Cyanobacterial Removal by a Red Soil-Based Flocculant and Its Effect on Zooplankton: an Experiment with Deep Enclosures in a Tropical Reservoir in China
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Environmental Science and Pollution Research https://doi.org/10.1007/s11356-018-2572-3 WATER ENVIRONMENT PROTECTION AND CONTAMINATION TREATMENT Cyanobacterial removal by a red soil-based flocculant and its effect on zooplankton: an experiment with deep enclosures in a tropical reservoir in China Liang Peng1 & Lamei Lei1 & Lijuan Xiao1 & Boping Han1,2 Received: 14 September 2017 /Accepted: 18 June 2018 # The Author(s) 2018 Abstract As one kind of cheap, environmentally-friendly and efficient treatment materials for direct control of cyanobacterial blooms, modified clays have been widely concerned. The present study evaluated cyanobaterial removal by a red soil-based flocculant (RSBF) with a large enclosure experiment in a tropical mesotrophic reservoir, in which phytoplankton community was domi- nated by Microcystis spp. and Anabaena spp. The flocculant was composed of red soil, chitosan and FeCl3. Twelve enclosures −1 were used in the experiment: three replicates for each of one control and three treatments RSBF15 (15 mg FeCl3 l ), RSBF25 −1 −1 (25 mg FeCl3 l ), and RSBF35 (35 mg FeCl3 l ). The results showed that the red soil-based flocculant can significantly remove cyanobacterial biomass and reduce concentrations of nutrients including total nitrogen, nitrate, ammonia, total phosphorus, and orthophosphate. Biomass of Microcystis spp. and Anabaena spp. was reduced more efficiently (95%) than other filamentous cyanobacteria (50%). In the RSBF15 treatment, phytoplankton biomass recovered to the level of the control group after 12 days and cyanobacteria quickly dominated. Phytoplankton biomass in the RSBF25 treatment also recovered after 12 days, but green algae co-dominated with cyanobacteria. A much later recovery of phytoplankton until the day of 28 was observed under RSBF35 treatment, and cyanobacteria did no longer dominate the phytoplankton community. The application of red soil-based flocculant greatly reduces zooplankton, especially rotifers, however, Copepods and Cladocera recovered fast. Generally, the red soil-based flocculant can be effective for urgent treatments at local scales in cyanobacteria dominating systems. Keywords Red soil-based flocculant . Cyanobacteria . Removal . Recovery . Zooplankton . Enclosure Introduction a series of problems for aquatic ecosystems through such pro- cesses as diminishing dissolved oxygen, decreasing water trans- Cyanobacterial blooms with eutrophication are increasing parency, reducing biodiversity, and producing toxins and off- throughout the world because of deteriorating global environ- odors (Lindholm et al. 1989; van Apeldoorn et al. 2007;Dash ment (Codd 2000; de Figueiredo et al. 2004;O’Neil et al. et al. 2015). Not surprisingly, controlling cyanobacterial blooms 2012;Jeppesenetal.2017). Cyanobacterial blooms and have become one of the leading issues for ecosystem manage- cyanotoxins pose high risks to human health and have triggered ment (Hrudey et al. 1999;Paerletal.2011). Negative impacts of cyanobacterial blooms on aquatic ecosystems have led to sug- gestions of an upper limit of algal cells in the management of Responsible editor: Vitor Manuel Oliveira Vasconcelos lakes and reservoirs, especially those for drinking water supply (Qin et al. 2010; Newcombe et al. 2010). The World Health * Boping Han Organization also proposed an alert level for drinking water [email protected]; [email protected] (Chorus and Bartman 1999). 1 Direct control measures of cyanobacterial biomass are usually Institute of Hydrobiology, Jinan University, Guangzhou 510632, China grouped into three categories: (1) physical materials such as UV 2 light, ultrasonication, and filtration (Lawton et al. 1998; Engineering Research Center of Tropical and Subtropical Aquatic Ecological Engineering, Ministry of Education, Guangzhou 510632, Rajasekhar et al. 2012); (2) chemical coagulation, flocculation, China and algicide (Jeune et al. 2006; Teixeira and Rosa 2006); and (3) Environ Sci Pollut Res biological inhibition and degradation using microorganisms, 2011). However, the removal capacity of such new modified grazers, and extractions from organisms (Hunt and Matveev red soil (red soil-based flocculant, RSBF) has not been quan- 2005;Jietal.2009; Combes et al. 2013). Flocculants combined titatively evaluated, and there is a little information regarding with various substances have been widely used as an efficient, the possible effect on other phytoplankton species and zoo- rapid and low cost method of controlling cyanobacterial density plankton. In the present study, we applied one of the new in natural water (Sridhar et al. 1988;Sengcoetal.2001; Beaulieu modified red soils in a large enclosure