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1. Nutrient Loading and Viral Memory Drive Accumulation of Restriction Modification Systems in Bloom-Forming Cyanobacteria

   https://doi.org/10.1128/mBio.00873-21  

   Papoulis, Spiridon E.; Wilhelm, Steven W.; Talmy, David; Zinser, Erik R. (June 2021, mBio)

   Moran, Mary Ann (Ed.)

   ABSTRACT The mechanisms driving cyanobacterial harmful algal blooms (HABs) like those caused by Microcystis aeruginosa remain elusive, but improved defense against viral predation has been implicated for success in eutrophic environments. Our genus-level analyses of 139,023 genomes revealed that HAB-forming cyanobacteria carry vastly more restriction modification systems per genome (RMPG) than nearly all other prokaryotic genera, suggesting that viral defense is a cornerstone of their ecological success. In contrast, picocyanobacteria that numerically dominate nutrient-poor systems have the fewest RMPG within the phylum Cyanobacteria . We used classic resource competition models to explore the hypothesis that nutrient enrichments drive ecological selection for high RMPG due to increased host-phage contact rate. These classic models, agnostic to the mechanism of defense, explain how nutrient loading can select for increased RMPG but, importantly, fail to explain the extreme accumulation of these defense systems. However, extreme accumulation of RMPG can be achieved in a novel “memory” model that accounts for a unique activity of restriction modification systems: the accidental methylation of viral DNA by the methyltransferase. The methylated virus “remembers” the RM defenses of its former host and can evade these defenses if they are present in the next host. This viral memory leads to continual RM system devaluation; RMs accumulate extensively because the benefit of each addition is diminished. Our modeling leads to the hypothesis that nutrient loading and virion methylation drive the extreme accumulation of RMPG in HAB-forming cyanobacteria. Finally, our models suggest that hosts with different RMPG values can coexist when hosts have unique sets of RM systems. IMPORTANCE Harmful algal blooms (HABs), caused by cyanobacteria like Microcystis aeruginosa , are a global threat to water quality and use across the planet. Researchers have agreed that nutrient loading is a major contributor to HAB persistence. While we may understand the environmental conditions that cause HABs, we still struggle in identifying the mechanisms that explain why these organisms have a competitive edge against other, less ecologically hazardous organisms. Our interdisciplinary approach in microbiology, mathematical population modeling, and genomics allows us to use nearly 70 years of research in restriction modification systems to show that HAB-forming cyanobacteria are exceptional in their ability to defend against viruses, and this capacity is intimately tied to nutrient loading. Our hypothesis suggests that defense against viral predation is a fundamental pillar of cyanobacterial ecological strategy and an important contributor to HAB dynamics. 

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2. Harmful algal blooms in inland waters

   https://doi.org/10.1038/s43017-024-00578-2  

   Feng, Lian; Wang, Ying; Hou, Xuejiao; Qin, Boqiang; Kutser, Tiit; Qu, Fan; Chen, Nengwang; Paerl, Hans W; Zheng, Chunmiao (September 2024, Nature Reviews Earth & Environment)

   Harmful algal blooms can produce toxins that pose threats to aquatic ecosystems and human health. In this Review, we outline the global trends in harmful algal bloom occurrence and explore the drivers, future trajectories and potential mitigation strategies. Globally, harmful algal bloom occurrence has risen since the 1980s, including a 44% increase from the 2000s to 2010s, especially in Asia and Africa. Enhanced nutrient pollution owing to urbanization, wastewater discharge and agricultural expansion are key drivers of these increases. In contrast, changes have been less substantial in high-income regions such as North America, Europe and Oceania, where policies to mitigate nutrient pollution have stabilized bloom occurrences since the 1970s. However, since the 1990s, climate warming and legacy nutrient pollution have driven a resurgence in toxic algal blooms in some US and European lakes, highlighting the inherent challenges in mitigating harmful blooms in a warming climate. Indeed, advancing research on harmful algal bloom dynamics and projections largely depends on effectively using data from multiple sources to understand environmental interactions and enhance modelling techniques. Integrated monitoring networks across various spatiotemporal scales and data-sharing frameworks are essential for improving harmful algal bloom forecasting and mitigation. 

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3. Extreme Climate Anomalies Enhancing Cyanobacterial Blooms in Eutrophic Lake Taihu, China

   https://doi.org/10.1029/2020WR029371  

   Qin, Boqiang; Deng, Jianming; Shi, Kun; Wang, Jia; Brookes, Justin; Zhou, Jian; Zhang, Yunlin; Zhu, Guangwei; Paerl, Hans W.; Wu, Li (July 2021, Water Resources Research)

