Initial estuarine response to inorganic nutrient inputs from a legacy mining facility adjacent to Tampa Bay, Florida.

Legacy mining facilities pose significant risks to aquatic resources. From March 30th to April 9th, 2021, 814 million liters of phosphate mining wastewater and marine dredge water from the Piney Point facility were released into lower Tampa Bay (Florida, USA). This resulted in an estimated addition of 186 metric tons of total nitrogen, exceeding typical annual external nitrogen load estimates to lower Tampa Bay in a matter of days.

Effects of Zinc in an Outdoor Freshwater Microcosm System.

A long-term exposure outdoor microcosm study was conducted to evaluate the effects of zinc (Zn) on zooplankton, phytoplankton, and periphyton in a freshwater system. Five Zn treatment concentrations (nominal: 8, 20, 40, 80, and 160 μg/L Zn) and an untreated control with 3 replicates each were used. Various physical and chemical characteristics of the microcosms and biological assessment endpoints (e.

Polystyrene microplastic contamination versus microplankton abundances in two lagoons of the Florida Keys.

A microscopic study of microplankton in two coastal lagoons in the Florida Keys coincidently, and unexpectedly, revealed the widespread presence of high concentrations of polystyrene microplastic particles. The polystyrene particles were first observed in the second year of a 2-year study of phytoplankton communities, with peak densities in the spring/summer of 2019 at all ten sampling sites in the two lagoons. Polystyrene particle densities reached levels up to 76,000 L.

High-resolution Spatiotemporal Dynamics of Harmful Algae in the Indian River Lagoon (Florida)-A Case Study of , , and -.

The Indian River Lagoon (IRL), located on the east coast of Florida, is a complex estuarine ecosystem that is negatively affected by recurring harmful algal blooms (HABs) from distinct taxonomic/functional groups. Enhanced monitoring was established to facilitate rapid quantification of three recurrent bloom taxa, , , and spp., and included corroborating techniques to improve the identification of small-celled nanoplankton (<10 μm in diameter).

Hurricanes, El Niño and harmful algal blooms in two sub-tropical Florida estuaries: Direct and indirect impacts.

Future increases in the intensity of hurricanes and El Niño periods predicted by climate change models have focused attention on their role in stimulating harmful algal blooms (HABs). A series of hurricanes that recently impacted Florida (USA) provided a unique opportunity to explore the relationships between hurricanes, El Niño and HABs in two Florida estuaries subject to repeated intense ecosystem disruptive HABs, the Indian River Lagoon and the St. Lucie Estuary.

Revealing Biotic and Abiotic Controls of Harmful Algal Blooms in a Shallow Subtropical Lake through Statistical Machine Learning.

Harmful algal blooms are a growing human and environmental health hazard globally. Eco-physiological diversity of the cyanobacteria genera that make up these blooms creates challenges for water managers tasked with controlling the intensity and frequency of blooms, particularly of harmful taxa (e.g.

Investigation of extraction and analysis techniques for Lyngbya wollei derived Paralytic Shellfish Toxins.

Paralytic Shellfish Toxins (PSTs) are highly toxic metabolic by-products of cyanobacteria and dinoflagellates. The filamentous cyanobacterium Lyngbya wollei produces a unique set of PSTs, including L. wollei toxins (LWT) 1-6.

Aquatic biosystems: reactions and actions.

Aquatic biological systems are a critical part of the structure and function of earth's biosphere. While attention of the scientific community is often focused on the reaction of biological systems to changes in the environment, these systems also have profound effects, or actions, on the environment. Throughout the evolutionary history of earth, the rise and/or fall of different aquatic biosystems has impacted the character of the biosphere.

Diversity of and selection acting on cylindrospermopsin cyrB gene adenylation domain sequences in Florida.

Aphanizomenon ovalisporum is the only confirmed cylindrospermopsin producer identified in the United States to date. On the other hand, Cylindrospermopsis raciborskii is a prominent feature of many lakes in Florida and other regions of the United States. To see the variation in cylindrospermopsin cyrB gene adenylation domain sequences and possibly discover new cylindrospermopsin producers, we collected water samples for a 3-year period from 17 different systems in Florida.

