Nuisance algae characterization and management

SePRO CorporationSePRO Research and Technology Campus, 16013 Watson Seed Farm Rd., Whitakers, NC 27891252-801-1623 (mobile); westb@sepro.com (email)

West M. BishopAlgae Scientist and Water Quality Research Manager

Outline

1. Identification/ Classification/ Description

2. Negative Impacts

3. Proactive Management

4. Reactive Management

Game:

Algae or Not?

Algae or not

• Colonial Hydroid (animal)– With zoochlorellae symbiont

algae

Algae or not

• Paramecium– Protist

Algae or not

• Bryozoan– Animal

Algae or not

• Paralemanea– Red alga

Algae or not

• Plant– Coontail

Algae or not

• Green algae– Chlorococcum

Algae or not

• Bryophyte– Aquatic Moss (Fontinalis)

The Algae

The Algae• Diverse Classification (many kingdoms)

• Elaborate Characteristics

• No true roots, stems or leaves• >> 30,000 described species• Identification

– Important in determining management

• Chlorophyta– Green algae

• Cyanophyta– Blue-green algae

• Charophyta (Streptophyta)

– Plant like, erect/ desmids

• Euglenophyta– Flagellated, eye spot (some red)

Introduction to Algae Phyla

Introduction to Algae Phyla

• Dinophyta– Dinoflagellates, transverse

flagellum

• Bacillariophyta– Diatoms, silica wall

• Chryso/ Synurophyceae– Yellow-green, Heterkonts

• Haptophyta– Golden algae

Algae name Phylum Characteristics

Lyngbya Cyanophyta filamentous, toxin/taste and odor producer, mucilaginous, mat-former

Algae name Phylum Characteristics

Prymnesium parvum“golden alga”

Haptophyta Unicellular, toxin producer, planktonic, flagellated

Algae name Phylum Characteristics

Microcystis, Anabaena (Dolichospermum)Aphanizomenon, Planktothrix, etc.

Cyanophyta Colonial or filamentous, toxin producer, mucilaginous, planktonic, scum-former

Algae name Phylum Characteristics

Euglena Euglenophyta Unicellular, potential toxin-producer, planktonic, scum-former, flagellated

Algae name Phylum Characteristics

Spirogyra“silk algae”

Streptophyta Filamentous, two part wall, mat-former

Algae name Phylum Characteristics

Pithophora“Cotton algae, Horsehair algae”

Chlorophyta Filamentous, mat-former, branched, Akinetes

Algae name Phylum Characteristics

Nostoc Cyanophyta Colonial, softer gel balls, toxin producer

Algae name Phylum Characteristics

Aphanothece stagnina Cyanophyta Colonial, hard gel balls

Algae name Phylum Characteristics

Chara“Muskgrass”

Charophyta(Streptophyta)

Plant-like, smelly, rough

The bad

The good?

Fisheries

Problematic Algae

Algal impacts

Toxins/ taste & odor compounds

Economic

Ecological Water characteristics

Disrupt habitat/ Outcompete beneficial

Drinking/ irrigation

Flood control/ navigation

Property values/ tourism

(Speziale et al. 1991; Falconer 1996; WHO 2003)

Algae Impacts• Secondary Compounds

– Toxins • Hepatotoxins “liver”• Neurotoxins “brain”• LPS “stomach”• Aplysiatoxins “skin”

– Taste and odor • Geosmin “dirty”• MIB “fishy”

Harr et al. 2008

HepatotoxinsMicrocystins, Nodularin, Cylindrospermopsin

Microcystins LR(Also nephrotoxin; affects kidneys)

NeurotoxinsAnatoxins, Saxitoxin, Neosaxitoxin, BMAA (β-N-methylamino-L-alanine)

Elk deaths

Avian Vacuolar Myelinopathy (AVM) Parkinsons Dementia

Complex (PDC) and Alzheimer’s

Taste and Odor Compounds

Geosmin 2-methylisoborneol (MIB)

cyc b-cyclocitralHep heptadec-cis-eneHex cis-3-hexane-1-olHtd hepta-trans, cis 2,4,dienalMerc isopropyl mercaptanNonenal 2-trans-nonenolOtt Octa-trans, cis 1,3,5-trienetri-meth trimethylamine

Human senses can detect ~10 ppt in water

Watson, 2003

Toxins

What you did not want to know…

From Hudnell 2010

Who is impacted?