   Abstract Climate warming in combination with nutrient enrichment can greatly promote phytoplankton proliferation and blooms in eutrophic waters. Lake Taihu, China, is a large, shallow and eutrophic system. Since 2007, this lake has experienced extensive nutrient input reductions aimed at controlling cyanobacterial blooms. However, intense cyanobacterial blooms have persisted through 2017 with a record‐setting bloom occurring in May 2017. Causal analysis suggested that this bloom was sygenerically driven by high external loading from flooding in 2016 in the Taihu catchment and a notable warmer winter during 2016/2017. High precipitation during 2016 was associated with a strong 2015/2016 El Niño in combination with the joint effects of Atlantic Multi‐decadal Oscillation (AMO) and Pacific Decadal Oscillation (PDO), while persistent warmth during 2016/2017 was strongly related to warm phases of AMO and PDO. The 2017 blooms elevated water column pH and led to dissolved oxygen depletion near the sediment, both of which mobilized phosphorus from the sediment to overlying water, further promoting cyanobacterial blooms. Our finding indicates that regional climate anomalies exacerbated eutrophication via a positive feedback mechanism, by intensifying internal nutrient cycling and aggravating cyanobacterial blooms. In light of global expansion of eutrophication and blooms, especially in large, shallow and eutrophic lakes, these regional effects of climate anomalies are nested within larger scale global warming predicted to continue in the foreseeable future. 

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4. Are You a HAB Warrior?

   https://doi.org/10.3389/frym.2021.611282  

   Lehman, Peggy W.; Kurobe, Tomofumi; Otten, Timothy G.; Peacock, Melissa B. (August 2021, Frontiers for Young Minds)

   Microalgae and cyanobacteria are tiny, microscopic plant-like organisms that float in the water and grow using nutrients from the water, energy from the sun and carbon dioxide gas from the air. Most microalgae and cyanobacteria are helpful because, like grass for cows on land, they provide food for aquatic animals. However, some microalgae and cyanobacteria are poisonous and when large numbers of them occur, they are called harmful algal blooms, or HABs for short. HABs can poison both humans and animals through the food they eat, the water they drink, and even the air they breathe. HABs are increasing within lakes, rivers, oceans, and estuaries worldwide because of pollution and climate change. This article will tell you about HABs in San Francisco Estuary, USA: who they are, what they look like, why they occur, how they affect plants, animals and people, and things you can do as a HAB warrior to stay safe and prevent their spread. 

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5. Surface nitrogen conditions associated with bottle uptake measurements during a summer 2022 Alexandrium catenella bloom in the Alaskan Arctic (NRS2022_02S)

   https://doi.org/10.18739/A2X63B71H  

   Lim, Stephanie; Payne, Courtney; Arrigo, Kevin (January 2024, NSF Arctic Data Center)

   In the rapidly changing Arctic ecosystem, the recent emergence of harmful algal blooms (HABs) threatens human and ecosystem health. There is increasing evidence that toxic dinoflagellates of the Alexandrium genus are blooming in the Pacific Arctic Ocean, in dense enough concentrations to necessitate shellfishing closures and to detect toxins in marine mammals that forge in Alaskan waters. Our understanding of the nutrient dynamics that sustain HABs in the Pacific Arctic is severely limited, particularly as these blooms tend to occur in late summer when dissolved inorganic nitrogen is drawn down and limits phytoplankton growth. Dissolved organic nitrogen could prove a critical nitrogen source for HABs in the Pacific Arctic, as it has in other regions. This dataset presents measurements taken on Leg 2 of a research cruise (NRS2022_02S) on the Research Vessel (R/V) Norseman II in Aug-Sep 2022 to characterize the nutrient usage by A. catenella. It includes the nutrients (silicate, phosophate, total dissolved nitrogen, and four dissolved nitrogen substrates), particulate organic carbon and nitrogen, and chlorophyll concentrations associated with the beginning of 13 incubation experiments in which we measured nitrogen uptake rates by the surface biological community. We also include the salinity and temperature measurements from CTD-mounted sensors for water collection from Niskin bottles for each incubation set up. Other associated datasets include: Leah McRaven & Robert Pickart. (2024). Conductivity Temperature Depth (CTD) data from the Norseman II (NRS22-1s and NRS22-2s), as part of the 2022 Origin and Fate of Harmful Algal Blooms in the Warming Chukchi Sea cruise. Arctic Data Center. doi:10.18739/A2B853K56. Evangeline Fachon, Donald M Anderson, Mrunmayee Pathare, Michael Brosnahan, Eric Muhlbach, Kali Horn, Nathaniel Spada, & Anushka Rajagopalan. (2024). Alexandrium catenella planktonic cell abundance and toxicity from the Norseman II (NRS2022_01S and NRS2022_02S), as part of the 2022 Origin and Fate of Harmful Algal Blooms in the Warming Chukchi Sea cruise. Arctic Data Center. doi:10.18739/A2804XM7S. Miguel Goni & Dean Stockwell. (2024). Conductivity-Temperature-Depth (CTD) Bottle Data from the Norseman II cruises (NRS2022_01S and NRS2022_02S) including Particulate Organic Carbon (POC) Particulate Nitrogen (PN), Chlorophyll (Chl), Phaeophytin (Phaeo), and dissolved nutrients (Nitrate, Nitrite, Phosphate, Silicate, and Ammonium) (2022). Arctic Data Center. doi:10.18739/A2M90249T. 

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