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Toxins
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Harmful Algae and Their Ecological Interactions with Other Aquatic Ecosystem...
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Harmful Algae and Their Ecological Interactions with Other Aquatic Ecosystem Components

A special issue of Toxins (ISSN 2072-6651). This special issue belongs to the section "Marine and Freshwater Toxins".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (30 November 2021) | Viewed by 8921

Special Issue Editors

Dr. Miquel Lürling

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Aquatic Ecology & Water Quality Management Group, Department of Environmental Sciences, Wageningen University, P.O. Box 47, 6700 AA Wageningen, The Netherlands
Interests: controlling cyanobacteria blooms; cyanobacteria ecology; cyanobacteria toxins; managing eutrophication; plankton interactions
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Dr. Thijs Frenken

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Department of Aquatic Ecology, Netherlands Institute of Ecology (NIOO-KNAW), Droevendaalsesteeg 10, 6708 PB, Wageningen, the Netherlands
Interests: Phytoplankton ecology, disease ecology, cyanobacteria, parasites, biological control

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Nutrient over-enrichment of freshwater and coastal habitats (eutrophication) represents one of the most important water quality issues worldwide. The most notorious symptom of eutrophication is the formation of potentially harmful algal blooms. These temporal or spatial increases in phytoplankton biomass may reduce the quality of aquatic habitats—for instance, by reducing light availability, constraining energy flow in food-webs—and may strongly reduce oxygen availability following the demise and decay of blooms. Certain bloom-forming species may also produce and excrete compounds—allelochemicals, toxins—that are detrimental to competitors, grazers and predators, or other organisms that live, reside, or reproduce in the ecosystem. The production of these metabolites also poses a health risks to humans, pets, and wildlife when they, for instance, consume or ingest tainted (shell)fish or drink infested water. This has prompted mitigation strategies to reduce health risks via direct or indirect control of harmful algal biomass. The fact that there is need for harmful algal bloom control strategies indicates that, in many instances, natural control of these nuisance species is severely hampered. Blooms can only develop when other competitors for light and nutrients are outgrown, and losses due to grazers or pathogens are limited, in which morphological and chemical traits may play key roles. Insight in how physico-chemical conditions, as well as biological environmental factors, affect these traits may provide valuable information that will support development of new bloom management strategies.

This Special Issue invites studies that focus on ecological interactions of harmful algal bloom-forming species with other organisms in their environment. It particularly welcomes contributions on interactions of harmful algae with zooplankton grazers or pathogens, and other ecological studies that may lead to development of novel biological control strategies of harmful phytoplankton

Prof. Dr. Miquel Lürling
Dr. Thijs Frenken
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

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Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a double-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Toxins is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2700 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • algal toxins
  • aquatic ecosystem
  • cyanobacterial toxins
  • grazing resistance
  • HAB control
  • parasite
  • virus

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Published Papers (2 papers)

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Research

16 pages, 2653 KiB  
Article
New Trends in the Occurrence of Yessotoxins in the Northwestern Adriatic Sea
by Silva Rubini, Sabrina Albonetti, Simonetta Menotta, Antonio Cervo, Emanuele Callegari, Monica Cangini, Sonia Dall’Ara, Erika Baldini, Silvia Vertuani and Stefano Manfredini
Toxins 2021, 13(9), 634; https://doi.org/10.3390/toxins13090634 - 9 Sep 2021
Cited by 11 | Viewed by 3425
Abstract
Yessotoxins (YTXs) are polycyclic toxic ether compounds produced by phytoplanktonic dinoflagellates which accumulate in filter-feeding organisms. We know that the water temperature in our areas Northwestern Adriatic Sea is optimal for the growth of potentially toxic algae (around 20 °C). In recent years, [...] Read more.
Yessotoxins (YTXs) are polycyclic toxic ether compounds produced by phytoplanktonic dinoflagellates which accumulate in filter-feeding organisms. We know that the water temperature in our areas Northwestern Adriatic Sea is optimal for the growth of potentially toxic algae (around 20 °C). In recent years, these temperatures have remained at these levels for longer and longer periods, probably due to global warming, which has led to an excessive increase in toxin levels. The interruption of mussel harvesting caused by algae negatively affects farmers’ revenues and the availability of local fish, causing a major economic loss in Italy’s main shellfish sector. Methods: In the nine years considered, 3359 samples were examined: 1715 marine waters, 73 common clams; 732 mussels; 66 oysters; and 773 veracious clams. Bivalve molluscs were examined for the presence of marine biotoxins, including YTXs, while potentially toxic algae, including those producing YTXs, were searched for and counted in marine waters. The method adopted for the quantification of lipophilic toxins involves the use of an LC-MS/MS system. The enumeration of phytoplankton cells was performed according to the Utermhöl method. Results: Between 2012 and 2020, 706 molluscs were tested for YTXs. In total, 246 samples tested positive, i.e., 34.84%. Of the positive samples, 30 exceeded the legal limit. Conclusion: In this regard, it is essential to develop and activate, as soon as possible, an “early warning” system that allows a better control of the production areas of live bivalve molluscs, thus allowing an optimal management of the plants in these critical situations. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Harmful Algae and Their Ecological Interactions with Other Aquatic Ecosystem Components)
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17 pages, 1917 KiB  
Article
Ecophysiological Aspects and sxt Genes Expression Underlying Induced Chemical Defense in STX-Producing Raphidiopsis raciborskii (Cyanobacteria) against the Zooplankter Daphnia gessneri
by Mauro C. P. Vilar, Thiago F. C. P. Rodrigues, Luan O. Silva, Ana Beatriz F. Pacheco, Aloysio S. Ferrão-Filho and Sandra M. F. O. Azevedo
Toxins 2021, 13(6), 406; https://doi.org/10.3390/toxins13060406 - 8 Jun 2021
Cited by 13 | Viewed by 4422
Abstract
Cyanobacteria stand out among phytoplankton when they form massive blooms and produce toxins. Because cyanotoxin genes date to the origin of metazoans, the hypothesis that cyanotoxins function as a defense against herbivory is still debated. Although their primary cellular function might vary, these [...] Read more.
Cyanobacteria stand out among phytoplankton when they form massive blooms and produce toxins. Because cyanotoxin genes date to the origin of metazoans, the hypothesis that cyanotoxins function as a defense against herbivory is still debated. Although their primary cellular function might vary, these metabolites could have evolved as an anti-predator response. Here we evaluated the physiological and molecular responses of a saxitoxin-producing Raphidiopsis raciborskii to infochemicals released by the grazer Daphnia gessneri. Induced chemical defenses were evidenced in R. raciborskii as a significant increase in the transcription level of sxt genes, followed by an increase in saxitoxin content when exposed to predator cues. Moreover, cyanobacterial growth decreased, and no significant effects on photosynthesis or morphology were observed. Overall, the induced defense response was accompanied by a trade-off between toxin production and growth. These results shed light on the mechanisms underlying zooplankton–cyanobacteria interactions in aquatic food webs. The widespread occurrence of the cyanobacterium R. raciborskii in freshwater bodies has been attributed to its phenotypic plasticity. Assessing the potential of this species to thrive over interaction filters such as zooplankton grazing pressure can enhance our understanding of its adaptive success. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Harmful Algae and Their Ecological Interactions with Other Aquatic Ecosystem Components)
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