Tropical cyanobacterial blooms: A review of prevalence, problem taxa, toxins and influencing environmental factors

© 2015, Page Press Publications. All rights reserved. Toxic cyanobacterial blooms are a major issue in freshwater systems in many countries. The potentially toxic species and their ecological causes are likely to be different in tropical zones from those in temperate water bodies; however, studies on tropical toxic cyanobacterial blooms are sporadic and currently there is no global synthesis. In this review, we examined published information on tropical cyanobacterial bloom occurrence and toxin production to investigate patterns in their growth and distribution. Microcystis was the most frequently occurring bloom genus throughout tropical Asia, Africa and Central America, while Cylindrospermopsis and Anabaena blooms occurred in various locations in tropical Australia, America and Africa. Microcystis blooms were more prevalent during the wet season while Cylindrospermopsis blooms were more prevalent during the dry period. Microcystin was the most encountered toxin throughout the tropics. A meta-analysis of tropical cyanobacterial blooms showed that Microcystis blooms were more associated with higher total nitrogen concentrations, while Cylindrospermopsis blooms were more associated with higher maximum temperatures. Meta-analysis also showed a positive linear relationship between levels of microcystin and N:P (nitrate:phosphate) ratio. Tropical African Microcystis blooms were found to have the lowest microcystin levels in relation to biomass and N:P (nitrate:phosphate) compared to tropical Asian, Australian and American blooms. There was also no significant correlation between microcystin concentration and cell concentration for tropical African blooms as opposed to tropical Asian and American blooms. Our review illustrates that some cyanobacteria and toxins are more prevalent in tropical areas. While some tropical countries have considerable information regarding toxic blooms, others have few or no reported studies

Forest Conversion to Oil Palm Compresses Food Chain Length in Tropical Streams

In Southeast Asia, biodiversity-rich forests are being extensively logged and converted to oil palm monocultures. Although the impacts of these changes on biodiversity are largely well documented, we know little about how these large-scale impacts affect freshwater trophic ecology. We used stable isotope analyses (SIA) to determine the impacts of land-use changes on the relative contribution of allochthonous and autochthonous basal resources in 19 stream food webs. We also applied compound-specific SIA and bulk-SIA to determine the trophic position of fish apex predators and meso-predators (invertivores and omnivores). There was no difference in the contribution of autochthonous resources in either consumer group (70-82%) among streams with different land-use type. There was no change in trophic position for meso-predators, but trophic position decreased significantly for apex predators in oil palm plantation streams compared to forest streams. This change in maximum food chain length was due to turnover in identity of the apex predator among land-use types. Disruption of aquatic trophic ecology, through reduction in food chain length and shift in basal resources, may cause significant changes in biodiversity as well as ecosystem functions and services. Understanding this change can help develop more focused priorities for mediating the negative impacts of human activities on freshwater ecosystems

Economic and Environmental Impacts of Harmful Non-Indigenous Species in Southeast Asia

10.1371/journal.pone.0071255PLoS ONE88-POLN

Thresholds for adding degraded tropical forest to the conservation estate

Logged and disturbed forests are often viewed as degraded and depauperate environments compared with primary forest. However, they are dynamic ecosystems1 that provide refugia for large amounts of biodiversity2,3, so we cannot afford to underestimate their conservation value4. Here we present empirically defined thresholds for categorizing the conservation value of logged forests, using one of the most comprehensive assessments of taxon responses to habitat degradation in any tropical forest environment. We analysed the impact of logging intensity on the individual occurrence patterns of 1,681 taxa belonging to 86 taxonomic orders and 126 functional groups in Sabah, Malaysia. Our results demonstrate the existence of two conservation-relevant thresholds. First, lightly logged forests (68%) of their biomass removed, and these are likely to require more expensive measures to recover their biodiversity value. Overall, our data confirm that primary forests are irreplaceable5, but they also reinforce the message that logged forests retain considerable conservation value that should not be overlooked

Overview of the potent cyanobacterial neurotoxin β-methylamino-L-alanine (BMAA) and its analytical determination.

