Analysis of satellite imagery using a simple algorithm supports evidence that Trichodesmium supplies a significant new nitrogen load to the GBR lagoon

Bell, P. R. F.

doi:10.1007/s13280-020-01460-3

Cited by 8 publications

(4 citation statements)

References 33 publications

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“…Our results demonstrate that Trichodesmium can be a food source for CoTS that allows them to reach the juvenile stage. On the basis of this finding, we propose that reported increases in Trichodesmium availability in the GBR lagoon ( 18 , 29 , 30 ) could be a driving factor in the heightened frequency of CoTS outbreaks.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 78%

“…Given that CoTS larvae can complete their larval phase feeding on Trichodesmium , we raise the possibility that outbreaks of CoTS are linked to increased Trichodesmium abundances over the past century ( 18 , 29 , 30 ). The leading paradigm explaining population irruptions links mass CoTS recruitment events with increased abundances of eukaryotic microalgae associated with terrestrial runoff but has key flaws ( 25 , 51 ).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Crown-of-thorns starfish complete their larval phase eating only nitrogen-fixing Trichodesmium cyanobacteria

Mos,

Erler,

Lawson

et al. 2024

Sci. Adv.

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Cyanobacteria of the genus Trichodesmium form extensive blooms that supply new N to nutrient-poor marine ecosystems. Yet little is known about what eats Trichodesmium . In this laboratory study, we show that one of the greatest threats to coral reefs, predatory crown-of-thorns starfish (CoTS), Acanthaster sp., completes their larval phase feeding solely on Trichodesmium . We observed Trichodesmium erythraeum CMP1985 in the stomachs of larvae using florescence microscopy and traced the assimilation of nitrogen from labeled trichomes into larval tissues using stable isotopes. Some larvae fed T. erythraeum were morphologically ready to become benthic juveniles after 19 days. Given that Trichodesmium can be food for CoTS, reported increases in Trichodesmium could be a driving factor in the heightened frequency of CoTS population irruptions that have devastated coral reefs in past decades. Future studies could test this through investigating the diets of wild larvae and incorporating Trichodesmium abundance into models of CoTS population dynamics.

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 78%

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Crown-of-thorns starfish complete their larval phase eating only nitrogen-fixing Trichodesmium cyanobacteria

Mos,

Erler,

Lawson

et al. 2024

Sci. Adv.

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“…Both the nutrient and plankton changes within a bloom may be significantly different compared to ambient, non-bloom conditions. Large aggregations or blooms of Trichodesmium have been hypothesized to provide significant input of "new" nitrogen from nitrogen fixation into these oligotrophic environments [7,84,85]. It has also been hypothesized that with warming waters due to climate change, cyanobacterial blooms, including Trichodesmium [33], as well as concomitant blooms of harmful dinoflagellates, will also increase [66,67,[86][87][88].…”

Section: Grazing On Trichodesmiummentioning

confidence: 99%

Plankton Community Changes and Nutrient Dynamics Associated with Blooms of the Pelagic Cyanobacterium Trichodesmium in the Gulf of Mexico and the Great Barrier Reef

O’Neil,

Heil,

Glibert

et al. 2024

Water

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Blooms of the harmful dinoflagellate Karenia brevis on the West Florida Shelf (WFS), Gulf of Mexico, are hypothesized to initiate in association with the colonial cyanobacterium Trichodesmium spp. and benefit from dissolved organic nitrogen (DON) release derived from N2-fixation by the cyanobacteria. Previous studies have detected DON release using direct experimental measurements, but there have been few studies that have followed nutrient release by in situ blooms of Trichodesmium and the associated plankton community. It was determined that long-term Trichodesmium spp. and Karenia brevis abundances on the WFS were related, following a 2-month lag. A separate Eulerian study of a Trichodesmium erythraeum bloom event was conducted over 9 days on the Great Barrier Reef. Concentrations of T. erythraeum increased over the course of the study, with coincident increases in dinoflagellate abundance and decreases in diatom abundance. Inside the bloom, concentrations of NH4+, PO43−, and DON increased significantly. The copepod grazer Macrosetella gracilis also increased in abundance as T. erythraeum numbers increased, contributing to nutrient release. Copepod grazing rates were measured, and N release rates estimated. Together, these studies show that Trichodesmium blooms have consequences for dinoflagellate abundance at both seasonal and ephemeral scales via direct and indirect N release.

