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Potential effects of mechanically removing macrophytes on the phytoplankton community of a subtropical reservoir

ABSTRACT

Intensive growth of aquatic macrophytes interferes with water quality and ecosystem dynamics worldwide. Although mechanically removing macrophytes is the most commonly used method for their eradication, it can also cause undesirable disturbances in aquatic reservoir communities. We performed laboratory incubations of phytoplankton sampled before and after macrophytes were mechanically removed from the Piraquara II reservoir, South Brazil. We analyzed changes in growth and composition of the main phytoplankton groups with respect to nutrient shifting. Prior to removing the macrophytes, the phytoplankton community was dominated by low cell abundances of diatoms and flagellates. In contrast, growth rates of cyanobacteria (mainly Cylindrospermopsis raciborskii, Pseudanabaena sp., and Geitlerinema sp.) and of colonial chlorophytes were favored after macrophyte removal, while the abundances of diatoms and flagellates decreased. Our results suggest that removing macrophytes causes dramatic changes in phytoplankton composition and biomass and selects for toxigenic species of cyanobacteria. These changes were probably associated with the disturbance caused by removing the macrophytes, which immediately created new environmental conditions prone to species competition. These findings indicate that the use of mechanical techniques to manage macrophytes should be carefully considered, along with monitoring of harmful species and changes of limnological parameters.

Keywords:
chlorophytes; cyanobacteria; diatoms; macrophytes; mechanical removal; phytoplankton; reservoir management

Introduction

Intensive growth of aquatic macrophytes can significantly interfere with multiple uses of reservoirs, e.g., electric power generation and water supply (Thomaz et al. 1999Thomaz SM, Bini LM, Souza MCD, Kita KK, Camargo AFM. 1999. Aquatic macrophytes of Itaipu Reservoir, Brazil: survey of species and ecological considerations. Brazilian Archives of Biology and Technology 42: 15-22.). The most common effect of such excessive proliferation is the accumulation of organic matter, which increases dispersion of pathogenic agents (e.g., malaria) and vectors and impacts local navigation, fishing, and recreational uses (Thomaz et al. 2008Thomaz SM, Esteves FA, Murphy KJ, Santos AM, Caliman A, Guariento RD. 2008. Aquatic macrophytes in the tropics: ecology of populations and communities, impacts of invasions and human use. In: Del-Claro K, Oliveira PS, Rico-Gray V. (eds.) Encyclopedia of life system support. Oxford, UNESCO Eolss Publishers Co. Ltda. p. 27-60.). A number of methods aimed at controlling and removing undesirable macrophytes have been employed involving physical, biological, or chemical control (Dodds & Whiles 2010Dodds WK, Whiles MR. 2010. Freshwater ecology: Concepts and environmental applications of limnology. 2nd. edn. New York, Academic Press.). Among them, physical methods are widely used, usually by motorized machinery to physically remove or cut the vegetation (Carpenter & Adams 1978Carpenter SR, Adams MS. 1978. Macrophyte control by harvesting and herbicides: Applications for phosphorus cycling in Lake Wingra, Wisconsin. Journal Aquatic Plant Management Society 16: 20-23.; Hussner et al. 2017Hussner A, Stiers I, Verhofstad MJJM, et al. 2017. Management and control methods of invasive alien freshwater aquatic plants: A review. Aquatic Botany 136: 112-137.). The main advantages of these methods are the increased water quality for consumption purposes and the elimination of toxic substances (Samecka-Cymerman & Kempers 1996Samecka-Cymerman A, Kempers AJ. 1996. Bioaccumulation of heavy metals by aquatic macrophytes around Wrocaw. Poland. Ecotoxicology and Environmental Safety 35: 242-247.) and excessive nutrients accumulated by plants (Scheffer 2004Scheffer M. 2004. Ecology of shallow lakes. Amsterdan, Springer Science and Business Media.; Kansiime et al. 2007Kansiime F, Saunders MJ, Loiselle SA. 2007. Functioning and dynamics of wetland vegetation of Lake Victoria: an overview. Wetlands Ecology and Management 15: 443-451.). These substances compromise water use while promoting the increase in harmful organisms (Carpenter & Adams 1978Carpenter SR, Adams MS. 1978. Macrophyte control by harvesting and herbicides: Applications for phosphorus cycling in Lake Wingra, Wisconsin. Journal Aquatic Plant Management Society 16: 20-23.).

