Interactions between Aquatic Plants and Cyanobacterial Blooms in Freshwater Reservoir Ecosystems
Climate change and nutrient pollution are echoed by worldwide increasing trends in the frequency, duration, and toxicity of cyanobacterial (blue-green algal) blooms. Therefore, searching for the best options to mitigate blooms is relevant and timely. Aquatic vascular plants offer a promising solutio...
| Main Authors: | , , , , , , , , , |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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MDPI AG
2023-02-01
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| Series: | Water |
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| Online Access: | https://www.mdpi.com/2073-4441/15/4/672 |
| _version_ | 1797617726824382464 |
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| author | Olena P. Bilous Inna Nezbrytska Vladyslav Zhezherya Serhii Dubniak Svitlana Batoh Taras Kazantsev Oleksandr Polishchuk Tetyana Zhezherya Tetyana Leontieva Marco Cantonati |
| author_facet | Olena P. Bilous Inna Nezbrytska Vladyslav Zhezherya Serhii Dubniak Svitlana Batoh Taras Kazantsev Oleksandr Polishchuk Tetyana Zhezherya Tetyana Leontieva Marco Cantonati |
| author_sort | Olena P. Bilous |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Climate change and nutrient pollution are echoed by worldwide increasing trends in the frequency, duration, and toxicity of cyanobacterial (blue-green algal) blooms. Therefore, searching for the best options to mitigate blooms is relevant and timely. Aquatic vascular plants offer a promising solution through biological control. In this study, we use reservoirs regularly affected by intensive blooms (the Kyiv and Kaniv Reservoirs of the Dnipro River, Ukraine) to investigate whether macrophytes may inhibit or reduce the massive development of cyanobacteria. Special attention was paid to plants with floating leaves and free-floating plants since data on their effects on cyanobacteria are controversial. On the basis of field and satellite observations, the spatial distribution of cyanobacterial blooms and aquatic macrophyte patches was assessed. Multispectral images captured by satellites Sentinel-2a (S2A) and Sentinel-2b (S2B) were used. In addition, based on data from field observations, a comparative analysis of phytoplankton and physical and chemical parameters between areas of the reservoirs overgrown and not overgrown by macrophytes was carried out. The obtained results indicate that in macrophyte patches phytoplankton structure differed from that observed in open waters. However, in areas of reservoirs dominated by floating-leaf plants or free-floating plants, a significant decrease in phytoplanktic or cyanobacterial biomass was not observed. This is most likely due to the fact that these macrophytes did not reduce the concentration of biogenic substances to a level that would limit cyanobacterial growth. On the contrary, intensive overgrowth of floating-leaf plants (in particular, <i>Trapa natans</i>) along the river sections of the reservoirs, as well as other factors, contributed to nitrogen and phosphorus enrichment. Therefore, in the face of relevant nutrient supply, these ecological groups of macrophytes (floating-leaf plants and free-floating plants) have not shown statistically significant effectiveness in controlling the process of cyanobacterial blooms in reservoir ecosystems. |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-11T07:59:53Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-94339360a1e54eca88897d4914e6c4ab |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2073-4441 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-11T07:59:53Z |
| publishDate | 2023-02-01 |
| publisher | MDPI AG |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Water |
| spelling | doaj.art-94339360a1e54eca88897d4914e6c4ab2023-11-16T23:51:53ZengMDPI AGWater2073-44412023-02-0115467210.3390/w15040672Interactions between Aquatic Plants and Cyanobacterial Blooms in Freshwater Reservoir EcosystemsOlena P. Bilous0Inna Nezbrytska1Vladyslav Zhezherya2Serhii Dubniak3Svitlana Batoh4Taras Kazantsev5Oleksandr Polishchuk6Tetyana Zhezherya7Tetyana Leontieva8Marco Cantonati9Institute of Hydrobiology of the National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine, Geroiv Stalingrada Ave., 12, 04210 Kyiv, UkraineInstitute of Hydrobiology of the National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine, Geroiv Stalingrada Ave., 12, 04210 Kyiv, UkraineInstitute of Hydrobiology of the National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine, Geroiv