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“…Blooms of filamentous, N 2 ‐fixing cyanobacteria (FNCs) are predicted to increase in the future due to rising sea surface temperatures, increased seasonal stratification but also due to nearshore eutrophication, namely phosphorous (Hallegraeff, 1993 ; Joehnk et al., 2008 ; Kahru et al., 2020 ; Paerl & Huisman, 2008 ; Viitasalo & Bonsdorff, 2022 ; Wurtsbaugh et al., 2019 ). Hot spots of coastal FNCs occur around the globe, for example, in the Pacific off Australia (Ani et al., 2023 ; Bell, 2021 ; Bolch et al., 1999 ; Hallegraeff et al., 2021 ), the Atlantic off the Canary Islands (Benavides & Arístegui, 2020 ), the southern South China Sea off Vietnam (Tang et al., 2004 ), the Arabian Sea off India (D'Silva et al., 2012 ), or the Baltic Sea (O'Neil et al., 2012 ) but sometimes also in the Mediterranean Sea (Rahav & Bar‐Zeev, 2017 ). FNCs are not inherently toxic, but they are rarely grazed upon directly.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Trophic lengthening triggered by filamentous, N₂‐fixing cyanobacteria disrupts pelagic but not benthic food webs in a large estuarine ecosystem

Steinkopf,

Krumme,

Schulz‐Bull

et al. 2024

Ecology and Evolution

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Eutrophication, increased temperatures and stratification can lead to massive, filamentous, N2‐fixing cyanobacterial (FNC) blooms in coastal ecosystems with largely unresolved consequences for the mass and energy supply in food webs. Mesozooplankton adapt to not top‐down controlled FNC blooms by switching diets from phytoplankton to microzooplankton, resulting in a directly quantifiable increase in its trophic position (TP) from 2.0 to as high as 3.0. If this process in mesozooplankton, we call trophic lengthening, was transferred to higher trophic levels of a food web, a loss of energy could result in massive declines of fish biomass. We used compound‐specific nitrogen stable isotope data of amino acids (CSIA) to estimate and compare the nitrogen (N) sources and TPs of cod and flounder from FNC bloom influence areas (central Baltic Sea) and areas without it (western Baltic Sea). We tested if FNC‐triggered trophic lengthening in mesozooplankton is carried over to fish. The TP of cod from the western Baltic (4.1 ± 0.5), feeding mainly on decapods, was equal to reference values. Only cod from the central Baltic, mainly feeding on zooplanktivorous pelagics, had a significantly higher TP (4.6 ± 0.4), indicating a strong carry‐over effect trophic lengthening from mesozooplankton. In contrast, the TP of molluscivorous flounder, associated with the benthic food web, was unaffected by trophic lengthening and quite similar reference values of 3.2 ± 0.2 in both areas. This suggests that FNC blooms lead to a large loss of energy in zooplanktivorous but not in molluscivorous mesopredators. If FNC blooms continue to trigger the detour of energy at the base of the pelagic food web due to a massive heterotrophic microbial system, the TP of cod will not return to lower TP values and the fish stock not recover. Monitoring the TP of key species can identify fundamental changes in ecosystems and provide information for resource management.

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Analysis of satellite imagery using a simple algorithm supports evidence that Trichodesmium supplies a significant new nitrogen load to the GBR lagoon

Cited by 8 publications

References 33 publications

Crown-of-thorns starfish complete their larval phase eating only nitrogen-fixing Trichodesmium cyanobacteria

Crown-of-thorns starfish complete their larval phase eating only nitrogen-fixing Trichodesmium cyanobacteria

Plankton Community Changes and Nutrient Dynamics Associated with Blooms of the Pelagic Cyanobacterium Trichodesmium in the Gulf of Mexico and the Great Barrier Reef

Trophic lengthening triggered by filamentous, N₂‐fixing cyanobacteria disrupts pelagic but not benthic food webs in a large estuarine ecosystem

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Analysis of satellite imagery using a simple algorithm supports evidence that Trichodesmium supplies a significant new nitrogen load to the GBR lagoon

Cited by 8 publications

References 33 publications

Crown-of-thorns starfish complete their larval phase eating only nitrogen-fixing Trichodesmium cyanobacteria

Crown-of-thorns starfish complete their larval phase eating only nitrogen-fixing Trichodesmium cyanobacteria

Plankton Community Changes and Nutrient Dynamics Associated with Blooms of the Pelagic Cyanobacterium Trichodesmium in the Gulf of Mexico and the Great Barrier Reef

Trophic lengthening triggered by filamentous, N2‐fixing cyanobacteria disrupts pelagic but not benthic food webs in a large estuarine ecosystem

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Trophic lengthening triggered by filamentous, N₂‐fixing cyanobacteria disrupts pelagic but not benthic food webs in a large estuarine ecosystem