Dataset Information

Distribution and Habitat Specificity of Potentially-Toxic Microcystis across Climate, Land, and Water Use Gradients.

ABSTRACT: Toxic cyanobacterial blooms are a growing threat to freshwater bodies worldwide. In order for a toxic bloom to occur, a population of cells with the genetic capacity to produce toxins must be present together with the appropriate environmental conditions. In this study, we investigated the distribution patterns and phylogeny of potentially-toxic Microcystis (indicated by the presence and/or phylogeny of the mcyD and mcyA genes). Samples were collected from the water column of almost 60 water bodies across widely differing gradients of environmental conditions and land use in Israel. Potentially, toxic populations were common but not ubiquitous, detected in ~65% of the studied sites. Local environmental factors, including phosphorus and ammonia concentrations and pH, as well as regional conditions such as the distance from built areas and nature reserves, were correlated with the distribution of the mcyD gene. A specific phylogenetic clade of Microcystis, defined using the sequence of the mcyA gene, was preferentially associated with aquaculture facilities but not irrigation reservoirs. Our results reveal important environmental, geospatial, and land use parameters affecting the geographic distribution of toxinogenic Microcystis, suggesting non-random dispersal of these globally abundant toxic cyanobacteria.

SUBMITTER: Marmen S

PROVIDER: S-EPMC4791393 | biostudies-literature | 2016

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature

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Distribution and Habitat Specificity of Potentially-Toxic Microcystis across Climate, Land, and Water Use Gradients.

Marmen Sophi S Aharonovich Dikla D Grossowicz Michal M Blank Lior L Yacobi Yosef Z YZ Sher Daniel J DJ

Frontiers in microbiology 20160315

Toxic cyanobacterial blooms are a growing threat to freshwater bodies worldwide. In order for a toxic bloom to occur, a population of cells with the genetic capacity to produce toxins must be present together with the appropriate environmental conditions. In this study, we investigated the distribution patterns and phylogeny of potentially-toxic Microcystis (indicated by the presence and/or phylogeny of the mcyD and mcyA genes). Samples were collected from the water column of almost 60 water bod ...[more]

PMID: 27014200

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Project description:Neonicotinoid insecticides cause adverse effects on nontarget organisms, but more information about their occurrence in surface and groundwater is needed across a range of land uses. Sixty-five sites in Minnesota, USA, representing rivers, streams, lakes, groundwater, and treated wastewater, were monitored via collection of 157 water samples to determine variability in spatiotemporal neonicotinoid concentrations. The data were used to assess relations to land use, hydrogeologic condition, and potential effects on aquatic life. Total neonicotinoid concentrations were highest in agricultural watersheds (median = 12 ng/L), followed by urban (2.9 ng/L) and undeveloped watersheds (1.9 ng/L). Clothianidin was most frequently detected in agricultural areas (detection frequency = 100%) and imidacloprid most often in urban waters (detection frequency = 97%). The seasonal trend of neonicotinoid concentrations in rivers, streams, and lakes showed that their highest concentrations coincided with spring planting and elevated streamflow. Consistently low neonicotinoid concentrations were found in shallow groundwater in agricultural regions (<1.2-16 ng/L, median = 1.4 ng/L). Treated municipal wastewater had the highest concentrations across all hydrologic compartments (12-48 ng/L, median = 19 ng/L), but neonicotinoid loads from rivers and streams (median = 4100 mg/d) were greater than in treated wastewater (700 mg/d). No samples exceeded acute aquatic-life benchmarks for individual neonicotinoids, whereas 10% of samples exceeded a chronic benchmark for neonicotinoid mixtures. Although 62% of samples contained 2 or more neonicotinoids, the observed concentrations suggest there were low acute and potential chronic risks to aquatic life. This the first study of its size in Minnesota and is critical to better understanding the drivers of wide-scale environmental contamination by neonicotinoids where urban, agricultural, and undeveloped lands are present. Environ Toxicol Chem 2021;40:1017-1033. © 2020 The Authors. Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry published by Wiley Periodicals LLC on behalf of SETAC.

Project description:AimThe latitudinal diversity gradient (LDG) - in which species richness decreases from the equator toward the poles - is among the most fundamental distributional patterns in ecology. Despite the expectation that the diversity of parasites tracks that of their hosts, available evidence suggests that many parasites exhibit reverse latitudinal gradients or no pattern, yet the rarity of large-scale datasets on host-parasite interactions calls into question the robustness of such trends. Here, we collected parasitological data from a host group of conservation importance - lentic-breeding amphibians - to characterize the form and direction of relationships among latitude, parasite richness, and parasite load.LocationThe contiguous USA.Time period2000 to 2014.Major taxa studiedLentic-breeding frogs and toads and their helminth parasites.MethodsWe collected information on parasite richness and infection load for 846 amphibian populations representing 31 species. We combined these data with environmental and biological data to test for LDGs and potential mechanisms.ResultsBoth parasite richness and abundance increased across 20 degrees of latitude - a reverse LDG. For parasite richness, this pattern was partially explained by latitudinal increases in wetland area, landcover diversity, and the richness of waterbirds - which function as definitive hosts for many amphibian parasites. Host body size also correlated positively with latitude and helminth richness, potentially reflecting increased habitat availability, greater host longevity, or a persistent phylogenetic signal. Parasite abundance associated positively with wetland area and landcover diversity, but negatively with amphibian taxonomic richness. Longitude exhibited non-linear relationships with parasite abundance and richness, which we suggest stem from large-scale variation in host availability (e.g., migratory bird flyways).Main conclusionsWith growing interest in the distribution of parasites and pathogens, these results highlight the importance of inverse latitudinal gradients while emphasizing the explanatory influence of host body size, habitat availability, and host diversity.

Dataset Information

Distribution and Habitat Specificity of Potentially-Toxic Microcystis across Climate, Land, and Water Use Gradients.

Publications

Distribution and Habitat Specificity of Potentially-Toxic Microcystis across Climate, Land, and Water Use Gradients.

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