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Blooming of Microcystis aeruginosa in the reservoir of the reclaimed land and discharge of microcystins to Isahaya Bay (Japan)

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Abstract

Purpose

In the reservoir created in the reclaimed land in Isahaya Bay, Japan, Microcystis aeruginosa, which produces microcystins (MCs), bloomed every year, and the water with high levels of MCs in the reservoir has been often drained to Isahaya Bay to adjust the water level. The principal aims of this study are to clarify the water conditions suitable for blooming of M. aeruginosa in the reservoir, to follow the amount of distribution of MCs inside and outside the reservoir, and to discuss how blooming of M. aeruginosa is controlled in the reservoir and how MCs produced by Microcystis spread or accumulate in the aquatic environment.

Method

We monitored the water quality (temperature, salinity, dissolved inorganic nitrogen (DIN), and dissolved inorganic phosphorus) in the reservoir with seasonal blooming of microalgae including phytoplankton and M. aeruginosa using the concentrations of chlorophyll α and MCs, respectively, and collected the surface sediment in the reservoir and the bay to determine the MC content using the ELISA method.

Result

M. aeruginosa bloomed in extremely low DIN conditions of the water in warm seasons (spring and late summer to autumn). The year-mean standing stock of MCs was approximately 34.5 kg in the water and 8.4 kg in the surface sediment in the reservoir. Approximately 64.5 kg of MCs was discharged with the effluent to the bay in a year.

Conclusion

Since a large amount of MCs always suspends in the water in the reservoir and it has been discharged to the bay, suspension-feeding animals are exposed most seriously to the high levels of MCs occurring in these areas. We need to pay attention to the danger of widespread dispersal of MCs and biological concentration of MCs by fish and clam inside and outside the reservoir.

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Acknowledgments

The authors show appreciation to the PRO NATURA FUND for their funding support, Yoshiharu Tokitsu for providing information, and Hiromitsu Doi for piloting the boat. We express our gratitude to Dr. Jin-Woo Choi, Dr. Shigeru Montani, and Dr. Tomohiro Komorita for their valuable advice on this study and to Mr. Richard Lavin for his critical reading of the manuscript. We would like to thank Ms. Hitomi Sonoda, Ms. Kaori Matsuda, Ms. Masami Murasaki, Ms. Megumi Watanabe, Ms. Miharu Takada, Mr. Ryunosuke Nomura, Ms. Sachie Okura, and Mr. Takafumi Tanoue who were students of Faculty of Environmental and Symbiotic Sciences, Prefectural University of Kumamoto and Mr. Hirohisa Koga and Mr. Kouji Harada who were students of Kumamoto Health Science University for their help with analysis.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Faculty of Environmental and Symbiotic Sciences, Prefectural University of Kumamoto, 3-1-100 Tsukide, Kumamoto, 862-8502, Japan

    Akira Umehara & Hiroaki Tsutsumi

  2. Department of Medical Technology, Kumamoto Health Science University, 325 Izumi-machi, Kumamoto, 861-5598, Japan

    Tohru Takahashi

Authors
  1. Akira Umehara
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  2. Hiroaki Tsutsumi
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  3. Tohru Takahashi
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Correspondence to Akira Umehara.

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Responsible editor: Philippe Garrigues

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Umehara, A., Tsutsumi, H. & Takahashi, T. Blooming of Microcystis aeruginosa in the reservoir of the reclaimed land and discharge of microcystins to Isahaya Bay (Japan). Environ Sci Pollut Res 19, 3257–3267 (2012). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11356-012-0835-y

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11356-012-0835-y

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