacteria Taxa and Potential Toxins

Taxonomy No. of Sites

Endotoxin, Dermatotoxin

Hepatotoxin(Liver)

Neurotoxin (Nervous System)

Taste/Odor Compound

Anabaena spp.

28 44% LPS 1

microcystin-LR7, microcystin-YR8,microsystin- RR7,

cylindrospermopsin3

anatoxin-a1, saxitoxins1 MIB, Geosmin6

Synechococcus spp.17 27% LPS 1 MIB, Geosmin6

Aphanizomenon spp.11 17% LPS 1

cylindrospermopsin3

anatoxin-a1, saxitoxins1 Geosmin6

Microcystis spp. 8 13% LPS 1

microcystin-LR2, microcystin-YR2,microsystin- RR2 anatoxina-a2 Geosmin6

Chrococcus limneticus 4 6% LPS 1

Gomphosphaeria spp. 3 5%

LPS 1 Geosmin6

Oscillatoria spp.2 3%

LPS 1, aplysiatoxins1, lyngbyatoxin-a1

microcystin-LR4, microsystin- RR4, anatoxin-a1 Geosmin6

Lyngbya spp.1 2% LPS 1 lyngbyatoxin-a1 saxitoxins1 MIB, Geosmin6

Merismopedia spp.1 2% LPS 1 microcystins5

LPS- Lipopolysaccharides; 1Bláha et al. 2009; 2Watanabe et al. 1995; 3Stüken et al. 2009; 4 Luukkainen et al. 1993; 5Furtado et al. 2009; 6Izaguirre and Taylor 2004; 7Namikoshi et al. 1992; 8Harada et al. 1991

Potential Health Impacts

Toxin Symptoms

Lipopolysaccharides Gastroenteritis, skin irritation, eye irritation, allergic reactions, hay fever, and asthma

Anatoxins Muscle twitching, cramping, and paralysis

Microcystins Diarrhea, vomiting, goose bumps, weakness, and liver hemorrhaging/ toxicity

Cylindrospermopsin Gastroenteritis, kidney failure, and liver failure

Saxitoxins Headache, vertigo, paresthesia, muscle twitching, and respiratory paralysis

Aplysiatoxins Skin irritation and asthma-like symptoms

Lyngbyatoxins Smooth muscle contraction leading to irritation, dermatitis, poisoning and asthma-like symptoms

Adapted from Weirich & Miller 2014

Microcystins31 samples

Collected in 2016-2017

NJ health advisory guidance values for recreational exposure: 3 μg/L

29 sites or 94%, below the advisory guidance value

◦ Range: <0.15 to >5 μg/L

15 sites or 48% below detection limit of 0.15 μg/L

2 sites were above the advisory guidance value

◦ Greenwood Lake/Belcher’s Creek: 3.2 μg/L

◦ New Jersey American Water Reservoir 2: > 5 μg/L

R²=0.34601

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6

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Microcystins(μg/L)

PotentialMicrocystin-ProducingCyanobacteriaDensity(cells/mL)

Future DirectionsContinue building the database of freshwater phytoplankton in New Jersey

Development of qPCR detection methods for

◦ Microcystis spp.

◦ Cylindrospermopsis spp.

◦ Anabaena spp.

◦ Microcystins

◦ Cylindrospermopsin

◦ Anatoxins

◦ Saxitoxins

R & D environmental variables triggering HABs.

Cyanotoxins in freshwater biota/seafood

Removal of algae and cyanotoxins in water

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Bláha, L., Babica, P., & Maršálek, B. (2009). Toxins produced in cyanobacterial water blooms-toxicity and risks. Interdisciplinary toxicology, 2(2), 36-41.

Furtado, A. L. F. F., do Carmo Calijuri, M., Lorenzi, A. S., Honda, R. Y., Genuário, D. B., & Fiore, M. F. (2009). Morphological and molecular characterization of cyanobacteria from a Brazilian facultative wastewater stabilization pond and evaluation of microcystin production. Hydrobiologia, 627(1), 195-209.

Harada, K., Ogawa, K., Kimura, Y., Murata, H., Suzuki, M., Thorn, P. M., ... & Carmichael, W. W. (1991). Microcystins from Anabaena flos-aquae NRC 525-17. Chemical research in toxicology, 4(5), 535-540.

Jochimsen, E. M., Carmichael, W. W., An, J., Cardo, D. M., Cookson, S. T., Holmes, C. E., & Azevedo, S. M. (1998). Liver failure and death after exposure to microcystins at a hemodialysis center in Brazil. New England Journal of Medicine, 338(13), 873-878.

Luukkainen, R., Sivonen, K., Namikoshi, M., Färdig, M., Rinehart, K. L., & Niemelä, S. I. (1993). Isolation and identification of eight microcystins from thirteen Oscillatoria agardhii strains and structure of a new microcystin. Applied and Environmental Microbiology, 59(7), 2204-2209.

Meriluoto, J., Codd, G., Reilly, M., Metcalf, J. S., Spoof, L., Sjövall, O.,, & Backlund, P. (2005). TOXIC: cyanobacterial monitoring and cyanotoxin analysis.

Meriluoto, J., Spoof, L., & Codd, G. A. (Eds.). (2017). Handbook of Cyanobacterial Monitoring and Cyanotoxin Analysis. John Wiley & Sons.

Namikoshi, M., Sivonen, K., Evans, W. R., Carmichael, W. W., Sun, F., Rouhiainen, L., & Rinehart, K. L. (1992). Two new L-serine variants of microcystins-LR and-RR from Anabaena sp. strains 202 A1 and 202 A2. Toxicon, 30(11), 1457-1464.

Paerl, H. W., & Huisman, J. (2009). Climate change: a catalyst for global expansion of harmful cyanobacterial blooms. Environmental microbiology reports, 1(1), 27-37.

Reynolds, C. S. (2006). The ecology of phytoplankton. Cambridge University Press.

Izaguirre, G., & Taylor, W. D. (2004). A guide to geosmin-and MIB-producing cyanobacteria in the United States. Water Science and Technology, 49(9), 19-24.

Stüken, A., Campbell, R. J., Quesada, A., Sukenik, A., Dadheech, P. K., & Wiedner, C. (2009). Genetic and morphologic characterization of four putative cylindrospermopsin producing species of the cyanobacterial genera Anabaena and Aphanizomenon. Journal of Plankton Research, 31(5), 465-480.

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Wehr, J. D., Sheath, R. G., & Kociolek, J. P. (Eds.). (2015). Freshwater algae of North America: ecology and classification. Elsevier.

Weirich, C. A., & Miller, T. R. (2014). Freshwater harmful algal blooms: toxins and children's health. Current problems in pediatric and adolescent health care, 44(1), 2-24.