Several studies have reported significant effects of mitigating and lowering nutrient inputs in reservoirs by regularly removing macrophytes, but this is insufficient to eradicate the problem (Carpenter & Adams 1978Carpenter SR, Adams MS. 1978. Macrophyte control by harvesting and herbicides: Applications for phosphorus cycling in Lake Wingra, Wisconsin. Journal Aquatic Plant Management Society 16: 20-23.; Scheer et al. 2016Scheer MB, Lisboa AM, Burda TM. 2016. Rendimentos operacionais de barco removedor e escavadeira de braço longo no controle de infestações de plantas aquáticas no reservatório Piraquara II, Paraná, Brasil. Revista Brasileira de Recursos Hídricos 21: 328-337.). In contrast, macrophytes should be carefully disposed of to avoid contaminating adjacent water bodies with plant propagules or nutrients (Quilliam et al. 2015Quilliam RS, Niekerk A, Chadwick DR, et al. 2015. Can macrophyte harvesting from eutrophic water close the loop on nutrient loss from agricultural land? Journal of Environmental Management 152: 210-217.), as well as to minimize the impact on the indigenous fauna associated with the macrophytes (Booms 1999Booms TL. 1999. Vertebrates removed by mechanical weed harvesting in Lake Keesus, Wisconsin. Journal of Aquatic Plant Management 37: 34-36.; Greer et al. 2012Greer MJC, Closs GP, Crow SK, Hicks AS. 2012. Complete versus partial macrophyte removal: the impacts of two drain management strategies on freshwater fish in lowland New Zealand streams. Ecology of Freshwater Fish 21: 510-520.; James 2013James A. 2013. A review of the ecological effects of macrophyte management in soft-bottomed waterways. Technical report . Christchurch, EOS Ecology.). Depending upon the method used, the area of removal activity, and its intensity, the associated environmental changes can extend over the entire reservoir.