• Dogs – Mahmood et al. 1988, Gunn et al. 1992, Edwards et al. 1992,

Wood et al. 2007, Puschner et al. 2008

• Cows – Kerr 1987; Mez et al. 1997; Loda et al. 1999

• Pigs, ducks – Cook et al. 1989

• Sheep – Carbis et al. 1995

Are we safe if no toxin detected?

• Toxin production is intermittent

• Shown to be toxic but no toxin has been isolated and characterized

• Coelosphaerium, Cylindrospermopsis, Fischerella, Gloeotrichia, Gomphosphaeria, Hapalosiphon, Microcoleus, Schizothrix, Scytonema, Spirulina, Symploca, Tolypothrix, Trichodesmium(Scott 1991; Skulberg et al. 1992b)

• New toxin classes• Lyngbyaureidamides, nodulopeptins, jamaicamides, aeruginosins

(Edwards et al. 2004; Ishida et al. 2009; Zi et al. 2012; Schumacher et al. 2012)

Are we safe if close the lake?

What about flushing?

How are we exposed?

Potential toxin exposure routes

Recreation

Inhalation

Food consumption

Drinking

Exposure AnalysisToxin Group Toxin Name Exposure Signs & Symptoms

Hepatotoxins(liver/kidney)

Numbness of lips, tingling in fingers/toes, dizziness, headache, diarrhea, jaundice, shock, abdominal pain/distention, weakness, nausea/vomiting, severe thirst, rapid/weak pulse, acute pneumonia

Microcystins

Nodularins

Cylindrospermopsin

Neurotoxins (brain) Tingling, burning, numbness, drowsiness, incoherent speech, paralysis, weakness, staggering, convulsions, difficulty in breathing, vomiting, muscle twitching, gasping, backward arching of neck in birds, and death

Anatoxins

Saxitoxins

β-Methylamino-L-alanine

Dermatitis/Gastrointestinal (skin/digestive)

Rash, redness, burning, skin irritation, acute dermatitis, hives, blisters, abdominal pain, vomiting, diarrhea

Aplysiatoxins

Lipopolysaccharides

Lyngbyatoxin

modified Codd et al. 1999; WHO 1999; Graham 2007, Jewet et al. 2008

What about the fish?Microcystin LR exposure: • Damaged gonad tissue in fish

– Lesions, cell apoptosis, and testicular ultrastructure alteration • Trinchet et al. 2011; Zhao et al., 2012; Qiao et al. 2013

• Endrochrine disruption• Rogers et al. 2011

• Decrease growth/ immune function of juvenile fish (adult exposure) • Liu et al. 2014

• Kills Fish embryos• Developmental defects and physiological stress

• Oberemm et al. 1997; Wang et al. 2005

Proactive management

2007 EPA National Lakes Assessment

• 46% of waters are eutrophic/hyper-eutrophic

• Nutrient levels are second biggest issue threatening waters

• Regulations– NPDES

Statistical assessment of health of ponds, lakes, reservoirs Carpenter, S.R. 2008. Phosphorus control is

critical to mitigating eutrophication.Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA 105:11039–11040.

