Abstract
Algal nuisance blooms have occurred during summers for more than 40 years in Lake Ringsjön, southern Sweden. Cattle deaths were recorded in connection with a high biomass of blue-green algae as early as 1968. A mouse bioassay in the 1980s confirmed the occurrence of hepatotoxic algae. In 1995, phytoplankton biomass and microcystin concentrations were measured. A mouse bioassay was carried out simultaneously showing that from the end of June, when the blue-green algae appeared, and until their disappearance at the end of October, the blooms were hepatotoxic. The blue-green alga Microcystis wesenbergii dominated over most of this period, although, Microcystis botrys, M. flos-aquae, M. viridis, Aphanizomenon klebahnii and Woronichinia naegeliana also occurred frequently. However, the algal toxicity was not related with any specific alga or with any of the measured parameters. The highest toxin production was measured in July, although the blue-green algal biomass was low at that time.
Similar content being viewed by others
References
Annadotter, H., 1993. Cyanobacterial toxins in drinking water – a study of two Swedish water plants and a literature study. VAFORSK 1993-03. ISBN 91-88392-42-2. (In Swedish with an English abstract).
Bergman, E., 1997. Ringsjön. Restaurering genom cyprinidreduktion – effekten av fiskreduktionen. Rapport. Limnologiska avdelningen, Lunds Universitet. (In Swedish).
Carmichael, W. W., 1992. Cyanobacteria secondary metabolites – the cyanotoxins. J. appl. Bacteriol. 72: 445–459.
Cohen, S. G. & C. B. Reif, 1953. Cutaneous sensitization to bluegreen algae. J. Allergy 24: 452–457.
Cronberg, G., 1982. Phytoplankton changes in Lake Trummen induced by restoration. Fol. Limnol. Scand. 18: 1–119.
Cronberg, G., 1983. Ringsjöområdet – Ekosystem i förändring. Report. Institute of Limnology, University of Lund. ISSN 0348– 0798. (In Swedish).
Cronberg, G., 1999. Qualitative and quantitative investigations of phytoplankton in Lake Ringsjön. Hydrobiologia 404: 27–40.
Cronberg, G. & H. Annadotter, 1996. Förekomst av algtoxiner i sjöar inom Malmöhus län 1994–1995. Report. Institute of Ecology, University of Lund. (In Swedish).
Dillenberg, H. O. & M. K. Dehnel, 1960. Toxic waterbloom in Saskatchewan, 1959. Can. Med. Assoc. 83: 1151–1154.
Enell, M., J. Fejes & C. Williams, 1996. Ringsjön – ekosystem i förändring 1995. Report. Mellanskånes Kommunalförbund. (In Swedish).
Falconer, I. R., A. M. Beresford & M. T. Runneger, 1983. Evidence of liver damage by toxin from a bloom of the blue-green alga Microcystis aeruginosa. Med. J. Aust. 28: 511–514.
Francis, G., 1878. Poisonous Australian lake. Nature 18: 11.
Gorham, P. R. & W. W. Carmichael, 1979. Phycotoxins from bluegreen algae. Pure Appl. Chem. 52: 165–174.
Hamrin, S., 1999. Planning and execution of the fish reduction in lake Ringsjön. Hydrobiologia 404: 59–63.
Hansson, L.-A., M. Enell & E. Bergman, 1999. Lake Ringsjön: its catchment area, its history and its importance. Hydrobiologia 404: 1–7.
Hawkins, P. R., M. T. Runnegar, A. R. Jackson & I. R. Falconer, 1985. Severe hepatotoxicity caused by the tropical cyanobacterium (blue-green alga) Cylindrospermopsis raciborskii (Woloszynska) Seenaya and Subba Raju isolated from a domestic water supply reservoir. Apl. Envir. Microbiol. 50: 1292–1295.
Heise, H. A., 1949. Symptoms of hay fever caused by algae. J. Allergy 20: 383–385.
Heise, H. A., 1951. Symptoms of hay fever caused by algae. II. Microcystis, another form of algae producing allergenic reactions. Ann. Allergy 9: 100–101.
Kotak, B. G., A. K.-Y. Lam, E. E. Prepas, S. L. Kenefick & S. E. Hrudey, 1995. Variability of the hepatotoxin microcystin-LR in hypertrophic drinking water lakes. J. Phycol. 31: 248–263.
Lawton, L. A., C. Edwards & G. A. Codd, 1994. Extraction and High-performance Liquid Chromatographic Method for the Determination of Microcystins in Raw and Treated Waters. Analyst 119: 1525–1530.
Lundberg, R., L. Edler, S. Fernö, M. G. Lind & P. O. Nilsson, 1983. Algförgiftning hos hund. Svensk veterinärtidning 35: 509–516.
Main, C. D., P. H. Berry, R. L. Peet & J. P. Robertson, 1977. Sheep mortalitites associated with the blue green algae Nodularia spumigena. Australian Veterinary Journal 53: 578–581.
Mattsson, R. & T. Willén, 1986. Toxinbildande blågröna alger i svenska insjöar 1985. Swedish Environmental Protection Agency. ISBN 91-620-3096-5. (In Swedish with an English abstract).
Mattsson, R. & T. Willén, 1987a. Vattenblommande och toxinbildande alger. Report from the Veterinary National Institute, Uppsala, Sweden. (In Swedish).
Mattsson, R. & T. Willén, 1987b. Vattenblomning av blågrönalger och deras toxicitet. Analysresultat 1987. Report from the Veterinary National Institute, Uppsala, Sweden. (In Swedish).
Mez, K., K. A. Beattie, G. A. Codd, K. Hanselmann, B. Hauser, H. Naegeli & H. H. R. Preisig, 1997. Identification of microcystin in benthic cyanobacteria linked to cattle deaths on alpine pastures in Switzerland. Eur. J. Phycol. 32: 111–117.
Pouria, S., A. Andrade, J. Barosa, R. L. Cavalcanti, V. T. S. Barreto, C. J. Ward, W. Preiser, G. K. Poon, G. H. Neild & G. A. Codd, 1998. Fatal microcystin intoxication in haemodialysis unit in Caruaru, Brazil. The Lancet 352: 21–26.
Pybus, M. J. & D. P. Hobson, 1986. Mass mortality of bats due to probable blue-green algal toxicity. J. Wild. Dis. 22: 449–450.
Rose, E. T., 1953. Toxic algae in Iowa lakes. Proc. Iowa Acad. Sci. 60: 738–745.
Skulberg, O., 1998. Blågrønnalger, giftprodusenter i vann. Populaervitenskapelig Magasin 6: 52–55.
Skulberg, O., B. Underdal & H. Utkilen, 1994. Toxic waterblooms with cyanophytes in Norway – current knowledge. Algological Studies 75: 279–289.
Schwimmer, M. & D. Schwimmer, 1964. Algae and medicine. In D. J. Jackson (ed.), Algae and Man. Plenum Press, New York.
Wicks, R. J. & P. G. Thiel, 1990. Environmental factors affecting the production of peptide toxins in floating scums of the Cyanobacterium Microcystis aeruginosa in a hypertrophic African reservoir. Env. Sci. Technol. 24: 1413–1418.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Cronberg, G., Annadotter, H. & Lawton, L.A. The occurrence of toxic blue-green algae in Lake Ringsjön, southern Sweden, despite nutrient reduction and fish biomanipulation. Hydrobiologia 404, 123–129 (1999). https://doi.org/10.1023/A:1003780731471
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1023/A:1003780731471