Variability of microcystin cell quota in metapopulations of Planktothrix rubescens: causes and implications for water management.

In this study, we investigated the relationships between microcystin (MCs) concentrations and the biovolumes of Planktothrix rubescens (BPr) in 2 natural lakes (Pusiano and Garda) and 2 artificially dammed reservoirs (Occhito and Ledro) in Italy. In all the considered water bodies, P. rubescens was the dominant cyanobacterium.

Experimental models of microcystin accumulation in Daphnia magna grazing on Planktothrix rubescens: implications for water management.

In this study, we investigated the kinetic aspects of the microcystin (MC) transfer from Planktothrix rubescens to Daphnia magna by carrying out exposure experiments in small simple mesocosms. We hypothesized that higher fractions of toxic cyanobacteria in the diet of grazers would shift the balance towards a greater than linear, i.e.

Diatoms: a novel source for the neurotoxin BMAA in aquatic environments.

Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) or Lou Gehrig's disease is a neurological disorder linked to environmental exposure to a non-protein amino acid, β-N-methylamino-L-alanine (BMAA). The only organisms reported to be BMAA-producing, are cyanobacteria--prokaryotic organisms. In this study, we demonstrate that diatoms--eukaryotic organisms--also produce BMAA.