Natural Man Made

Sources of Nutrients• Fertilizer• Pet waste• Wildlife• Livestock/agriculture• Municipal wastewater• Industrial effluent• Atmospheric deposition• Internal cycling

– Sediment nutrient pump

NPDES Section 2.2.2 b. Pest Management Options

Intensity of Management

• Biomass correlation– Liebig’s law of the minimum– Critical burden

• Mass/mass relationship• Rate calculation

Schindler, D.W., Hecky, R. E., Findlay, D. L., Stainton,M. P., Parker, B. R., Paterson, M., Beaty, K. G., Lyng,M. & Kasian, S. E. M. 2008 Eutrophication of lakescannot be controlled by reducing nitrogen input: resultsof a 37 year whole ecosystem experiment. Proc. NatlAcad. Sci. USA 105, 11 254–11 258.

Phosphorus is key

Watson et al. 1997

Cyanobacteria and phosphorus

• Fix Nitrogen (dependent on P availability)– (Paerl 1990, 1991; Stewart and Alexander 1971)

• Low N:P ratio dominate – (Smith 1983; Seale et al. 1987; Ghadouani et al 2003)

• Migrate to sediments to acquire phosphorus – (Perakis et al. 1996; Barbiero and Welch 1992)

• Store phosphorus – (Ganf and Oliver 1982; Kromkamp et al 1989)

• Rapidly uptake – (Jacobson and Halman 1982)

Phosphorus Management Options• In situ management

– Aluminum sulfate (Alum, non-specific, pH/other impacts)– Lanthanum modified bentonite (Phoslock®, specific, no

buffer, permanent)– Algaecide combined with phosphorus remover (SeClear)– Polymers (Floc Log, Chitosan)– Iron (non-specific, release)/ Calcium (high pH only, release)

• Other– Aeration (oxygenate benthic layers)– Dredging (remove/re-suspension possible)– Bacteria

Phosphorus Mitigation Efficacy• 8.2 surface acres; Lake Lorene, WA• Avg. depth 5 feet, max. depth 12 feet• Multi-purpose lake, community focal point• Cyanobacteria blooms, toxins (mcy >2,000 ppb; atx >100ppt)

August 2011

July 2012

Lake Lorene, WA Summary

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120.0

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ug/L

Phosphorus Summary

TP

FRP

Lanthanum/Bentonite (Phoslock®) Application

Discussion/Summary• Phosphorus amount and stoichiometric ratios with

other nutrients are key factors in water resource management

• Phosphorus is tied to intensity of management and promotes nuisance algae

• In situ mitigation is critical to address cause of negative water quality– Legacy P

• Phosphorus mitigation integration can have significant impacts

Reactive Management

• Action Options• Mechanical

• harvesters, sonication• Physical

• dyes, aeration, raking, flushing• Biological

• bacteria, grass carp, tilapia• Chemical

Control Techniques

Mechanical• Pros

– Remove biomass and nutrients– Can open channels rapidly

• Cons– Selective efficiency

• Algae type and location in water– Fragment and spread– Increase turbidity and suspend legacy nutrients– Operational feasibility

Physical: Aeration• Pros

– Organisms breath oxygen– Take the cyanobacteria buoyancy (scum) advantage out of

play– Keep circulated to select for better types of algae.. usually– Oxygenated benthic zone to decrease internal phosphorus

cycling, other sediment gas release• Cons?

– Temperature increase throughout water column– Carbon addition– Circulate nutrients from benthic zones

Turbulent mixing

• Huisman et al. 2005

Algae name Phylum Characteristics

Raphidiopsis/Anabaena planctonica

Cyanophyta Unicellular, planktonic, growing in moving water

Pretty good mixing, still toxic cyanos

Physical: Light• Absorb light at different wavelengths

– Reflect different colors

• Different functions• Diagnostic of different groups• Carotenoids

– Carotenes v. xanthophylls

• Chlorophylls• Phycobilins

Algal Pigment

Divisions of algae and pigments they contain

Chlorophyta(Green algae)

Cyanophyta(Cyanobacte

ria)

Bacillariophyta

(Diatoms)

Pyrrophyta(Dinoflagella

tes)

Haptophyta(Golden algae)

Chlorophyll a

X X X X X

Chlorophyll b

X

Fucoxanthin X X

Peridinin X X

Phycocyanin X

Dyes

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0.0200

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Abso

rban

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D)