Blue-green algae are responsible for the production of different types of toxins which can be neurotoxic, hepatotoxic, cytotoxic and dermatotoxic and that can affect both aquatic and terrestrial life. Since its discovery the neurotoxin β-methylamino-L-alanine (BMAA) has been a cause for concern, being associated with the neurodegenerative disease amyotrophic lateral sclerosis/Parkinsonism-dementia complex (ALS/PDC). The initial focus was on Guam where it was observed that a high number of people were affected by the ALS/PDC complex. Subsequently, researchers were surprised to find levels of BMAA in post mortem brains from Canadian patients who also suffered from ALS/PDC. Recent research demonstrates that BMAA has been found at different levels in the aquatic food web in the brackish waters of the Baltic Sea. There is emerging evidence to suggest that sand-borne algae from Qatar can also contain BMAA. Furthermore, there is now concern because BMAA has been found not only in warmer regions of the world but also in temperate regions like Europe. The aim of this review is to focus on the methods of extraction and analysis of the neurotoxic non-protein amino acid BMAA. We also consider the neurotoxicity, aetiology, and diverse sources and routes of exposure to BMAA. In recent years, different methods have been developed for the analysis of BMAA. Some of these use HPLC-FD, UPLC-UV, UPLC-MS and LC-MS/MS using samples that have been derivatised or underivatised. To date the LC-MS/MS approach is the most widely used analytical technique as it is the most selective and sensitive method for BMAA determination

Predicting food web responses to biomanipulation using Bayesian Belief Network: Assessment of accuracy and applicability using in-situ exclosure experiments

10.1016/j.ecolmodel.2018.06.017Ecological Modelling384308-31

An ex-situ mesocosm study of emergent macrophyte effects on phytoplankton communities

© 2019 E. Schweizerbart’sche Verlagsbuchhandlung, Stuttgart, Germany. Although the ability of submerged macrophytes to inhibit phytoplankton growth has been studied extensively, little has been done for emergent macrophytes. We investigated the effects of four emergent macrophyte species (Brachiaria mutica, Ipomoea aquatica, Ischaemum muticum, Ipomoea pes-caprae) on the phytoplankton community of a eutrophic tropical reservoir with cyanobacterial dominance. A mesocosm experiment was conducted over 28 days by growing macrophytes on a substrate of expanded clay pellets with 18 % surface area coverage in tanks filled with water from a reservoir with phytoplankton dominated by cyanobacteria. Nutrient levels (total nitrogen and total phosphorus concentrations), total phytoplankton biomass and the structure of phytoplankton community were compared over the course of the experiment. All four species of macrophytes did not significantly reduce the total nitrogen, total phosphorus, or phytoplankton biomass. The Ipomoea pes-caprae treatment, however, led to a shift in the phytoplankton community structure with an increased abundance of Aphanocapsa sp., a small-celled colonial cyanobacterium often found dominant in post-restoration phytoplankton communities. This study shows that using the current approach and a planting density reflecting natural conditions, the four macrophyte species tested may not necessarily reduce phytoplankton biomass, but their introduction may lead to phytoplankton community changes

Land-use change is associated with a significant loss of freshwater fish species and functional richness in Sabah, Malaysia

Global biodiversity is being lost due to extensive anthropogenic land cover change. In Southeast Asia, biodiversity-rich forests are being extensively logged and converted to oil-palm monocultures. The impacts of this land-use change on freshwater ecosystems, and particularly on freshwater biodiversity, remain largely understudied and poorly understood. We assessed the differences between fish communities in headwater stream catchments across an established land-use gradient in Sabah, Malaysia (protected forest areas, twice-logged forest, salvage-logged forest, oil-palm plantations with riparian reserves, and oil-palm plantations without riparian reserves). Stream fishes were sampled using an electrofisher, a cast net and a tray net in 100 m long transects in 23 streams in 2017. Local species richness and functional richness were both significantly reduced with any land-use change from protected forest areas, but further increases in land-use intensity had no subsequent impacts on fish biomass, functional evenness, and functional divergence. Any form of logging or land-use change had a clear and negative impact on fish communities, but the magnitude of that effect was not influenced by logging severity or time since logging on any fish community metric, suggesting that just two rounds of selective impact (i.e., logging) appeared sufficient to cause negative effects on freshwater ecosystems. It is therefore essential to continue protecting primary forested areas to maintain freshwater diversity, as well as to explore strategies to protect freshwater ecosystems during logging, deforestation, and conversion to plantation monocultures that are expected to continue across Southeast Asia