Unraveling the Microcystis Mystery of Pelee Island “Magic Sand”
Session: 16. - How can Microbial Metagenomics Inform Management of Great Lakes Ecosystems?
Chris Weisener, University of Windsor, [email protected]
Subba Rao Chaganti, University of Windsor, [email protected]
Scott Mundle, Great Lakes Inst. for Environmental Research, [email protected]
Danielle VanMensel, Great Lakes Institute for Environmental Research, [email protected]
Kyle Davis, Township of Pelee, [email protected]
Abstract
The increasing frequency of toxic freshwater cyanobacterial blooms in Lake Erie in recent years is proving to be problematic in both terms of public health and disruption of public water production. Among these antagonists, Microcystis producing the microcystin (MC) neurotoxin is the most commonly reported and studied. MCs are very resistant to both enzymatic and physico-chemical breakdown making them difficult to treat in conventional wastewater treatment plants. Municipal monitoring programs of private wells along the western shoreline of Pelee Island show improved water quality and the absence of microcystin toxins during bloom events. Unlike the city of Toledo, in 2014 the municipality of Pelee observed an absence of microcystin in their drinking water treatment facilities and private wells both during and after the event. The lack of microcystin could be related to either matrix adsorption and/or microbiological activity. Here we investigate the dominant mechanism associated with the removal of microcystin in water wells located in the Municipality of Pelee along a saturated gradient from the shoreline. Both chemical and metagenomics analyses were used to identify chemical and microbial community shifts within a public waterwell intake during the Erie bloom of summer 2017. The results and outcomes will be discussed.
1. Keyword
Microcystis
2. Keyword
biogeochemistry
3. Keyword
microbiological studies
4. Additional Keyword
harmful algal blooms
5. Additional Keyword
geomcirobiology
6. Additional Keyword
nutrients