What You Should Know About

1
What You Should Know About Cyanobacteria
Ecology and Management for Public Beaches
Webster Lake, Franklin, NH
2
Cyanobacteria Overview

• What are cyanobacteria?
• Previously referred to as blue-green algae
• Single-Celled organisms lacking a nuclear
  membrane
• Contain photosynthetic pigments
• Chlorophyll-a and Phycobilins (produce the
  characteristic blue-green color)
• Many different forms filaments, colonies

3
Common Cyanobacteria in NH Lakes
Aphanizomenom
Merismopedia
Microcystis
Gleotrichia
Oscillatoria
Anabaena
4
Adaptations and Advantages

• Nitrogen Fixation
• Heterocysts specialized cells containing
  nitrogenase enzyme able to convert gaseous
  nitrogen (N2) to ammonium (NH4)
• Advantage-cyanobacteria are able to use a
  nutrient not readily available to other algal
  genera

Heterocyst
5
Adaptations and Advantages

• Gas Vesicles
• Some genera have gas vesicles to control buoyancy
• Advantage-allows cyanobacteria to optimize growth
  based on sunlight and nutrients

N N N P N N P
N N P P P P P
N P P N P P N
6
Adaptations and Advantages

• Akinetes
• Resting cells. The cells function as an asexual
  resting state capable of resisting harsh
  environments (winter) and can germinate to form
  new cells when conditions improve
• Advantage-cyanobacteria can adapt to any
  situation and grow only when conditions are
  optimal

Germinating Akinetes
7
Growth Requirements

• Sunlight
• Warm water (hot summer days)
• Calm, stagnant conditions
• Phosphorus

8
Potentially Harmful Algal Blooms

• When conditions are right, algae may form blooms,
  scums, or masses

9
Problems with Blooms

• Unsightly
• Taste Problems algae can lead to bad tastes in
  the water including bitter, fishy, and sweet.
• Odor Problems algae can cause water to smell
  fishy, grassy, like geraniums, or musty.
• Fish Kills
• Toxins

10
Toxins

• Cyanobacteria produce biotoxins
• Biotoxins are any toxins produced by a living
  organism (plant, fungi, animal, bacterium)
• The toxins produced by cyanobacteria are
  collectively referred to as cyanotoxins
• Toxins are stored in cells and released upon cell
  lysis or death

t
t
t
t
t
t
t
t
t
t
t
t
t
t
t
t
t
t
t
t
11
Toxins

• Common toxin producers in New Hampshire
• Annie, Phannie, Mike and Ozzy the fearsome
  foursome

Mike
Ozzy
Annie
Phannie
12
Toxins
Common Cyanotoxins in New Hampshire
13
Toxins

• Focus on microcystins in drinking and
  recreational waters
• Many different forms of microcystins
• Most frequent and most toxic form is
  microcystin-LR

14
Toxins

• Lethal dose (LD-50) of microcystin 25 - 150
  µg/kg of body weight (0.025 - 0.150 mg/kg)
• Compared with some of the most venomous snakes in
  the world

Note this comparison based on route of exposure
(intraperitoneal). LD-50 can differ among
different exposure routes
15
Toxins

• Animal Health Effects

Species Killed
Country

• Argentina
• Australia
• Canada
• England
• USA

• cattle
• cattle, sheep
• cattle, waterfowl
• dogs, fish
• dogs, cattle, human?

In July 2002, a Wisconsin teenager died two days
after swimming in a golf-course pond that had a
bloom of Anabaena flos-aquae. A year later, an
autopsy reported the death was due to cyanotoxins
in the pond water (Anatoxin-a).
16
Toxins

• Human Effects

ACUTE
CHRONIC

• Gastrointestinal effects
• Nausea, vomiting, diarrhea
• Hepatic illness (liver)
• Dermatitis
• Ear and mouth irritation

• Liver damage
• Tumor growth

17
Beach Management

• World Health Organization (WHO) standard for
  microcystin-LR drinking water 1.0 µg/L
• Currently there are no recommended standards for
  recreational waters

18
Beach Management

• Protection
• Against
• Recreational
• Exposure to
• Cyanobacteria
• Problem Long process need quick response

19
Beach Management

• NHDES Quick Response Approach

20
Beach Management
NH's Beach Advisory
21
Beach Management

• NHDES Microcystin Studies
• Algal scum samples collected
• Species identified
• Freeze/thaw process
• Microcystin Tube Kit analysis
• Enzyme-Linked ImmunoSorbent Assay (ELISA)
• 2 standards
• Add reagents to all samples and standards
• Several steps
• Spectrophotometric Measurement and Analysis

22
Beach Management

• 2005 Microcystin Results

23
Beach Management

• Long-term management options
• Reduce nutrient loading!
• Watershed studies identify and remediate point
  and non-point sources of pollution
• Education and outreach initiatives provide
  educational materials to homeowners within the
  watershed

24
Beach Management

• Long-term management options
• Utilize best management practices (BMPs)
• Promote low impact development (LID)
• Establish watershed ordinances

25
Thank You

• Jody Connor
• Limnology Center Director
• NH Department of Environmental Services
• 603-271-3414
• jconnor_at_des.state.nh.us