Overvåking av Vestvannet og Borredalsdammen i Viken, 2022

Prosjektleder: Andreas BallotNIVA og FREVAR har gjennomført overvåking av vannkvaliteten i Vestvannet i Sarpsborg og Borredalsdammen i Fredrikstad i 2022, med fokus på utvalgte fysisk-kjemiske parametere og planteplankton. Gjennomsnittlig konsentrasjon av totalt fosfor og totalt nitrogen har gått ned i Vestvannet-B og Borredalsdammen i 2022 sammenlignet med 2021. Algebiomassen og klorofyll- konsentrasjonene var lavere i Vestvannet-B i 2022 sammenlignet med 2021. I Borredalsdammen har det også vært en nedgang i algebiomasse men en økning i klorofyll a-konsentrasjon i 2022 i forhold til 2021. Algesamfunnet var hovedsakelig sammensatt av arter som er vanlige i lavlandsinnsjøer. I prøven fra Borredalsdammen i juli og september var det noe cyanobakterier av slekten Planktothrix, Microcystis og Dolichospermum, da det ble påvist lav konsentrasjon av microcystin. Generelt var det lite cyanobakterier i både Vestvannet-B og Borredalsdammen sammenlignet med total algebiomasse. Vestvannet-B og Borredalsdammen havnet i «svært god» økologisk tilstand iht. vannforskriften. Vestvannet-B vurderes som «godt egnet» og Borredalsdammen vurderes som «egnet» til drikkevann med hensyn til microcystin. I en totalvurdering av vannenes egnethet som drikkevann vurderes derimot begge vannene til «ikke egnet» grunnet høye fargetall i Vestvannet-B og Borredalsvannet, men siden FREVAR utfører omfattende behandling av vannet vil det likevel kunne leveres drikkevann av god kvalitet.Fredrikstad Vann, Avløp og Renovasjonsforetak (FREVAR KF)publishedVersio

Integrated Water Resources Management in Myanmar - Aquatic macrophytes in lakes in Myanmar 2014-2020 - Field survey and identification

Prosjektleder: Ingrid NesheimThis report is performed by NIVA, as part of the project Integrated Water Resources Management – Institutional Building and Training. The purpose of this report is to assist experts undertaking biological field surveys in Myanmar. The purpose of the report is to assist the Myanmar experts responsible for the aquatic macrophyte field surveys. In addition to a suggested field method for aquatic macrophyte survey in lakes in Myanmar, the report contains factsheets with short descriptions and photos of 40 hydrophyte species in Myanmar. These factsheets can be used as a supplement to other identifications keys and floras from the Asian region and serve as a “first identification step”.The Norwegian embassy in Yangon, Myanmar Norwegian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, NorwaypublishedVersio

Variability in the sxt Gene Clusters of PSP Toxin Producing Aphanizomenon gracile Strains from Norway, Spain, Germany and North America

Paralytic shellfish poisoning (PSP) toxin production has been detected worldwide in the cyanobacterial genera Anabaena, Lyngbya, Scytonema, Cuspidothrix and Aphanizomenon. In Europe Aphanizomenon gracile and Cuspidothrix issatschenkoi are the only known producers of PSP toxins and are found in Southwest and Central European freshwater bodies. In this study the PSP toxin producing Aphanizomenon sp. strain NIVA-CYA 851 was isolated from the Norwegian Lake Hillestadvannet. In a polyphasic approach NIVA-CYA 851 was morphologically and phylogenetically classified, and investigated for toxin production. The strain NIVA-CYA 851 was identified as A. gracile using 16S rRNA gene phylogeny and was confirmed to produce neosaxitoxin, saxitoxin and gonyautoxin 5 by LC-MS. The whole sxt gene clusters (circa 27.3 kb) of four A. gracile strains: NIVA-CYA 851 (Norway); NIVA-CYA 655 & NIVA-CYA 676 (Germany); and UAM 529 (Spain), all from latitudes between 40Ê and 59Ê North were sequenced and compared with the sxt gene cluster of reference strain A. gracile NH-5 from the USA. All five sxt gene clusters are highly conserved with similarities exceeding 99.4%, but they differ slightly in the number and presence of single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) and insertions/deletions (In/Dels). Altogether 178 variable sites (44 SNPs and 4 In/Dels, comprising 134 nucleotides) were found in the sxt gene clusters of the Norwegian, German and Spanish strains compared to the reference strain. Thirty-nine SNPs were located in 16 of the 27 coding regions. The sxt gene clusters of NIVA-CYA 851, NIVACYA 655, NIVA-CYA 676 and UAM 529, were characterized by 15, 16, 19 and 23 SNPs respectively. Only the Norwegian strain NIVA-CYA 851 possessed an insertion of 126 base pairs (bp) in the noncoding area between the sxtA and sxtE genes and a deletion of 6 nucleotides in the sxtN gene. The sxtI gene showed the highest variability and is recommended as the best genetic marker for further phylogenetic studies of the sxt gene cluster of A. gracile. This study confirms for the first time the role of A. gracile as a PSP toxin producer in Norwegian waters, representing the northernmost occurrence of PSP toxin producing A. gracile in Europe known so far.publishedVersio

