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Updated: Jun 9, 2025

Early Detection of Cyanobacterial Blooms and Associated Cyanotoxins using Fast Detection Strategy
Published on: February 25, 2021
Eutrophication promotes resource use efficiency and toxin production of Microcystis in a future climate warming
Yalan Yang1, Qi Li2, Shuwen Yan3
1School of Marine Biology and Fisheries, State Key Laboratory of Marine Resource Utilization in South China Sea, Hainan University, China; Institute of Hydrobiology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, China; College of Ocean and Earth Sciences, Xiamen University, China.
Abstract:
Addressing the risks of cyanobacterial blooms and toxin production under ongoing and accelerating eutrophication and climate warming is crucial for both water ecosystem services and human health. Therefore, we here explored the interactive effects of eutrophication and warming on freshwater ecosystems, focusing on Microcystis and its cyanotoxin production. We employed a large-scale mesocosm system simulating future climate warming scenarios in concert with varying degrees of nutrient enrichment. We explored the full range of identified cyanobacterial toxins and cyanotoxin-producing genes under different experimental conditions and assessed the effects of both eutrophication and warming on both phytoplankton community structure (algal densities, community stability) and function (resource use efficiency, RUE). We show here that eutrophication increases the RUE of Microcystis and promotes an increase in toxin-producing genes, leading to a substantial increase in the dominance of Microcystis. This increase correlates with enhanced cyanotoxin production, a trend exacerbated under the influence of future climate warming, suggesting interactions between eutrophication and climate warming on Microcystis ecology and cyanotoxin dynamics. Hence, heatwaves and eutrophication lead the phytoplankton community to be dominated by a minority of algal species with higher toxic capacity. In a broader context, our study underscores the urgent need for holistic management strategies, addressing both nutrient control and climate mitigation, to effectively manage the escalating ecological risks associated with cyanobacterial dominance and toxin production.
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