Article
Environmental Sciences
Phyllis A. Klarmann, John Scarpa, James X. Hartmann
Summary: Recurring brown tide algal blooms of Aureoumbra lagunensis in the lagoons of central Florida have had significant ecological impacts. This study investigates the feeding behavior of the pleated tunicate Styela plicata in response to A. lagunensis and Aureococcus anophagefferens. The results show that both brown tide species significantly impact the hourly filtration rates of the tunicate, suggesting their potential role in top-down control of these bloom-forming microalgae.
FRONTIERS IN MARINE SCIENCE
(2022)
Article
Marine & Freshwater Biology
Qing-Chun Zhang, Ren-Cheng Yu, Jia-Yu Zhao, Fan-Zhou Kong, Zhen-Fan Chen, Zhuang Niu, Ling Xiang
Summary: This study investigated the spatio-temporal distribution of brown tides caused by Aureococcus anophagefferens, focusing on Qinhuangdao coastline in the Bohai Sea. It found that low dissolved inorganic nitrogen limited the growth of other algae species, while high dissolved organic nitrogen and low inorganic nutrients favored the development of brown tides in Qinhuangdao coastal waters. The study also suggested that A. anophagefferens could be transported from the bottom of offshore waters to promote brown tides in inshore waters of Qinhuangdao.
Article
Plant Sciences
Eric R. Gann, Alexander R. Truchon, Spiridon E. Papoulis, Sonya T. Dyhrman, Christopher J. Gobler, Steven W. Wilhelm
Summary: The pelagophyte Aureococcus anophagefferens causes harmful brown tide blooms in marine embayments on three continents. By sequencing genomes and analyzing metatranscriptomes, researchers were able to gain insights into the genetic potential and ecology of this harmful algal bloom species. This study highlights the importance of sequencing ecologically relevant algae for a better understanding of their genomic potential and ecological roles in the environment.
JOURNAL OF PHYCOLOGY
(2022)
Article
Limnology
Jian Gao, Yuelei Dong, Xiaoyu Zhou, Lei Cui, Songhui Lu
Summary: Since 2009, a large-scale algal bloom caused by Aureococcus anophagefferens has been a problem in the coastal embayment of Qinhuangdao, China. This has negatively impacted the bay scallop agriculture industry. Researchers investigated the nutritional value of the brown tide cells and found that when cultured in nitrate, the cells had similar biochemical composition and polyunsaturated fatty acid content to commonly used species in bivalve feeding. However, the nutritional value decreased when cultured in urea.
JOURNAL OF OCEANOLOGY AND LIMNOLOGY
(2022)
Article
Microbiology
Alexander R. Truchon, Eric R. Gann, Steven W. Wilhelm
Summary: In this study, we assembled the genomic sequence of Aureococcus anophagefferens virus into a circular contig using Nanopore and Illumina reads. The genome is 381,717 bp long with a GC content of 29.1%, including a previously unidentified 5-kb region between the predicted polar ends of the reference genome.
MICROBIOLOGY RESOURCE ANNOUNCEMENTS
(2022)
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Jack R. R. Davison, Rahim Rajwani, Gengxiang Zhao, Carole A. A. Bewley
Summary: Chrysophaeum taylorii is an understudied marine algae that can cause harmful coastal blooms and accumulate bioactive natural products, such as antibiotics. Whole genome sequencing revealed a diverse set of secondary metabolite biosynthetic genes in C. taylorii, along with a limited microbiome with less biosynthetic potential. Analysis of microbiome and biosynthetic genes supported an algal origin for the chrysophaentins, possibly through non-canonical polyketide synthase genes.
SCIENTIFIC REPORTS
(2023)
Article
Chemistry, Multidisciplinary
Jie Wang, Cuiping Kuang, Linjian Ou, Qingchun Zhang, Rufu Qin, Jiadong Fan, Qingping Zou
Summary: This article presents a study on the brown tide phenomenon in Qinhuangdao caused by harmful algae. By constructing a hydrodynamic and transport model, the variation and distribution of total nitrogen (TN) were analyzed and a fast forewarning system for brown tide was established. The model accurately captured the observed TN distribution during the brown tide period and provided a reliable monitoring system by transforming TN to Aureococcus anophagefferens (A. anophagefferens) cell density. Furthermore, the implementation of national policies on marine ecosystems has helped to decrease harmful algal blooms.
APPLIED SCIENCES-BASEL
(2022)
Article
Environmental Sciences
Zhengxi Zhou, Fanzhou Kong, Qingchun Zhang, Yan Gao, Florian Koch, Christopher J. Gobler, Zhenfan Chen, Yunfeng Wang, Rencheng Yu
Summary: The unique nutrient profile (rich in dissolved organic nitrogen but deficient in dissolved inorganic nitrogen) in the inshore waters of the Qinhuangdao coastal area could support the outbreak of brown tides caused by the pelagophyte Aureococcus anophagefferens. During the brown tides, the concentration of dissolved organic nitrogen was nearly five times higher than that of dissolved inorganic nitrogen. High levels of phytoplankton biomass and nutrients were observed in the inshore waters, and the distribution patterns of different nutrients were heterogeneous.