Diversity of cyanobacteria and cyanotoxins in Hartbeespoort Dam, South Africa

The South African Hartbeespoort Dam is known for the occurrence of heavy Microcystis blooms. Although a few other cyanobacterial genera have been described, no detailed study on those cyanobacteria and their potential toxin production has been conducted. The diversity of cyanobacterial species and toxins is most probably underestimated. To ascertain the cyanobacterial composition and presence of cyanobacterial toxins in Hartbeespoort Dam, water samples were collected in April 2011. In a polyphasic approach, 27 isolated cyanobacterial strains were classified morphologically and phylogenetically and tested for microcystins (MCs), cylindrospermopsin (CYN), saxitoxins (STXs) and anatoxin-a (ATX) by liquid chromatography–tandem mass spectrometry (LC–MS/MS) and screened for toxin-encoding gene fragments. The isolated strains were identified as Sphaerospermopsis reniformis, Sphaerospermopsis aphanizomenoides, Cylindrospermopsis curvispora, Raphidiopsis curvata, Raphidiopsis mediterrranea and Microcystis aeruginosa. Only one of the Microcystis strains (AB2011/53) produced microcystins (35 variants). Forty-one microcystin variants were detected in the environmental sample from Hartbeespoort Dam, suggesting the existence of other microcystin producing strains in Hartbeespoort Dam. All investigated strains tested negative for CYN, STXs and ATX and their encoding genes. The mcyE gene of the microcystin gene cluster was found in the microcystin-producing Microcystis strain AB2011/53 and in eight non-microcystin-producing Microcystis strains, indicating that mcyE is not a good surrogate for microcystin production in environmental samples.publishedVersio

Microcystis, Raphidiopsis raciborskii and Dolichospermum smithii, toxin producing and non-toxigenic cyanobacteria in Yezin Dam, Myanmar

6openInternationalInternational coauthor/editorYezin Dam is a man-made reservoir located close to Yezin village in Myanmar. Its water is used for irrigation, domestic purposes and as drinking water for many urban communities in the watershed area. In recent years, increased pollution due to the concurrent development around the dam has led to water quality deterioration. No detailed study on the distribution of cyanobacteria and toxin production has been conducted so far. In order to provide insight into the extent of cyanobacteria and cyanotoxins in the dam, water samples were collected once in January 2014 for the isolation of cyanobacterial strains and eight times between March 2017 and June 2018 for the investigation of physical, chemical and biological parameters. A total of 99 phytoplankton taxa belonging to 50 genera were recorded from Yezin Dam. Microscopic examination showed that a Dolichospermum sp. was the dominant cyanobacterium followed by small numbers of Microcystis, and Raphidiopsis raciborskii in all samples throughout the sampling period. 15 isolated cyanobacterial strains were classified morphologically and phylogenetically as Dolichospermum smithii, R. raciborskii and Microcystis and tested for microcystins (MCs), cylindrospermopsins (CYNs), saxitoxins (STXs) and anatoxins (ATXs) by liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (LC–MS/MS) and enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). The toxin analysis of all isolated Dolichospermum strains by ELISA and LC–MS did not indicate the presence of ATXs, STXs, CYNs nor MCs. Four of the five isolated Raphidiopsis strains produced CYN and deoxyCYN. One of the isolated Microcystis strains (AB2017/08) from Yezin Dam produced 22 MC congeners. Concentrations of 0.12 μg L−1 CYNs and 0.34 μg L−1 MCs were also found in an environmental sample from Yezin Dam by ELISA. The potential therefore exists for the use of untreated water from Yezin Dam to cause harmful effects on humans, domestic and wild animals.openSwe, T.; Miles, C.O.; Cerasino, L.; Mjelde, M.; Kleiven, S.; Ballot, A.Swe, T.; Miles, C.O.; Cerasino, L.; Mjelde, M.; Kleiven, S.; Ballot, A

