Compounds to mitigate cyanobacterial blooms affect growth and toxicity of Microcystis aeruginosa

Abstract

Numerous products and techniques are used to combat harmful cyanobacterial blooms in lakes. In this study, we tested nine products, the phosphate binders Phoslock® and Aqual-P^TM, the coagulant chitosan, the phosphorus binder and coagulant aluminum salts (aluminum sulphate and sodium aluminate), the copper-based algicides SeClear, Captain® XTR and CuSO₄·5H₂O, the antibiotic Streptomycin and the oxidant hydrogen peroxide (H₂O₂) on their efficiency to manage the cyanobacterium Microcystis aeruginosa (M. aeruginosa). To this end, 7 days of laboratory experiments were conducted and effects were determined on chlorophyll-a, photosystem II efficiency (PSII), soluble reactive phosphorus (SRP) and intracellular and extracellular microcystin (MC) concentrations. The algicides, chitosan and H₂O₂ were the most powerful in reducing cyanobacteria biomass. Biomass reductions compared to the controls yielded: Chitosan (99.8%) > Hydrogen peroxide (99.6%) > Captain XTR (98.2%) > SeClear (98.1%) > CuSO₄·5H₂O (97.8%) > Streptomycin (86.6%) > Phoslock® (42.6%) > Aqual-P^TM (28.4%) > alum (5.5%). Compounds that caused the largest reductions in biomass also strongly lowered photosystem II efficiency, while the other compounds (Phoslock®, Aqual-P^TM, aluminum salts) had no effect on PSII, but strongly reduced SRP. Intracellular MC concentration followed the biomass patterns, extracellular MC was generally lower at higher doses of algicides, chitosan and H₂O₂ after one week. Recovery of PSII was observed in most algicides and chitosan, but not at the highest doses of SeClear and in all streptomycin treatments. Our results revealed that M. aeruginosa can be killed rapidly using several compounds, that in some treatments already signs of recovery occurred within one week. P fixatives are efficient in reducing SRP, and thus acting via resource suppression, which potentially may provide an addition to fast-acting algicides that kill most of the cells, but allow rapid regrowth as sufficient nutrients remain.

Keywords: Microcystins; controlling cyanobacteria; cyanobacterial bloom; lake restoration; phosphate binding.