Cyanobacteria: their impact on ’s water security and aquatic ecosystems

Glenn McGregor Environment and Resource Sciences Cyanobacteria in Queensland

• HABs are common seasonal phenomena occurring throughout Queensland in both fresh and coastal marine waters. • Typically cyanobacterial blooms have been associated with: – reservoirs and weir pools – riverine reaches and waterholes (no or low flow periods) – farm – recreational and ornamental lakes and ponds – marine and estuarine systems Toxicogenic cyanobacteria known from Queensland waters

Cylindrospermopsin Lyngbya toxins

Aphanizomenon ovalisporum Lyngbya majuscula

Cylindrospermopsis raciborskii

Lyngbya wollei

PSPs Microcystins

Anabaena circinalis Microcystis aeruginosa

Nodularin Microcystis panniformis?

Nodularia spumigena Qld Harmful Algal Bloom Response Plan

• The HAB Plan outlines the Queensland Government’s contingency plan for responding to HAB incidents. • Coordinates the roles of the various state agencies (4 departments), local government, and water storage operators. • Water storage operators have traditionally taken the lead role in monitoring and management of CyanoHABS Cylindrospermopsis raciborskii

• Most common and widespread toxicogenic freshwater planktonic cyanobacteria in Queensland • Distribution • Spatial and temporal variability • Long-term temporal variability C. raciborskii - Distribution

• Cylindrospermopsis raciborskii is widespread throughout Queensland including sub-tropical and tropical regions – recorded in 54 of the 69 reservoirs monitored • Cell concentrations are generally an order of magnitude higher in reservoirs than in weir pools

C. raciborskii - Temporal variation

• Cylindrospermopsis raciborskii shows a marked seasonal pattern of abundance in all the reservoirs, however in general this is less pronounced in weir pools • Seasonal pattern tracks the annual reservoir stratification Summary of 8 reservoirs seasonal thermal stratification pattern

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12 C)

o 10

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4 Temperature difference ( difference Temperature

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0 3/01/2 2/02/2Jan 3/03/2Feb 2/04/2Mar 2/05/2Apr 1/06/2May 1/07/2Jun 31/07/Jul 30/08/Aug 29/09/Sep 29/10/Oct 28/11/Nov 28/12/Dec 008 008 008 008 008 008 008 2008 2008 2008 2008 2008 2008 Month 1000000 Glenlyon 100000

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10 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005

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10 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 C. raciborskii - Long term temporal variability

• Has there been a change in the magnitude, frequency, timing and duration of Cylindrospermopsis raciborskii blooms in Queensland over the past 10 years? • Reservoirs from north, central, south-east, and southern Queensland Tinaroo Falls – Northern Qld

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20/10/1997 20/04/1998 20/10/1998 20/04/1999 20/10/1999 20/04/2000 20/10/2000 20/04/2001 20/10/2001 20/04/2002 20/10/2002 20/04/2003 20/10/2003 20/04/2004 20/10/2004 20/04/2005 20/10/2005 20/04/2006 20/10/2006 20/04/2007 20/10/2007 20/04/2008 20/10/2008 – Central Qld

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17-Feb-98 01-Feb-00 30-Aug-00 10-Feb-03 27-Aug-07 07-Mar-05 – South-east Qld

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05-Jan-99 14-Apr-99 10-Apr-00 22-Jan-01 04-Jan-05 20-Apr-05 16-Jan-06 18-Apr-06 23-Apr-07

04-Nov-97 28-Nov-00 11-Mar-02 29-Mar-04 13-Nov-07 03-Mar-08

10-Feb-98 11-Aug-98 16-Aug-99 10-Feb-03

11-May-98 13-Dec-99 14-May-01 12-May-03 11-Dec-06 01-Dec-08 Glenlyon Dam – Southern Qld

700000

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cells mL cells 300000

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10-Nov-98 08-Mar-99 13-Nov-00 05-Mar-01 01-Mar-04 06-Mar-06 05-Mar-07 19-Nov-08

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06-Dec-99 17-Dec-01 25-May-05 New and emerging issues

Toxicogenic benthic cyanobacteria • Lyngbya majuscula – Seasonal blooms in Moreton Bay, S.E. Queensland – Impact on fisheries, tourism, aquatic ecosystems (seagrass communities, turtles, dugongs) – Also reported from Hervey Bay and more recently in Shoalwater Bay, Hinchinbrook Island and Great Keppel Island. Lyngbya wollei

• Freshwater filamentous benthic cyanobacteria • Known from riverine and reservoirs systems • Identified as producing PSPs in the USA • Identified as producing CYN and deoxy-CYN from Queensland Scale bars a, b = 30 µm, c = 5 cm Comparison of CYN and deoxy-CYN concentrations (µg g-1 dry weight) in selected cyanobacteria

Species CYN deoxy-CYN Reference Aphanizomenon ovalisporum 500 Shaw et al 1999 Aphanizomenon flos-aquae 2300 – 6600 Preubel et al 2006 Cylindrospermopsis raciborskii 5500 Hawkins et al 1997 600 – 3500 1020 102 Li et al 2001a 6600 Saker & Eaglesham 1999 1400 – 2000 Saker et al 1999 2000 Shaw et al 1999 Raphidiopsis curvata 56 1300 Li et al 2001b Lyngbya wollei 0 – 33 0.5 – 546.8 Queensland material Lyngbya wollei - Significance

• Lyngbya wollei represents a hitherto unrecognised source of CYN and deoxy-CYN in the freshwater environment • Benthic algae and cyanobacteria are not routinely monitored in rivers, lakes and reservoirs • The mortality of domestic and wild animals has been reported following the consumption of benthic cyanobacterial mats; notably marine and freshwater members of the Oscillatoriales Current and future challenges

• Increased urban/agricultural footprint and subsequent water demand – increased reservoir draw down and water residence time – catchment generated nutrient and contaminant loads • Climate change – rainfall variability – reservoir stratification dynamics – HAB frequency, intensity and duration • Inter-basin transfers and recycled water reuse – movement of bloom inoculum (akinetes) – alteration of physico-chemical/hydrological environment Current and future challenges

• Currently unrecognised toxicogenic species and range expansion of known species – under estimation of potential risk – adequacy of current monitoring strategies – adequacy of current water treatment processes

• Consistent application of current guidelines – Cell concentration vs cell biovolume for recreational risk assessment – Consistent risk communication Current and future challenges

• Solutions to support regional and remote individuals and communities – Translation of reservoir scale monitoring and management techniques to the farm dam, agricultural system scale

• Continued support for the ongoing development of a regional (Australasian) cyanobacteria taxonomy – Development of tools to facilitate the accurate, reliable and timely identification of cyanobacteria from a range of habitats (morphological, molecular and ecological)