Studies that investigated the impacts of removing macrophytes have recorded limnological changes, such as shifts in the composition and abundance of zooplankton (Maceina et al. 1992Maceina MJ, Cichra MF, Betsill RK, Bettoli PW. 1992. Limnological changes in a large reservoir following vegetation removal by grass carp. Journal of Freshwater Ecology 7: 81-95.; Choi et al. 2014Choi J-Y, Jeong K-S, La G-H, Joo G-J. 2014. Effect of removal of free-floating macrophytes on zooplankton habitat in shallow wetland. Knowledge and Management of Aquatic Ecosystems 11: 414-425.), oxygen depletion, increases in carbonic acid gas and turbidity, oscillations in pH, and export of nitrogen and phosphorus generated in the lake bottom (Granéli & Solander 1988Granéli W, Solander D. 1988. Influence of aquatic macrophytes on phosphorus cycling in lakes. Hydrobiologia 170: 245-266.; Young et al. 2004Young RG, Keeley NB, Shearer KA, Crowe ALM. 2004. Impacts of diquat herbicide and mechanical excavation on spring-fed drains in Marlborough. New Zealand, Science for Conservation.; Crossetti & Bicudo 2008Crossetti LO, Bicudo CEM. 2008. Adaptations in phytoplankton life strategies to imposed change in a shallow urban tropical eutrophic reservoir, Garças Reservoir, over 8 years. Hydrobiologia 614: 91-105.; Waterman et al. 2011Waterman DM, Waratuke AR, Motta D, Cataño-lopera YA, Zhang H, García MH. 2011. In situ characterization of resuspended-sediment oxygen demand in Bubbly Creek, Chicago, Illinois. Journal of Environmental Engineering 137: 717-730.). The main impacts of using excavators to mechanically manage macrophytes are oscillations in light intensity, sediment disturbances, and increased nutrients in the water column (Kuiper et al. 2017Kuiper JJ, Verhofstad MJJM, Louwers ELM, et al. 2017. Mowing submerged macrophytes in shallow lakes with alternative stable states: battling the good guys? Environmental Management 59: 619-634.). Resuspending sediment promotes the bioavailability of phosphorus and nitrogen from the bottom; thus, providing an additional nutrient source for phytoplankton (Shaw & Prepas 1990Shaw JF, Prepas EE. 1990. Exchange of phosphorus from shallow sediments at nine Alberta lakes. Journal of Environment Quality 19: 249-256.). This process has significant implications in subtropical water bodies, such as the Piraquara II reservoir, as phosphorus is the main factor promoting phytoplankton growth at these latitudes (Aubriot et al. 2000Aubriot L, Wagner F, Falkner G. 2000. The phosphate uptake behaviour of phytoplankton communities in eutrophic lakes reflects alterations in the phosphate supply. European Journal of Phycology 35: 255-262.; Downing et al. 2001Downing JA, Watson SB, Mccauley E. 2001. Predicting Cyanobacteria dominance in lakes. Canadian Journal of Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences 58: 1905-1908. ; Perkins & Underwood 2001Perkins RG, Underwood GJC. 2001. The potential for phosphorus release across the sediment-water interface in an eutrophic reservoir dosed with ferric sulphate. Water Research 35: 1399-1406.; Horn 2003Horn H. 2003. The relative importance of climate and nutrients in controlling phytoplankton growth in Saidenbach Reservoir. Hydrobiologia 504: 159-166.; Figueredo et al. 2016Figueredo CC, Pinto-Coelho RM, Lopes AMMB, Lima PHO, Gücker B, Giani A. 2016. From intermittent to persistent cyanobacterial blooms: identifying the main drivers in an urban tropical reservoir. Journal of Limnology 75: 445-454.). Phosphorus concentrations in sediments can reach up to 100 times that in the water column (Sondergaard et al. 2003Sondergaard M, Jensen PJ, Jeppesen E. 2003. Role of sediment and internal loading of phosphorus in shallow lakes. Hydrobiologia 506: 135-145.), and harmful cyanobacteria usually constitute the most favored group (Bakker & Hilt 2015Bakker ES, Hilt S. 2015. Impact of water-level fluctuations on cyanobacterial blooms: options of management. Aquatic Ecology 49: 485-498.), posing a serious threat to aquatic organisms and human beings, either by producing secondary metabolites, such as toxins and allelopathic compounds (Leflaive & Ten-Hage 2007Leflaive J, Ten-Hage L. 2007. Algal and cyanobacterial secondary metabolites in freshwaters: a comparison of allelopathic compounds and toxins. Freshwater Biology 52: 199-214.; Pearl & Huisman 2009Pearl HW, Huisman J. 2009. Climate change: a catalyst for global expansion of harmful cyanobacterial blooms. Environmental Microbiology Reports 1: 27-37.) or by drastically changing the physical and chemical parameters, including the sediment-water interface (Zhu et al. 2013Zhu M, Zhu G, Zhao L, et al. 2013. Influence of algal bloom degradation on nutrient release at the sediment-water interface in Lake Taihu, China. Environmental Science Pollution Research 20: 1803-1811). Algal accumulations also interfere with water treatment, making the elimination of organic matter and toxins more time consuming and expensive (Hitzfeld et al. 2000Hitzfeld BC, Hoger SJ, Dietrich DR. 2000. Cyanobacterial toxins: removal during drinking water treatment, and human risk assessment. Environmental Health Perspectives 108: 113-122.; Villacorte et al. 2015Villacorte LO, Ekowati Y, Neu TR, et al. 2015. Characterisation of algal organic matter produced by bloom-forming marine and freshwater algae. Water Research 73: 216-230.). The most common genera of cyanobacteria that usually dominate the freshwater blooms around the world are Microcystis, Cylindrospermopsis, and Dolichospermum (Fernandes et al. 2005 Fernandes, LF, Lagos, PED, Wosiack, AC, et al. 2005. Comunidades fitoplanctônicas em ambientes lênticos. In: Andreoli CV, Carneiro C. (eds.) Gestão integrada de mananciais de abastecimento eutrofizados. Curitiba, Sanepar-Finep. p. 303-366.; Fonseca & Bicudo 2010Fonseca BM, Bicudo CEM. 2010. How important can the presence/absence of macrophytes be in determining phytoplankton strategies in two tropical shallow reservoirs with different trophic status? Journal of Plankton Research 32: 31-46.; Soares et al. 2013 Soares MCS, Huszar VLM, Miranda MN, Melli MM, Roland F, Lurling M. 2013. Cyanobacteria l dominance in Brazil: distribution and environmental preferences. Hydrobiologia 717: 1-12.; Antunes et al. 2015Antunes JT, Leão PN, Vasconcelos VM. 2015. Cylindrospermopsis raciborskii: review of the distribution, phylogeography, and ecophysiology of a global invasive species. Frontiers in Microbiology 6: 473. ; Li et al. 2015Li X, Dreher TW, Li R. 2015. An overview of diversity, occurrence, genetics and toxin production of bloom-forming Dolichospermum (Anabaena) species. Harmful Algae 54: 54-68.; Harke et al. 2016Harke MJ, Steffen MM, Gobler CJ, et al. 2016. A review of the global ecology, genomics, and biogeography of the toxic cyanobacterium, Microcystis spp. Harmful Algae 54: 4-20.).

