Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory’s Post

Impacts of nutrient loading and fish grazing on the phytoplankton community and cyanotoxin production in a shallow tropical lake: Results from mesocosm experiments

Interesting from the Genetic Literacy Project - one consequence of higher atmospheric CO2 is #nutrientdilution. There's more biomass, but less of the proteins, nutrients, and minerals herbivores and omnivores (and maybe even pollinators) need. Check out the article for how this is playing out in the Kansas Prairie and in Texas beef herds. https://lnkd.in/gPKgFU74

Over the past few decades, there has been a rise in confirmed reports of cyanobacterial (blue-green algal) blooms in Ontario waterbodies. These blooms can reduce the recreational and property value of affected waterbodies, alter aquatic food webs, contaminate drinking water, and pose serious health hazards. Join us for our next Freshwater Stewardship Community webinar with Liz Favot to learn about how subfossils of algae and invertebrates preserved in lake sediments can be used to reconstruct long-term trends in nutrients, oxygen, primary production, and effects of climate change, to periods pre-dating direct water column measurements, allowing the investigation of environmental drivers for the observed increasing prevalence of cyanobacterial blooms in the 21st century. Free registration: https://lnkd.in/gt6UuDMt #stewardship #sustainability #biology #science #webinar #water

Harmful algal blooms (HABs) disrupt the delicate balance of nature as they proliferate, causing fish kills, habitat degradation, and altering the ecological dynamics of affected regions. Laboratories are at the forefront of identifying, monitoring, and controlling HABs. Learn about common laboratory techniques to detect HABs and how a #LIMS can help laboratories streamline their process, ensure the quality of test results, and boost efficiency https://zurl.co/EAzl #HABs #WaterQuality #WaterTesting #LIMS #Waterlabs

Groundbreaking new paper showing the massive flaw in our freshwater legislation the ubiquitous but non-existent "nitrogen toxicity". This research shows unequivocally that to protect 95% of our aquatic inverts the limit should be 0.3mg/L NO3-N. Our legislation says 2.4 mg/L protects 95%. Why the difference you ask? because aquatic life can't die twice. They can't die from toxicity when they have already died at much lower levels from eutrophication effects low like low dissolved oxygen. (the N tox limits come from lab experiments where temperature and O2 are held at safe levels utterly unlike reality in our rivers in summer) We have explained this ad nauseum but political expediency and the power of the Agriculture industry overrides science. #dairyNz #fonterra #ravensdown #ballanceagrinutrients #mfe #ecan #horizons #BOPRC #EW #GWRC #mpi

Protist predation of soil fungi: A driving force of nutrient cycling through fungal biomass in arable soils? This is probabaly an important indication from a trans-European collaborative field survey to be verified experimentally. Does this top-down control by fungivorous protists also reduce soil-borne fungal diseases of crop plants? Also interesting, there may be a trophic specialisation of the Sphenoderiidae on the Glomeromycota, the traditional arbuscular mycorrhiza fungi, and of the Tremulidae on the Rozellomycota, Mortierellomycota, and Zoopagomycota, basal (’hidden’ and biotrophic) fungi often co-colonising roots or their fungal symbionts(?). … analytical findings to be kept in mind in analyses of biological-ecological relationships! https://lnkd.in/ge-udJqv

Small but powerful! Without #microorganisms, our #ecosystems would not function properly: #fungi “predigest” food, #parasites keep blue-green #algae in check, and water fleas play an important role in aquatic food web dynamics and structure. At IGB, many researchers are working on different microorganisms, studying both the #ecology of these organisms and the extent to which they are threatened by #ClimateChange and other human-induced changes. While the findings are fascinating, they are also a stark reminder that the diversity of life in our #waters is under threat - even the #microbes. An overview > https://lnkd.in/eaujfyuh

Light-independent phytoplankton degradation and detoxification of methylmercury in water - Nature Water

Biofilms are communities of microorganisms that include algae, cyanobacteria, bacteria, fungi and protozoa. They are surrounded by a matrix of natural polymers made by bacteria. They can be detrimental for human health as they can cause infections and are difficult to treat. Biofilms can also cause havoc in any industries using water, cover and block surfaces in a phenomena known as biofouling. #biofouling #biofilms #fouling #Utilium But did you know that biofilms play an important role in our freshwater ecosystems by forming the base of freshwater food webs.

“UToledo researchers gather information on toxic algal blooms, work to protect northwest Ohio drinking water”   ICYMI, Dr. Tom Bridgeman, professor Department of Environmental Sciences and director of The University of Toledo Lake Erie Center, spoke with WTOL News about the work taking place at the LEC to protect the water supply in NW Ohio.   "We are looking for the general health of the lake, general water quality parameters such as water temperature, the saltiness, how clear it is, the dissolved oxygen, and then the algae levels in the lake," said Dr. Bridgeman.   One mystery scientists are still working to figure out is what causes certain algal blooms to produce toxins. Bridgeman said there could be the same amount of algae in the lake there was last year, but it could be twice as toxic.   Bridgeman said the center is working on creating more advanced sensors to monitor the health of the lake.   He says the real solution to the water problems is on the land.   "It's what we are doing on the watershed, municipal wastewater, agricultural runoff," Bridgeman said. "That's what's causing the blooms and that's where the emphasis needs to be for preventing these blooms in the future."   Watch the full interview for to learn more: bit.ly/3V6vQfW   #UToledo #AlgalBlooms #UToledoNSM #UToledoEcology #UToledoRocketScience #LakeErie #WTOL11 #LakeErieCenter