Integrated Water Resources Management in Myanmar. Water usage and introduction to water quality criteria for lakes and rivers in Myanmar. Preliminary report.

The purpose of the report is to present some first recommendation for the development of Myanmar ecological quality criteria using the system of the EU Water Framework Directive (EU WFD) as baseline, with main focus on the characterization and classification processes. As background for the recommendations we first give an overview of the main water use categories in Myanmar. We then provide preliminary suggestions for typology criteria and indices for assessing ecological status in lakes and rivers in Myanmar. The typology factors and physico-chemical parameters are based on common used factors in the EU countries. The biological elements include phytoplankton and aquatic macrophytes for lakes, and benthic invertebrates for rivers. In this first phase we present the official and intercalibrated Norwegian indices and boundaries, and some additional indices.Ministry of Environmental Conservation and Forestry, Myanmar; Norwegian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, NorwaypublishedVersio

Beiträge zur Bioindikation mit Diatomeen und Makrophyten - Beiträge zur Bewertung der biologischen Qualitätskomponente Makrophyten/Phytobenthos (Elemente Diatomeen und Makrophyten) nach den Anforderungen der Europäischen Wasserrahmenrichtlinie

Ein zentrales Umweltziel der Europäischen Wasserrahmenrichtlinie (WRRL, EUROPÄISCHE KOMMISSION 2000) ist das Erreichen des »guten ökologischen Zustands« der Oberflächengewässer. Die Erfassung des ökologischen Zustandes der Oberflächengewässer »Flüsse« erfolgt anhand nationaler Bewertungsmethoden mit Hilfe der Komponenten Gewässerflora (Makrophyten, benthische Diatomeen, sonstiges Phytobenthos, Phytoplankton) und Gewässerfauna (benthische Wirbellose, Fische). Löss-lehmgeprägte Fließgewässer außerhalb der Ökoregion Mittelgebirge sind bislang mit der Teilkomponente Diatomeen nach dem Bewertungsverfahren PHYLIB nicht zu bewerten. Unter Berücksichtigung der deutschlandweiten Verbreitung des Gewässertyps wurde ein Bewertungsmodell entwickelt, welches in der vorliegenden Schriftenreihe vorgestellt wird. Bezüglich der Bewertung der Teilkomponente Makrophyten stand die Beachtung regionaler Gesichtspunkte im Vordergrund. Dies betraf sowohl die Revision der Indikationsliste als auch die Prüfung alternativer Bewertungsverfahren

Integrated Water Resources Management in Myanmar Ecology of Rivers, Lakes, and Reservoirs

Prosjektleder: Ingrid NesheimThis is the final report from output 1 of the IWRM project 2015-2024. The goal of the project was to implement a classification system for the ecological status of rivers and lakes in Myanmar like the EU Water Framework Directive. As the project was ended in 2021 due to the military coup in Myanmar, planned activities could not be finished. This report presents a summary of the ecological surveys and ecological status assessments in selected water bodies in Myanmar achieved within the project. The report should be read in conjunction with the other comprehensive publications from the project. Although the current political situation in Myanmar put a halt to our activities, the reports and scientific papers comprised in this project, in addition to transferred knowledge about freshwater ecology to selected staff and to one PhD student from Myanmar, have led to a set of recommendations that hopefully will be an impetus for future river and lake biomonitoring in Myanmar. As knowledge about the ecology of most of the many water bodies in Myanmar is still poor a much bigger number of freshwater ecologists need to be educated to achieve the goal of classifying their status and to find solutions for their improvement.The Norwegian embassy in Yangon, Myanmar Norwegian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, NorwaypublishedVersio

Forprosjekt: Institusjonsbygging innen vannforvaltning i Myanmar. Rapport fra perioden juli 2014 – januar 2015.