Despite the negative consequences described above, few studies (Faria et al. 2013Faria DM, Guimarães ATB, Ludwig TAV. 2013. Responses of periphytic diatoms to mechanical removal of Pistia stratiotes L. in a hypereutrophic subtropical reservoir: dynamics and tolerance. Brazilian Journal of Biology 73: 681-689.; present study) have focused on the effects of mechanically removing macrophytes on the phytoplankton community. In this study, we investigated the potential effects of mechanically removing macrophytes on the composition and cell abundance of phytoplankton in the Piraquara II reservoir, South Brazil. We performed phytoplankton incubations using water sampled before and after the macrophytes were removed and analyzed the compositional changes in the main phytoplankton groups. We hypothesized that cyanobacterial species would take advantage of the increased nutrients that appeared after a hydraulic excavator operation to remove macrophytes and would eventually outcompete the phytoplankton.

Materials and methods

Study Area

Lake Ingleses is a small 40 hectare arm of Piraquara II, a subtropical 560 hectare reservoir located in South Brazil (Paraná state). The reservoir has an average depth of 3.8 m and a maximum depth of 15 m (Consórcio Paranasan 2000Consórcio Paranasan. 2000. Estudo de impacto ambiental - Barragem Piraquara II. Technical reportCuritiba, Projeto de Saneamento Ambiental do Paraná.). The macrophytes were removed from this short arm (Fig. 1). The macrophyte beds occupied a 22 hectare area in Lake Ingleses. The main aquatic species were rooted emergent Cyperus luzulae (L.) Retz and Paspalum exaltatum J. Presl, and free floating Eichhornia crassipes (Mart.) Solms, Salvinia auriculata Aubl., and Salvinia minima Baker, which move around under the influence of local wind.

Figure 1
Piraquara II reservoir, showing the location of Lake Ingleses, Piraquara, Paraná. Adapted from: Consórcio Paranasan 2000.

The study area is located at 25°30'54''S−25°30'50''S 49°04'28''W−49°04'22''W, with an altitude of 892 m. The climate is Temperate Oceanic (Cfb) according to the Koppen system, with average temperatures of 12-20 °C and annual precipitation of 1450-1500 mm (Caviglione et al. 2000Caviglione JH, Kiihl LRB, Caramori PH, Oliveira D. 2000. Cartas climáticas do Paraná. Londrina, IAPAR.).

Mechanical removal of macrophytes in Lake Ingleses

The macrophytes were removed during August 5-9, 2013 using a Caterpillar 320C 17L/h hydraulic excavator equipped with a long reach boom (15 m); a drain bucket was operated to remove the aquatic macrophytes (see Scheer et al. 2016Scheer MB, Lisboa AM, Burda TM. 2016. Rendimentos operacionais de barco removedor e escavadeira de braço longo no controle de infestações de plantas aquáticas no reservatório Piraquara II, Paraná, Brasil. Revista Brasileira de Recursos Hídricos 21: 328-337.). The transport and disposal of the plant material from the reservoir to other areas nearby were made by two trucks (Mercedes Benz 2423, 6 × 4 traction) with 14 m3 dumping beds.

