Evaluating the FluoroProbe as a tool for rapid chlorophyll a and phytoplankton group identification during Western Lake Erie CyanoHAB bloom conditions
Start Date
23-5-2022 11:15 AM
End Date
23-5-2022 11:30 AM
Abstract
There is a need for rapid detection and quantification of CyanoHAB composition to evaluate potential environmental and public health threats. FluoroProbe uses in situ fluorimetry to estimate phytoplankton biomass (as chlorophyll a, chla) and community composition (as chla by group). To evaluate the efficacy of a FluoroProbe during bloom conditions in nutrient addition bioassay experiments, we examined the relationship between extracted chla and HPLC diagnostic photopigment analysis post-processed with CHEMTAX matrix factorization and FluoroProbe analysis from Maumee Bay/Western Lake Erie (June 2019 and August 2019 and 2021) and Sandusky Bay (June and August 2019) experiments. Across experiments, total chla ranged from < 10 µg/L to > 400 µg/L. The FluoroProbe and extraction methods produced similar estimates of chla (R = 0.881, p < 0.0001). The community composition fractions measured by the FluoroProbe were significantly comparable to extraction methods for cyanobacteria (R = 0.880, p < 0.0001), diatoms (R = 0.963, p < 0.0001), chlorophytes (R = 0.758, p < 0.0001), and cryptophytes (R = 0.584, p < 0.0001). We conclude the Fluoroprobe is an effective tool for rapid quantification of chla concentration estimates, phytoplankton community composition and CyanoHABs compared to extraction methodologies in bioassay experiments of highly productive systems.
Evaluating the FluoroProbe as a tool for rapid chlorophyll a and phytoplankton group identification during Western Lake Erie CyanoHAB bloom conditions
There is a need for rapid detection and quantification of CyanoHAB composition to evaluate potential environmental and public health threats. FluoroProbe uses in situ fluorimetry to estimate phytoplankton biomass (as chlorophyll a, chla) and community composition (as chla by group). To evaluate the efficacy of a FluoroProbe during bloom conditions in nutrient addition bioassay experiments, we examined the relationship between extracted chla and HPLC diagnostic photopigment analysis post-processed with CHEMTAX matrix factorization and FluoroProbe analysis from Maumee Bay/Western Lake Erie (June 2019 and August 2019 and 2021) and Sandusky Bay (June and August 2019) experiments. Across experiments, total chla ranged from < 10 µg/L to > 400 µg/L. The FluoroProbe and extraction methods produced similar estimates of chla (R = 0.881, p < 0.0001). The community composition fractions measured by the FluoroProbe were significantly comparable to extraction methods for cyanobacteria (R = 0.880, p < 0.0001), diatoms (R = 0.963, p < 0.0001), chlorophytes (R = 0.758, p < 0.0001), and cryptophytes (R = 0.584, p < 0.0001). We conclude the Fluoroprobe is an effective tool for rapid quantification of chla concentration estimates, phytoplankton community composition and CyanoHABs compared to extraction methodologies in bioassay experiments of highly productive systems.