Stalingrada Ave., 12, 04210 Kyiv, UkraineInstitute of Hydrobiology of the National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine, Geroiv Stalingrada Ave., 12, 04210 Kyiv, UkraineInstitute of Hydrobiology of the National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine, Geroiv Stalingrada Ave., 12, 04210 Kyiv, UkraineSpatiolab, 03189 Kyiv, UkraineM.G. Kholodny Institute of Botany of the National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine, Tereshchenkivska St., 2, 01601 Kyiv, UkraineInstitute of Hydrobiology of the National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine, Geroiv Stalingrada Ave., 12, 04210 Kyiv, UkraineInstitute of Hydrobiology of the National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine, Geroiv Stalingrada Ave., 12, 04210 Kyiv, UkraineBIOME Lab, Department of Biological, Geological and Environmental Sciences—BiGeA, Alma Mater Studiorum, University of Bologna, Via Selmi 3, 40126 Bologna, ItalyClimate change and nutrient pollution are echoed by worldwide increasing trends in the frequency, duration, and toxicity of cyanobacterial (blue-green algal) blooms. Therefore, searching for the best options to mitigate blooms is relevant and timely. Aquatic vascular plants offer a promising solution through biological control. In this study, we use reservoirs regularly affected by intensive blooms (the Kyiv and Kaniv Reservoirs of the Dnipro River, Ukraine) to investigate whether macrophytes may inhibit or reduce the massive development of cyanobacteria. Special attention was paid to plants with floating leaves and free-floating plants since data on their effects on cyanobacteria are controversial. On the basis of field and satellite observations, the spatial distribution of cyanobacterial blooms and aquatic macrophyte patches was assessed. Multispectral images captured by satellites Sentinel-2a (S2A) and Sentinel-2b (S2B) were used. In addition, based on data from field observations, a comparative analysis of phytoplankton and physical and chemical parameters between areas of the reservoirs overgrown and not overgrown by macrophytes was carried out. The obtained results indicate that in macrophyte patches phytoplankton structure differed from that observed in open waters. However, in areas of reservoirs dominated by floating-leaf plants or free-floating plants, a significant decrease in phytoplanktic or cyanobacterial biomass was not observed. This is most likely due to the fact that these macrophytes did not reduce the concentration of biogenic substances to a level that would limit cyanobacterial growth. On the contrary, intensive overgrowth of floating-leaf plants (in particular, <i>Trapa natans</i>) along the river sections of the reservoirs, as well as other factors, contributed to nitrogen and phosphorus enrichment. Therefore, in the face of relevant nutrient supply, these ecological groups of macrophytes (floating-leaf plants and free-floating plants) have not shown statistically significant effectiveness in controlling the process of cyanobacterial blooms in reservoir ecosystems.https://www.mdpi.com/2073-4441/15/4/672cyanobacterial bloomsmacrophytesfloating-leaf plantsfree-floating plantsfreshwater reservoirs |
| spellingShingle | Olena P. Bilous Inna Nezbrytska Vladyslav Zhezherya Serhii Dubniak Svitlana Batoh Taras Kazantsev Oleksandr Polishchuk Tetyana Zhezherya Tetyana Leontieva Marco Cantonati Interactions between Aquatic Plants and Cyanobacterial Blooms in Freshwater Reservoir Ecosystems Water cyanobacterial blooms macrophytes floating-leaf plants free-floating plants freshwater reservoirs |
| title | Interactions between Aquatic Plants and Cyanobacterial Blooms in Freshwater Reservoir Ecosystems |
| title_full | Interactions between Aquatic Plants and Cyanobacterial Blooms in Freshwater Reservoir Ecosystems |
| title_fullStr | Interactions between Aquatic Plants and Cyanobacterial Blooms in Freshwater Reservoir Ecosystems |
| title_full_unstemmed | Interactions between Aquatic Plants and Cyanobacterial Blooms in Freshwater Reservoir Ecosystems |
| title_short | Interactions between Aquatic Plants and Cyanobacterial Blooms in Freshwater Reservoir Ecosystems |
| title_sort | interactions between aquatic plants and cyanobacterial blooms in freshwater reservoir ecosystems |
| topic | cyanobacterial blooms macrophytes floating-leaf plants free-floating plants freshwater reservoirs |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/2073-4441/15/4/672 |
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