Total phosphorus and nitrogen concentrations in the water

Samples for analysis of total phosphorus (TP) and total nitrogen (TN) were collected before, during, and after the excavator operation, which lasted 5 days. One sample was taken on August 2, 2013, just before the operation activities started, and these samples are called “BEFORE” hereafter. Samples were collected 30 min after the operation stopped (total = 12) in the evening; these samples are labeled “AFTER” hereafter. Additional AFTER samples were collected on August 13, 14, and 16. TP concentrations were determined according to the APHA 4500-P-E analytical method prescribed in APHA (2012)APHA - American Public Health Association. 2012. Standard methods for the examination of water and wastewater. 22nd. edn. Washington, APHA. . This method was carried out in acid medium with orthophosphate reacting with ammonium molybdate and potassium antimonyl tartarate to form phosphomolybdic acid, which was reduced by ascorbic acid in molybdenum blue. The resulting compound absorbance was measured in a spectrophotometer at 880 nm. TN concentrations were determined by the oxidative digestion method with sulfate peroxide based on DIN EN ISO 11905-1. This method allows for free ammonia, ammonium, nitrate, nitrite, and organic nitrogen compounds to be converted to nitrate under oxidative conditions (DIN 1998DIN - Deutsches Institut für Normung. 1998. ISO 11905-1:1997: Water quality - Determination of nitrogen - Part 1: Method using oxidative digestion with peroxodisulfate. Technical report . Berlin, International Organization for Standardization.).

Phytoplankton sampling, experimental procedures, and counting

Two water samples (1 L each) were taken: one before macrophyte removal (August 5, 2013) and another one five days after removal (August 14, 2013). Aliquots of 300 mL of the BEFORE and AFTER samples were used for the incubation experiment.

The incubations were performed in 500 mL Erlenmeyer flasks, at 25 °C, with a light intensity of 150 µmol the photon·m-2·s-1, and a 12 h:12 h photoperiod. On days 1 and 20 of the incubation, subsamples of 6 mL were taken from each incubation and placed in Eppendorf tubes. The supernatant (5 mL) was removed, and the remaining 1 mL was preserved with Lugol’s solution to be used for the phytoplankton analysis. The classes of phytoplankton species were identified and the densities (number of cells in 6 mL converted to cell mL-1) of cyanobacteria, chlorophytes, and diatoms were estimated using a Sedgewick-Rafter chamber on an Olympus IX-71 inverted microscope at 400× magnification (Tokyo, Japan). At least 400 cells were counted to achieve a 10 % statistical error (APHA 1998APHA – American Public Health Association. 1998. Standard methods for the examination of water and wastewater. 20nd. edn. Washington, APHA. ).

Data analysis

Phytoplankton growth rates (µ day-1) were estimated for each group during the exponential growth phase according to the Andersen (2005Andersen RA. 2005. Algal Culturing Techniques. Oxford, Elsevier Academic Press.) equation: (Ln Nt - Ln N0)/Δt; where Ln Nt is the natural logarithm of the final instant of time (in days), Ln N0 is the natural logarithm of the initial instant of time, and ∆t is the time interval (∆t = final time − initial time). The t-test was used to compare the first-day densities to the 20-day densities of each group (cyanobacteria, chlorophytes, and diatoms) at each treatment (BEFORE and AFTER), with a significance level of 95 % (P = 0.05). Data were log transformed (log X+1) to support normality and homogeneity of variance. All analyses were performed using R software ver. 3.0.2 (R Development Core Team 2013R Development Core Team. 2013. R version 3.0.2. R: A language and environment for statistical computing. Vienna, R Foundation for Statistical Computing. http://www.R-project.org/
http://www.R-project.org/...
).

Results

Concentrations of phosphorus and nitrogen in the macrophyte removal area

Levels of phosphorus and nitrogen were below the detection limits (<0.001 and < 0.5 mg L-1, respectively) in all of the BEFORE samples. Phosphorus levels increased 100 times (0.49 ± 0.08 mg L-1; n = 12) during macrophyte removal, whereas nitrogen was about 90 times as much (2.3 ± 0.91 mg L-1; n = 3). Nutrient levels returned to undetectable values 30 min after each day of the operation and one week (August 13, 16, and 19) after the end of the field excavator operation.

Phytoplankton experiment: cell abundances before macrophyte removal

Mean phytoplankton densities (estimated from three replicates) of the samples taken BEFORE almost doubled after 20 days of incubation, varying from 2.9 × 104 cell mL-1 to 5.9 × 104 cell mL-1 (Tab. 1). These samples were dominated by cyanobacteria on day 1. However, chlorophytes were the main group at the end of the incubation period, with a growth rate (0.08 day-1) that was significantly higher (t 4 = 3.274; P = 0.031) than that of cyanobacteria. The densities of diatoms and cyanobacteria decreased, and lower growth rates of 0.02 and 0.002 day-1, respectively were observed (Tab. 1). The most common chlorophyte species were Pediastrum simplex, Desmidium sp., Dictyosphaerium sp., Scenedesmus ecornis, Closteriopsis sp., Staurodesmus sp., and Staurastrum sp.. Among cyanobacteria, Geitlerinema sp. and Pseudanabaena sp. were the most dominant species throughout the incubation.