Light Wavelength

Light Absorbance Spectrum: SePRO Blue

SePRO Blue 64oz/4AF

Shade balls

Biological

• Preferences– Grass carp prefer to eat Hydrilla 55x > Lyngbya

(Dyck 1994)

• Increase turbidity• Viability of algae• Suspend legacy nutrients

Chemical

• Diquat Dibromide– PSI inhibition

• Endothall– Proteins and lipid disruption

• Peroxides• PPO’s• Copper

– Chelated v. free ion

• Adjuvants

Risk-based AnalysisCyano toxins

• No good level to have• EPA candidate contaminate list

drinking water; HA listings• WHO guidelines in

recreational water• WHO possible carcinogen list• Accumulates through time• ALS, PDS, Alzheimer's link• Caused deaths of cows, elk,

dogs, birds, people etc.

Copper

• Essential nutrient– Hemocyanin– Suggested Daily Intake (2mg)

• High affinity to algae• 26th most abundant element in

Earths Crust• Does not bio-accumulate• Transfers to less available

sediment forms through time• No swimming/ drinking/

irrigation restrictions on label

No Action

• Risks of no treatment– Water quality degradation– More toxin produced

• More risk• Eventually released anyway• Leaky cell mindset flawed

– Chronic exposure potential– Hot spot exposure potential– Wildlife….. Chorus and Bartram 1999

Action• Risks of treatment

– Dead algae biomass• But going to die anyway

– Product risks to non-targets• Select high affinity to target

– Toxin biodegradation/ dilution• Total toxin decreases

with effective treatment• No chronic or concentrated

exposure potential• Leaky cell hypothesis?

How copper works (dose)

• Electron transport chain disruption (Jursinic and Stemler 1983)

• Combine with glutathione (GSH) prevents cell division (Stauber and Florence 1997)

• Inhibits enzyme catalase and others, free radical susceptibility (Stauber and Florence 1997)

• Interfere with cell permeability and binding of essential elements (Sunda and Huntsman 1983)

Copper Formulation Matters

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XTR Ultra CS

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Treatment formulation

Infused copper

1.25

2.5

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7.5

10

Chelate 1 Chelate 2 Copper sulfate

Copper myths• Kills all non-target organisms

– Minimal direct non-target species toxicity • Rapid algae binding• Rare to achieve the exposure duration to fish/inverts

• Builds up to toxic levels– Typically transfers to sediment and less available

forms through time• Lyse algae cells

– Not necessarily– Some forms more likely (copper sulfate), rate matters

Peroxide algaecides• Oxidize cell membranes and other organic

compounds

• Can be more effective on some blue-green algae

• Breaks down into oxygen and water

• Relatively safe to desirable non-target species

Peroxide• Yes

– Kills many algae and some bacteria• Mats = tougher

– Relative safety to non-targets– NSF and OMRI certified (many

formulations)• Myths

– Does not oxidize sheath– Does not oxidize (much) toxin – There is resistance potential

Pyo and Yoo 2011

Drinking Water Reservoir: Algae control

Pre-treatment: Pre-treatHigh density filter clogging cyanobacteria

Post-treatment (PAK® 27): 10DAT Increased water clarity – significant control

Treatment Response

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Taxo

nom

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ropo

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Cyanophyta

Synurophyta

Euglenophyta

Charophyta

Chlorophyta

Summary• Algae are diverse and becoming more problematic

in freshwater resources

• Algae can restrict uses of a water resource and pose threats to wildlife and humans

• Both Proactive and Reactive techniques should be considered for efficient algae management

• Algae characteristics, algaecide formulation, and water chemistry can all impact control

Questions

West Bishop; Algae Scientist and Water Quality Research Manager

SePRO Research and Technology Campus, 16013 Watson Seed Farm Rd., Whitakers, NC 27891252-801-1623 (mobile); westb@sepro.com (email)