A new attachment device for deployment of monitoring equipment in estuaries and other high-energy environments.

Biomonitoring is an important component of estuarine research and monitoring programs because living organisms integrate biological, chemical, and physical conditions over time. The deployment of biomonitoring devices in ecosystems that are subject to changes in water level and flow can be very challenging. This paper describes a new device, which facilitates such applications such as the deployment of periphytometers.

IMPROVED METHODS FOR THE ISOLATION OF CYANOBACTERIAL DNA FROM ENVIRONMENTAL SAMPLES(1).

DNA isolated from environmental samples often contains enzyme inhibitors disruptive to downstream molecular applications. Most of the existing methods of cyanobacterial DNA isolation do not effectively eliminate these inhibitors from sediment samples or cells collected from freshwater ecosystems. We describe improved methods based on the xanthogenate-SDS nucleic acid isolation (XS) method of Tillett and Neilan (2000).

Temporal and spatial variations of copper, cadmium, lead, and zinc in Ten Mile Creek in South Florida, USA.

Lead (Pb), zinc (Zn), copper (Cu), and cadmium (Cd) often seriously deteriorate water quality. Spatial and temporal fluctuations of the metal concentrations in the Ten Mile Creek (Florida) (TMC) were monitored on a weekly basis at 7 sampling sites, from June 2005 to September 2007. River sediment samples were also collected from these sites in April, June, and October 2006 and January 2007, and analyzed for water, Mehlich 1 (M1), and Mehlich 3 (M3)-extractable metals (Mehlich, 1953, 1984), to examine the role of sediments as sources or sinks of the metals.

Debromoaplysiatoxin in Lyngbya-dominated mats on manatees (Trichechus manatus latirostris) in the Florida King's Bay ecosystem.

Proliferation of the potentially toxic cyanobacterium, Lyngbya, in Florida lakes and rivers has raised concerns about ecosystem and human health. Debromoaplysiatoxin (DAT) was measured in concentrations up to 6.31 microg/g wet weight lyngbyatoxin A equivalents (WWLAE) in Lyngbya-dominated mats collected from natural substrates.

Temporal and spatial variations of nutrients in the Ten Mile Creek of South Florida, USA and effects on phytoplankton biomass.

Water quality throughout south Florida has been a major concern for many years. Nutrient enrichment in the Indian River Lagoon (IRL) is a major surface water issue and is suggested as a possible cause of symptoms of ecological degradation. In 2005-06, water samples were collected weekly from seven sites along Ten Mile Creek (TMC), which drains into the Indian River Lagoon, to investigate and analyze spatial and temporal fluctuations of nutrients nitrogen (N) and phosphorus (P).

A comparative study of Florida strains of Cylindrospermopsis and Aphanizomenon for cylindrospermopsin production.

The toxin cylindrospermopsin (CYN) is produced by a variety of cyanobacterial genera. One of these, Cylindrospermopsis raciborskii, is generally assumed to be the source of CYN in lakes and rivers in Florida, USA. However, in this study, none of the eight Florida isolates of this species tested contained the genetic determinants involved in toxin production nor did they produce CYN.

Kinetics and uptake mechanisms for monomethylmercury between freshwater algae and water.

Uptake kinetics of monomethylmercury chloride (MeHgCl) were measured for two species of green algae (Selenastrum capricomutum and Cosmarium botrytis), one blue-green algae (Schizothrix calcicola), and one diatom (Thalassiosira weissflogii), algal species that are commonly found in natural surface waters. Species differences were found with the two green algae giving the highest uptake rates, and one of them (Cosmarium) showing differences between cultures having widely different cell age (exponential versus stationary), where increases in uptake rate for cells 30 days old were about 25 times greater than cells only 3 days old when weights of cells were considered. Both Schizothrix and Thalassiosira exhibited nearly the same lower uptake rates, approximately 20 times lower than the two green algal species.