Table 1
Cell abundances (cells mL-1) of main phytoplankton groups in the samples taken from the Piraquara II Reservoir (Lake Ingleses), BEFORE and AFTER the mechanical removal of macrophytes in August 2016. The values refer to the initial day and the end (20 days after) of each incubation experiment. Data are presented as average (minimum - maximum). Statistically significant values (P < 0.05) between the start and the end of incubation are in bold. DF = 4; µ = growth rate (day -1); t = t-test value.

Phytoplankton experiment: cell abundances after macrophyte removal

The incubation of water collected after mechanical removal of macrophytes resulted in increases in phytoplankton abundance compared to the BEFORE treatment (Tab. 1). Mean phytoplankton density varied from 0.4 × 104 cells mL-1 on day 1 to 20.9 × 104 cells mL-1 on day 20; an increase of 50 times. Cyanobacteria was the dominant group (t 4 = 3.6864; P = 0.021). The density of cyanobacteria on day 1 was low (0.8 cells mL-1) in this treatment. However, there was an increase of 240 times by day 20, reaching 20.6 x 104 cells mL-1 (Tab. 1). The estimated growth rate (0.29 day-1, Tab. 1) was relatively higher compared to the other phytoplankton groups. Pseudanabaena sp. was the most common species at the beginning of the incubation, while Cylindrospermopsis raciborskii and Geitlerinema sp. were the most common at the end of incubation. The abundance of chlorophytes decreased until day 20 of the experiment in this treatment.

Discussion

We observed a dramatic change in the composition and biomass of the phytoplankton from Lake Ingleses incubated in water sampled after mechanically removing the macrophytes. The species composition changed from low cell densities of slow-growing colonial non-flagellate chlorophytes to high densities of filamentous cyanobacteria (Pseudanabaena, Geitlerinema, and Cylindrospermopsis). Cylindrospermopsis raciborskii is a widespread toxigenic species that occurs in Brazilian reservoirs, with the potential to cause a serious threat to human health. The high levels of saxitoxins from this taxon lead to interruptions in water supply (Fernandes et al. 2005 Fernandes, LF, Lagos, PED, Wosiack, AC, et al. 2005. Comunidades fitoplanctônicas em ambientes lênticos. In: Andreoli CV, Carneiro C. (eds.) Gestão integrada de mananciais de abastecimento eutrofizados. Curitiba, Sanepar-Finep. p. 303-366.; Wojciechowski et al. 2016Wojciechowski J, Fernandes LF, Fonseca FVB. 2016. Morpho-physiological responses of a subtropical strain of Cylindrospermopsis raciborskii (Cyanobacteria ) to different light intensities. Acta Botanica Brasilica 30: 232-238.). Here, we demonstrated under appropriate conditions of light and temperature that removing the macrophytes can cause intensive growth of harmful algae, which could have downstream consequences.

Cell densities of chlorophytes increased significantly from 5,583 to 27,617 cells mL-1 in the BEFORE treatment on day 20 of the incubation. At this time, the phytoplankton community was dominated by Pediastrum simplex and Scenedesmus ecornis. Chlorophytes are more high-light adapted than other algal groups, which is one of the reasons why they have higher growth rates when exposed to this condition (Schwaderer et al. 2011Schwaderer AS, Yoshiyama K, Pinto PT, Swenson NG, Klausmeier CA, Litchman E. 2011. Eco-evolutionary differences in light utilization traits and distributions of freshwater phytoplankton. Limnology and Oceanography 56: 589-598.). The high-light condition was likely due to the absence of macrophytes during the incubation.

After 20 days of incubating the AFTER treatment, the increase in cell density was higher and the phytoplankton community changed to cyanobacteria-dominated cells (from 869 to 206,117 cells mL-1). Toxigenic cyanobacteria, such as Geitlerinema sp. and Pseudanabaena sp., dominated the phytoplankton, most likely favored by the new habitat conditions, with a new environment for competition, and increases in nutrient concentrations recorded soon after the macrophyte removal operations commenced. These macronutrients reached 100 times as much at the study area immediately after the macrophyte removal procedure.

