High-frequency monitoring of the genetic diversity and the potential toxicity of a Microcystis aeruginosa bloom in a French shallow lake.

During cyanobacterial blooms, processes influencing the population dynamics of blooming species remain partially unexplained. To provide new information, we performed a high-frequency monitoring ­ every 2 days at six sampling points ­ of a Microcystis aeruginosa population blooming in a shallow lake. At each sampling date, there was no spatial heterogeneity in the ITS genotypic composition of the population and in the proportion of potentially microcystin- producing (mcyB+) cells, whereas high variations were recorded in cell abundances. In contrast, when looking at the temporal evolution of these parameters, the ITS genotypic composition of the population and in a lesser extent the percentage of mcyB+ cells displayed high variations during the growth phase of the bloom, but not during the plateau phase or the subsequent decline. This suggests that during the development of the bloom, there was no directional selection leading to the dominance of a restricted number of genotypes and that a balancing selection process permitted the maintenance of a high genetic diversity in the Microcystis population. Finally, no relationship was found between these variations occurring in the Microcystis population and those recorded for several environmental parameters, suggesting that many factors and processes interacting together might be involved in these variations.

Influence of sampling strategies on the monitoring of cyanobacteria in shallow lakes: lessons from a case study in France.

Sampling cyanobacteria in freshwater ecosystems is a crucial aspect of monitoring programs in both basic and applied research. Despite this, few papers have dealt with this aspect, and a high proportion of cyanobacteria monitoring programs are still based on monthly or twice-monthly water sampling, usually performed at a single location. In this study, we conducted high frequency spatial and temporal water sampling in a small eutrophic shallow lake that experiences cyanobacterial blooms every year. We demonstrate that the spatial and temporal aspects of the sampling strategy had a considerable impact on the findings of cyanobacteria monitoring in this lake. In particular, two peaks of Aphanizomenon flos-aquae cell abundances were usually not picked up by the various temporal sampling strategies tested. In contrast, sampling once a month was sufficient to provide a good overall estimation of the population dynamics of Microcystis aeruginosa. The spatial frequency of sampling was also important, and the choice in the location of the sampling points around the lake was very important if only two or three sampling points were used. When four or five sampling points were used, this reduced the impact of the choice of the location of the sampling points, and allowed to obtain fairly similar results than when six sampling points were used. These findings demonstrate the importance of the sampling strategy in cyanobacteria monitoring, and the fact that it is impossible to propose a single universal sampling strategy that is appropriate for all freshwater ecosystems and also for all cyanobacteria.

Spatiotemporal changes in the genetic diversity in French bloom-forming populations of the toxic cyanobacterium, Microcystis aeruginosa.

Microcystis aeruginosa is a toxic cyanobacterium, which is able to bloom in a wide range of freshwater ecosystems. By sequencing the Internal Transcribed Spacer (ITS) of the ribosomal operon, we compared the genetic composition of several French bloom-forming M. aeruginosa populations from two reservoirs located on the Loire River, at two sampling points located between these reservoirs, and finally in two ponds closely linked to this river. No significant difference was found in the genetic diversity of the six Microcystis populations but we evidenced a strong genetic differentiation between most of these populations. Indeed, the Microcystis population in the Grangent reservoir was genetically differentiated from the other three populations sampled further downstream, implying that no massive transfer of population occurs from this reservoir to downstream segments. We also found genetic differentiation between the populations from the two ponds, and between these populations and those from the Loire River. On the other hand, the same dominant genotype was found in the populations sampled both in the river and in the Villerest reservoir, suggesting the selection of a distinct genotype adapted to river conditions and also an accumulation of this genotype in the downstream reservoir. Finally, by comparing our ITS sequences with those available in the GenBank, no biogeographical differentiation could be detected at a global scale, suggesting that most of the Microcystis genotypes seem to be ubiquitous.