Abstract
Microcystin (MC) is a toxic secondary metabolite produced by select cyanobacteria that threatens aquatic and terrestrial organisms over a diverse range of freshwater systems. To assess the relationship between environmental parameters and MC, researchers frequently utilize correlational analyses. This statistical methodology has proved useful when summarizing complex water quality monitoring datasets, but the correlations between select parameters and MC have been documented to vary widely across studies and systems. Such variation within the peer-reviewed literature leaves uncertainty for resource managers when developing a MC monitoring program. The objective of this research is to determine if correlational analyses between environmental parameters and MC are helpful to resource managers desiring to understand the drivers of MC. Environmental (i.e., physical, chemical, and biological) and MC correlation data were retrieved from an estimated 2,643 waterbodies (largely from the north temperate region) and synthesized using a Fisher’s z meta-analysis. Common water quality parameters, such as chlorophyll, temperature, and pH, were positively correlated with MC, while transparency was negatively correlated. Interestingly, 12 of the 15 studied nitrogen parameters, including total nitrogen, were not significantly correlated with MC. In contrast, three of the four studied phosphorus parameters, including total phosphorus, were positively related to MC. Results from this synthesis quantitatively reinforces the usefulness of commonly measured environmental parameters to monitor for conditions related to MC occurrence; however, correlational analyses by themselves are often ineffective and considering what role a parameter plays in the ecology of cyanobacterial blooms in addition to MC production is vital.
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All data utilized in this study are publicly available. References to the data used in this study can be found in the Appendix A1. It is encouraged that researchers reassess the data sources referenced in this study as these sources may be updated with new data.
Code availability
All code can be found in Appendix A1.
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Acknowledgements
The authors thank the anonymous reviewers who have helped strengthen this study. The authors also thank the helpful comments provided by individuals in the Meta-analysis course at Auburn University taught by AEW.
Funding
This project was supported by a grant from the National Science Foundation (DEB-1831094), two USDA grants (2017–70007-27132 and 58–6010-0–006), the Alabama Agricultural Experiment Station, and the Hatch program of the National Institute of Food and Agriculture (ALA016-1–16007), U.S. Department of Agriculture.
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Buley, R.P., Gladfelter, M.F., Fernandez-Figueroa, E.G. et al. Can correlational analyses help determine the drivers of microcystin occurrence in freshwater ecosystems? A meta-analysis of microcystin and associated water quality parameters. Environ Monit Assess 194, 493 (2022). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10661-022-10114-8
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10661-022-10114-8