Remarkable changes in phytoplankton composition and abundance have been recorded in other subtropical and tropical lakes and reservoirs after removing macrophytes, and which also lead to massive blooms of cyanobacteria (e.g., Bicudo et al. 2007Bicudo DC, Fonseca BM, Bini LM, Crossetti LO, Bicudo CEM, Araújo-Jesus T. 2007. Undesirable side effects of water hyacinth control in a shallow tropical reservoir. Freshwater Biology 52: 1120-1133.; Crossetti & Bicudo 2008Crossetti LO, Bicudo CEM. 2008. Adaptations in phytoplankton life strategies to imposed change in a shallow urban tropical eutrophic reservoir, Garças Reservoir, over 8 years. Hydrobiologia 614: 91-105.). Studies that have investigated the effect of resuspended sediment on phytoplankton growth suggest that nutrient inputs from the bottom are the major vector regulating development of these blooms, which are usually dominated by cyanobacteria (Mur et al. 1999Mur LR, Skulberg OME, Utkilen H. 1999. Cyanobacteria in the environment. In: Chorus I, Bartram J. (eds.) Toxic cyanobacteria in water: A guide to their public health consequences, monitoring and management. London, E & FN Spon. p. 25-54.; Faithfull & Burns 2006Faithfull CL, Burns C. 2006. Effects of salinity and source of inocula on germination of Anabaena akinetes from a tidally influenced lake. Freshwater Biology 51: 705-716.; Niemistö et al. 2008Niemistö J, Holmross H, Pekcan-Hekim Z, Horppila J. 2008. Interactions between sediment resuspension and sediment quality decrease the TN:TP ratio in a shallow lake. Limnology and Oceanography 53: 2407-2415.; Zhu et al. 2015Zhu M, Zhu G, Nurminen L, et al. 2015. The influence of macrophytes on sediment resuspension and the effect of associated nutrients in a shallow and large lake (Lake Taihu, China). PLOS ONE 10: e0127915 doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0127915
https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.012...
). Although no sediment analysis was performed in the present study, the high levels of P and N detected after removing the macrophytes might be related to nutrients that accumulated on the bottom of the lake. A reservoir becomes temporarily turbid and nutrient rich after removing the macrophytes (Mur et al. 1999Mur LR, Skulberg OME, Utkilen H. 1999. Cyanobacteria in the environment. In: Chorus I, Bartram J. (eds.) Toxic cyanobacteria in water: A guide to their public health consequences, monitoring and management. London, E & FN Spon. p. 25-54.. Many species of cyanobacteria are unable to take-up phosphorus and nitrogen faster than other species, but several filamentous species have evolved adaptations to store phosphorus by producing the extracellular enzyme alkaline phosphatase (Isvánovics et al. 2000Isvánovics V, Shafik HM, Presing MA, Juhos S. 2000. Growth and phosphate uptake kinetics of the cyanobacterium, Cylindrospermopsis raciborskii (Cyanophyceae) in throughflow cultures. Freshwater Biology 43: 257-275.; Cottingham et al. 2015Cottingham KL, Ewing HA, Greer ML, Carey CC, Weathers KC. 2015. Cyanobacteria as biological drivers of lake nitrogen and phosphorus cycling. Ecosphere 6: 1-19.). This mechanism, allied to efficient positioning in the water column by means of gas vesicles (Sharma et al. 2013Sharma NK, Rai AK, Stal LJ. 2013. Cyanobacteria. Nova Jersey, Wiley-Blackwell.), the ability to produce resting cells (akinetes) and photochromatic adaptation to optimize light absorption (Reynolds 1998Reynolds CS. 1998. What factors influence the species composition of phytoplankton in lakes limitation in hypereutropic waters. Hydrobiologia 369/370: 11-26.) confers competitive advantages over other phytoplankton groups.

