Nodularia spumigena Peptides—Accumulation and Effect on Aquatic Invertebrates

Thus far, the negative effects of Nodularia spumigena blooms on aquatic organisms have been mainly attributed to the production of the hepatotoxic nodularin (NOD). In the current work, the accumulation of other N. spumigena metabolites in blue mussels and crustaceans, and their effect on Thamnocephalus platyurus and Artemia franciscana, were examined. The liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS) analyses provided evidence that both blue mussels collected after a cyanobacterial bloom in the Baltic Sea and the crustaceans exposed under laboratory conditions to N. spumigena extract accumulated the cyclic anabaenopeptins (APs). In the crustaceans, the linear peptides, spumigins (SPUs) and aeruginosins (AERs), were additionally detected. Exposure of T. platyurus and A. franciscana to N. spumigena extract confirmed the negative effect of nodularin on the organisms. However, high numbers of dead crustaceans were also recorded in the nodularin-free fraction, which contained protease inhibitors classified to spumigins and aeruginosins. These findings indicate that cyanobacterial toxicity to aquatic organisms is a complex phenomenon and the induced effects can be attributed to diverse metabolites, not only to the known hepatotoxins

A study of episodic events in the Baltic Sea - combined in situ and satellite observations

A project was developed concerning the operational system of surveillanceand the recording of episodic events in the Baltic Sea.In situ information was to be combined with multi-sensory satelliteimagery to determine the extent of algal blooms, to track their evolutionand that of rapid environmental events like hydrological fronts. The mainelement of the system was an autonomous Ferry Box module on a ferry operatingbetween Gdynia and Karlskrona, automatically measuring temperature,salinity and chlorophyll <it>a</it> fluorescence. At pre-selected locations,discrete water samples were collected, which were subsequently analysedfor their phytoplankton content, and algal hepato- and neurotoxins;they were also used in toxicity tests with <it>Artemia franciscana</it>}