Hostname: page-component-78c5997874-m6dg7 Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-11-13T06:55:03.633Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false

Spatial and temporal variation in microcystin concentrationsduring perennial bloom of Planktothrix agardhii in a hypertrophiclake

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  15 January 2009

B. Pawlik-Skowrońska
Affiliation:
Centre for Ecological Research, P.A.S. at Dziekanów Leśny, Experimental Station, Niecala 18, 20-080 Lublin, Poland. Department of Hydrobiology, University of Life Sciences at Lublin, Dobrzańskiego 37, 20-262 Lublin, Poland
J. Pirszel
Affiliation:
Centre for Ecological Research, P.A.S. at Dziekanów Leśny, Experimental Station, Niecala 18, 20-080 Lublin, Poland. present address: Military Institute of Chemistry and Radiometry, Gen A. Chruściela 105, 00-910 Warsaw, Poland
R. Kornijów
Affiliation:
Department of Hydrobiology, University of Life Sciences at Lublin, Dobrzańskiego 37, 20-262 Lublin, Poland
Get access

Abstract

Temporal and spatial variation in the concentrations of intra- and extra-cellular microcystins were studied in a hypertrophiclake with bloom of Planktothrix agardhii (Gomont) Anagnostidis et Komarek. Concomitantly with increase in watertemperature (from 2 to 20 °C) abundance of P. agardhii increased from 1.9 x 105 to 4.3 x 107 trichomes L-1. In autumn, in spiteof temperature lower (14°C) than in summer it was still very high. Mass development of P. agardhii (to 6 x 106 L-1 and higher)caused a severe decrease in water transparency (to 0.5 - 0.2 m in summer/autumn). The cyanobacterium density was relativelyuniform within water column; only in summer (July) it was significantly higher (by about 30%) in surface than in bottom layer.From spring to autumn microcystins (MCs) were mainly biomass-bound (up to 90 μg MC-LR equiv. L-1), whereas the level ofextra-cellular toxins was much lower (up to 2 μg L-1) and relatively stable. Only in winter, high amounts of MCs (11.3 μg L-1)were released from decaying biomass into water. The increasing concentrations of biomass-bound microcystins in the lake waterpositively correlated (R2 = 0.9863; y = -0.1285x2 + 7.14x ) with the abundance of P. agardhii and the highest concentrations ofthe intracellular MC fraction were found during the exponential phase of P. agardhii growth. In addition, the surface-sampledbiomass of P. agardhii contained in autumn 2-fold more MCs (2.75 μg MC-LR equiv. per 106 P. agardhii trichomes) than thebottom-sampled one (1.41 μg MC-LR equiv. per 106 trichomes). This is the first report showing that despite the homogenousdistribution of P. agardhii in water column of a shallow lake, various seasonal and spatial distributions of both extra-cellularand intracellular fractions of microcystins occur.

Type
Research Article
Copyright
© Université Paul Sabatier, 2008

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)