Among the cyanobacterial species reported here, C. raciborskii stands out due to its high invasiveness, efficient dispersal capacity, and production of neurotoxins, such as saxitoxins and cylindrospermopsin (Padisák 1997Padisák J. 1997. Cylindrospermopsis raciborski (Woloszynnska) Seenayya et Subba Raju, an expanding, highly adaptive cyanobacterium: worldwide distribuition and review of its ecology. Archiv für Hydrobiology 107: 563-593.; Antunes et al. 2015Antunes JT, Leão PN, Vasconcelos VM. 2015. Cylindrospermopsis raciborskii: review of the distribution, phylogeography, and ecophysiology of a global invasive species. Frontiers in Microbiology 6: 473. ). In the last 20 years, blooms of this cyanobacteria have been reported progressively worldwide, raising serious concerns regarding water treatment for human consumption (Piccini et al. 2011Piccini C, Aubriot L, Fabre A, et al. 2011. Genetic and eco-physiological differences of South American Cylindrospermopsis raciborskii isolates support the hypothesis of multiple ecotypes. Harmful Algae 10: 644-653.). Since 2002, C. raciborskii has been the main factor responsible for recurrent blooms in reservoirs used to publically supply the Paraná state (Fernandes et al. 2005 Fernandes, LF, Lagos, PED, Wosiack, AC, et al. 2005. Comunidades fitoplanctônicas em ambientes lênticos. In: Andreoli CV, Carneiro C. (eds.) Gestão integrada de mananciais de abastecimento eutrofizados. Curitiba, Sanepar-Finep. p. 303-366.; 2011Fernandes LF, Gutseit KC, Wojciechowski J, Lagos PED, Xavier CF, Wosiack AC. 2011. Ecologia do fitoplâncton no reservatório Rio Verde. In: Cunha CLN, Carneiro C, Gobbi EF, Andreoli CV. (eds.) Eutrofização em reservatórios: gestão preventiva. Estudo Interdisciplinar na Bacia do Rio Verde, PR. Curitiba, Editora da UFPR. p. 285-306.; IAP 2009IAP - Instituto Ambiental do Paraná. 2009. Monitoramento da qualidade das águas dos reservatórios do estado do Paraná no período de 2005 a 2008. Technical report . Curitiba, IAP. ). Two other cyanobacteria recorded in high abundance during the laboratory incubations were Pseudanabaena sp. and Geitlerinema sp. Several Pseudanabaena species produce microcystins, with hepatotoxic action (Rangel et al. 2014Rangel M, Martins JCG, Garcia AN, et al. 2014. Analysis of the toxicity and histopathology induced the oral administration of Pseudanabaena galeata and Geitlerinema splendidum (cyanobacteria) extracts to mice. Mar Drugs 12: 508-524.), and are frequently associated with blooms (Kim et al. 2006Kim SG, Rhee SK, Ahn CY, et al. 2006. Determination of cyanobacterial diversity during algal blooms in Daechung Reservoir, Korea, on the basis ofcpcBAintergenic spacer region analysis. Applied and Environmental Microbiology 72: 3252-3258.; Willame et al. 2006Willame R, Boutte C, Grubisic S, Wilmotte A, Komarek J, Hoffman L. 2006. Morphological and molecular characterization of planktonic cyanobacteria from Belgium and Luxembourg. Journal of Phycology 42: 1312-1332.). The genus Geitlerinema, though not yet recorded in blooms, has recently been reported to produce harmful toxins (Dogo et al. 2011Dogo CR, Bruni FM, Elias F, et al. 2011. Inflammatory effects of the toxic cyanobacterium Geitlerinema amphibium. Toxicon 58: 464-470.).

Our laboratory results indicate potential significant changes in the composition and biomass of the main phytoplankton groups in Lake Ingleses (Piraquara II reservoir) as a consequence of removing the macrophytes. The phytoplankton species responded to the disturbance under laboratory conditions and shifted from colonial non-flagellate chlorophytes to fast growing filamentous cyanobacteria (Pseudanabaena, Geitlerinema, and Cylindrospermopsis), with the concomitant increase in phytoplankton biomass.

Therefore, we recommend that any attempts to remove macrophytes mechanically should be planned and executed carefully. Moreover, the operations must be accompanied by a monitoring program of harmful phytoplankton and limnological parameters. These precautions will minimize the harmful effects resulting from the mechanical removal of macrophytes and prevent an increase in costs associated with water treatment for human consumption.

Acknowledgements

We are grateful to Alexandre Moreno Lisboa, Karina Kriguel, Sônia de Faria and other colleagues working at SANEPAR, for helping in different steps of this work. J. W. was supported by a PhD grant through CAPES (Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior).

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Publication Dates

  • Publication in this collection
    Oct-Dec 2018

History

  • Received
    16 Jan 2018
  • Accepted
    09 May 2018
Sociedade Botânica do Brasil SCLN 307 - Bloco B - Sala 218 - Ed. Constrol Center Asa Norte CEP: 70746-520 Brasília/DF. - Alta Floresta - MT - Brazil
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