ENVIRONMENTAL RESEARCH
(2023)
Article
Environmental Sciences
Eun Ju Kang, A-Reum Han, Ju-Hyoung Kim, Il-Nam Kim, Sukyeon Lee, Jun-Oh Min, Bo-Ra Nam, Young-Joon Choi, Matthew S. Edwards, Guillermo Diaz-Pulido, Changsin Kim
Summary: The study found that under ocean acidification conditions, Ulva ohnoi algae prefer CO2 and NH4+ as carbon and nitrogen sources, leading to an increase in N content and better performance in photosynthesis and growth, thus potentially increasing their bloom potential; however, elevated temperatures decrease photosynthesis and growth, reducing their bloom potential.
SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT
(2021)
Article
Environmental Sciences
Masahiro Ohtake, Rikuya Kurita, Mizuki Tsunogai, Gregory N. Nishihara, Tatsuki Toda
Summary: Improved coastal management has led to phosphorus depletion in coastal environments, potentially impacting the abundance of macroalgae. Juveniles and mature individuals of the brown alga species Sargassum macrocarpum have different phosphorus storage capacities, with higher stored phosphorus content benefiting the growth rates of juveniles. The experiments suggest that individual alga can endure several months of phosphorus depletion due to their phosphorus storage capacity.
SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT
(2021)
Article
Environmental Sciences
Feng Liu, James T. Melton
Summary: This study sequenced and compared three complete chloroplast genomes of Ulva compressa, revealing that variations in Ulva cpDNA size are mainly caused by intron differences, foreign DNA integration, and non-coding regions. Specific intron types were detected at various insertion sites in Ulva chloroplast genomes, showing a high level of plasticity in their structure due to rearrangement events. Additionally, a degenerate group II intron was found in all Ulva species but not in related taxa, suggesting an independent invasion event in their common ancestor.
FRONTIERS IN MARINE SCIENCE
(2021)
Article
Environmental Sciences
Nian Wei, Aifa Chen, Xiaohe Guo, Shubing Zhang, Lirong Song, Nanqin Gan, Lingling Zheng, Yunlu Jia, Jie Li
Summary: This study investigated the changes in nitrogen metabolism in phosphorus-starved bloom-forming cyanobacteria. The results showed that decreased expression of nitrogen source transporters led to reduced nitrogen uptake and nitrogen deficiency. Additionally, phosphorus starvation resulted in a drastic decrease in phycocyanin content. While external nitrogen supply did not significantly alter the transcription of nitrogen metabolism-related genes, it still helped to maintain the survival of phosphorus-starved cells.
SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT
(2023)
Article
Plant Sciences
Feng Liu, Hongshu Wang, Wenli Song
Summary: Comparative analysis of Ulva species' mitogenomes reveals variations in genome size due to the integration of exogenous DNA fragments, proliferation of introns, and changes in repeat sequences. This study focuses on Ulva meridionalis and compares its mitogenomes with those of other ulvophyceae species. Results show that the main circular mitogenomes of U. meridionalis range from 82.94 to 111.49 kb, with the 111.49-kb mitogenome being the largest among Ulva so far. The expansion of U. meridionalis mitogenomes is primarily due to the integration of a 5.36-kb mitochondrial circular plasmid (pUme) and the proliferation of introns. The integration of plasmids and the rapid divergence of plasmid-derived sequences are important evolutionary forces shaping the diversity of Ulva mitogenomes.
FRONTIERS IN PLANT SCIENCE
(2022)
Article
Plant Sciences
Kanchan Kumari, Shilalipi Samantaray, Dinabandhu Sahoo, Baishnab C. Tripathy
Summary: The study showed that Chlorella vulgaris cells grown in 5% CO2 had increased chlorophyll content, photosynthesis, and respiration rates, but nutrient limitation led to decreased photosynthesis and biomass production, and increased lipid content. The order of downregulation of photosynthesis and upregulation in lipid production due to nutrient limitation was in the order of N > P.
PHOTOSYNTHESIS RESEARCH
(2021)
Article
Green & Sustainable Science & Technology
Liang Zhang, Zhe Tian, Yunzhi Qian, Fuqiang Chen, Yu -You Li, Xueke Wang, Cuilian Fu, Yongzhi Chi
Summary: The long-term treatment of phosphorus-deficient wastewater using a one-stage partial nitrification-anammox (PNA) process may have negative effects on the growth of functional bacteria. A 650-day experiment was conducted using a lab-scale PNA system to study the impact of long-term phosphorus deficiency on nitrogen removal efficiency and sludge characteristics. It was found that phosphorus deficiency led to a decrease in nitrogen removal efficiency, high sludge volume index, and sludge bulking. The abundance of hzsA in flocs decreased significantly. However, the biofilm showed better resistance to phosphorus deficiency. After the addition of PO43--P, the nitrogen removal rate improved, and sludge bulking disappeared.
JOURNAL OF CLEANER PRODUCTION
(2023)