experimental system et al. 2005; Lee et al. 2008). Materials such as metal ions, plant to test (1) the removal efficiency of different cyanobacterial seeds, and synthetic organic matter are able to significantly im- species and its influence on phytoplankton community, (2) the prove the efficiency of flocculants in cyanobacteria removal recovery time of cyanobacteria, and (3) the possible negative (Chow et al. 1998; Robb et al. 2003; Liu et al. 2010;Teixeira impact on zooplankton community. et al. 2010;Nishietal.2012). Clays have different removal efficiency, which depending on cyanobacterial species and phy- toplankton communities (Avnimelech et al. 1982; Pan et al. Materials and methods 2006; Verspagen et al. 2006; Anderson 2009; Lürling and Faassen 2012;Vandammeetal.2013). Effects of flocculation Twelve enclosures were installed in the tropical mesotrophic on aquatic animals and macrophyte in water bodies have been Dashahe Reservoir (N 22.52′,E112.42′) in southern China investigated (Lewis et al. 2003; Akeprathumchai et al. 2004; (Fig. 1). During the experimental period, water temperature Archambault et al. 2004; Lee et al. 2008; Seo et al. 2008). ranged from 28.4 to 30.4 °C, pH value ranged from 6.2 to 7.8, Some modified clays show low toxicity to cladocera and cope- turbidity ranged from 241.2 to 335.4 NTU, and salinity was pods, while Lanthanum addition was found to be chronically stable at 0.04. Each enclosure has a volume of 340 m3 (6 m toxic to Daphnia spp. (Stauber 2000). The EC50 (half maximal diameter, 12 m deep). The enclosures were made of polypropyl- effective concentration) of a modified clay on the population ene, and were open at the top and bottom. The upper mouth was growth of rotifer is suggested by van Oosterhout and Lürling framed with a steel rim fixed with a floating system, which kept (2013) to be suitable for field application. However, low concen- the top of enclosure out of the water (0.5 m above the water tration clay has less effect on Daphnia, although the animals surface) and the enclosures in upright position. The end rim of became smaller, matured later, and reproduced less as lanthanum each enclosure was inserted into the sediment by a weighed increases, resulting in lower population growth rates in the pres- stone line. There was no water exchange between the enclosures ence of phosphate (Lürling and Tolman 2010). Clay flocculation and the surrounding water except that from the sediment. is thought to be helpful for the restoration of submerged macro- Ferric trichloride and chitosan of analytical pure were the phyte with improved water quality (Boustany 2003). production from Sinopharm Group CO.LTD (China). Local In China, cyanobacterial blooms caused by Microcystis, red soil, ferric trichloride, and chitosan were screened with a Anabaena, Aphanizomenon, and Cylindrospermopsis are a 0.85-mm mesh sieve and mixed together. There were three ex- common occurrence in many lakes and reservoirs (Qin perimental treatments each with a different combination of con- 2002; Cai et al. 2012; Lei et al. 2012). The blooms are mainly centrations of RSBF (termed RSBF15,RSBF25, and RSBF35 observed in the dry season from late autumn to spring in Table 1). Each treatment plus the control have three replicates. southern China, a phenomenon quite different from that in Water samples were collected from each enclosure every 4 days the temperate zone. The absence of cyanobacterial blooms in for nutrient measurement and phytoplankton and zooplankton the wet (monsoonal) season is usually attributed to high flush species counts. The RSBF was added only once into the nine rate, which strongly reduces phytoplankton density. However, treatment enclosures just after the first sampling. The experiment high amounts of suspended inorganic particles washed from started on August 25, 2008 and ended on October 4, 2008. the red soil watersheds may also play an important role in Temperature and pH were measured with a portable YSI at flocculation. Wang et al. (2012) found a significant negative a depth of 0.5 m below the water surface. Water transparency relationship between particle concentration and phytoplank- in Secchi depth (SD) was measured with Secchi disk. Nutrient ton density in a large canyon reservoir. Flushing water with concentrations were measured following the national standard clay is effective at mitigating cyanobacterial growth and at methods published by Chinese EPA (China National suppressing cyanobacterial blooms (Mitrovic et al. 2011). Standards 1987a, b, 1989a, b). Chlorophyll a was extracted Red soils are rich in iron in southern China (Xu et al. 2006) with 90% acetone and then determined with a spectrophoto- and contribute suspended inorganic particles in watersheds, metric method (Lin et al. 2005). Phytoplankton was collected which appear effective in flocculation. Xiao et al. (2007)and