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. 2014 Jan 28;6(2):509-22.
doi: 10.3390/toxins6020509.

Geographical patterns in cyanobacteria distribution: climate influence at regional scale

Frédéric Pitois  1 , Isabelle Thoraval  2 , Estelle Baurès  3 , Olivier Thomas  4
Affiliations

Geographical patterns in cyanobacteria distribution: climate influence at regional scale

Frédéric Pitois et al. Toxins (Basel). .

Abstract

Cyanobacteria are a component of public health hazards in freshwater environments because of their potential as toxin producers. Eutrophication has long been considered the main cause of cyanobacteria outbreak and proliferation, whereas many studies emphasized the effect of abiotic parameters (mainly temperature and light) on cell growth rate or toxin production. In view of the growing concerns of global change consequences on public health parameters, this study attempts to enlighten climate influence on cyanobacteria at regional scale in Brittany (NW France). The results show that homogeneous cyanobacteria groups are associated with climatic domains related to temperature, global radiation and pluviometry, whereas microcystins (MCs) occurrences are only correlated to local cyanobacteria species composition. As the regional climatic gradient amplitude is similar to the projected climate evolution on a 30-year timespan, a comparison between the present NW and SE situations was used to extrapolate the evolution of geographical cyanobacteria distribution in Brittany. Cyanobacteria composition should shift toward species associated with more frequent Microcystins occurrences along a NW/SE axis whereas lakes situated along a SW/NE axis should transition to species (mainly Nostocales) associated with lower MCs detection frequencies.

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Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Meteorological parameters for the May–October period from 2004 to 2011. (a) Mean temperature (°C); (b) Cumulated pluviometry (mm); (c) Cumulated global radiation (kW/m²).
Figure 2
Figure 2
Climate parameters evolution rate extrapolated from 1982–2011 data (mean ± sd). (a) mean monthly temperature; (b) mean monthly cumulated rainfall; (c) mean monthly cumulated global radiation.
Figure 3
Figure 3
Dominant taxa expressed as % total cyanobacteria biovolume (taxa with % biovolume <1% omitted for clarity).
Figure 4
Figure 4
Geographical distribution of generic groups as % total cyanobacteria biovolume. (a) Woronichinia; (b) Aphanocapsa & Aphanothece; (c) Microcystis; (d) Anabaena; (e) Planktothrix; (d) Aphanizomenon.
Figure 5
Figure 5
(a) WHO level 3 occurrence frequencies (% samples > 100,000 cell/mL); (b) Microcystin (MC) detection frequencies (% samples with MCs > MQL).
Figure 6
Figure 6
Generic % biovolume distribution vs. (a) Mean temperature; (b) Cumulated Global Radiation; (c) Cumulated pluviometry (data points omitted for clarity).
Figure 7
Figure 7
MC detection frequencies according to generic composition (as % total biomass).
Figure 8
Figure 8
Localization of the 26 lakes studied in Brittany (western France).
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