I januar 2014 ble tre prosjektforslag under miljøprogrammet mellom Myanmar og Norge, hvor NIVAs samarbeid om vannforvaltning inngår, levert UD/Ambassaden i Yangon. Prosjektforslagene ble evaluert av et eget team våren 2014. Konklusjonen var at prosjektene var relevante og egnet til støtte, men Prosjektdokument måtte utarbeides. Dette har derfor vært en prioritert aktivitet for NIVA i perioden juli 2014 – januar 2015. Instituttet kunne likevel igangsette de fleste delaktiviteter og i den forbindelse har NIVA hatt besøk fra Miljø- og skogdepartementet (MOECAF) for kursing i IWRM og selv besøkt Myanmar for Workshops, prøvetaking og utarbeidelse av Program- og Prosjektdokument for miljøsamarbeidet mellom Myanmar og Norge. Det har vært god kontakt med nøkkelpersoner for prosjektarbeidet gjennom hele året. Prosjektdokumentet ble levert Klima- og miljødepartementet (KLD)/Ambassaden i januar 2015. Det omfatter aktiviteter innen 4 hovedgrupper: a) Integrert vannressurs-forvaltning (IWRM) i Sittaung River og Bago River, b) Overvåking av Inlay Lake, c) IWRM-verktøy og d) Etablere et nasjonalt laboratorium for analyser av vannkvalitet

Phylogeography of cylindrospermopsin and paralytic shellfish toxin-producing Nostocales cyanobacteria from Mediterranean Europe (Spain)

Planktonic Nostocales cyanobacteria represent a challenge for microbiological research because of the wide range of cyanotoxins that they synthesize and their invasive behavior, which is presumably enhanced by global warming. To gain insight into the phylogeography of potentially toxic Nostocales from Mediterranean Europe, 31 strains of Anabaena (Anabaena crassa, A. lemmermannii, A. mendotae, and A. planctonica), Aphanizomenon (Aphanizomenon gracile, A. ovalisporum), and Cylindrospermopsis raciborskii were isolated from 14 freshwater bodies in Spain and polyphasically analyzed for their phylogeography, cyanotoxin production, and the presence of cyanotoxin biosynthesis genes. The potent cytotoxin cylindrospermopsin (CYN) was produced by all 6 Aphanizomenon ovalisporum strains at high levels (5.7 to 9.1 μg CYN mg-1 [dry weight]) with low variation between strains (1.5 to 3.9-fold) and a marked extracellular release (19 to 41% dissolved CYN) during exponential growth. Paralytic shellfish poisoning (PSP) neurotoxins (saxitoxin, neosaxitoxin, and decarbamoylsaxitoxin) were detected in 2 Aphanizomenon gracile strains, both containing the sxtA gene. This gene was also amplified in non-PSP toxin-producing Aphanizomenon gracile and Aphanizomenon ovalisporum. Phylogenetic analyses supported the species identification and confirmed the high similarity of Spanish Anabaena and Aphanizomenon strains with other European strains. In contrast, Cylindrospermopsis raciborskii from Spain grouped together with American strains and was clearly separate from the rest of the European strains, raising questions about the current assumptions of the phylogeography and spreading routes of C. raciborskii. The present study confirms that the nostocalean genus Aphanizomenon is a major source of CYN and PSP toxins in Europe and demonstrates the presence of the sxtA gene in CYN-producing Aphanizomenon ovalisporumThis study was partially funded by grants from the German Ministry of Education, Science and Research (BMBF; 0330792) and the Kompetenzzentrum Wasser Berlin GmbH with financial support from Veolia Water and the Berliner Wasserbetriebe. We thank the United Research Services España S.L. company for partially funding this study. We are grateful to the Spanish public entities Canal de Isabel II, C. H. del Norte (Ministerio de Medio Ambiente), and CEDEX (Ministerio de Fomento) and to the United Research Services España S.L. company for providing water samples. We are grateful to Elena Galán and Celia Ratón (Universidad Autónoma de Madrid, Madrid, Spain) for their valuable help with strain isolation and toxin analysis. Finally, we thank two anonymous reviewers for their constructive comments on earlier versions of the manuscrip