Diversity of cyanobacteria and associated microbial community structure within Lake Okeechobee and the St. Lucie River, Florida, USA
Start Date
24-5-2022 5:45 PM
End Date
24-5-2022 7:00 PM
Abstract
Lake Okeechobee is a large eutrophic subtropical lake in the southern Florida peninsula which frequently experiences cyanoHABs. These blooms are re-occurring and can cover >90% of the lake’s surface, thus it is imperative to understand the community structure during bloom and non-bloom events to identify potential drivers of these microbial communities. From August 2019 to September 2020, Lake Okeechobee and the connected St. Lucie River and estuary were sampled for 16S rRNA metagenomic analysis and limnological parameters. Results revealed community structure varying spatially and temporally within Lake Okeechobee and the St. Lucie River and estuary. The most abundant cyanobacterial families within Lake Okeechobee over the course of this study included Aphanizomenonaceae, Microcystaceae and Prochlorococcaceae and the most abundant bacterial families included Chitinophagaceae, Pirellulaceae, and Sporichthyaceae. While the majority the cyanobacterial ASVs corresponded to Prochlorococcaceae, several toxigenic genera were detected within the lake, with Dolichospermum and Microcystis occurring frequently. Additionally, cyanotoxins also varied spatially and temporally, with several different microcystin congeners detected as well as anatoxin-a and nodularin throughout both the lake and river. This study provides insights into drivers of the cyanobacterial and associated microbial communities within Lake Okeechobee, and highlights potential drivers of bloom forming taxa and their toxins.
Diversity of cyanobacteria and associated microbial community structure within Lake Okeechobee and the St. Lucie River, Florida, USA
Lake Okeechobee is a large eutrophic subtropical lake in the southern Florida peninsula which frequently experiences cyanoHABs. These blooms are re-occurring and can cover >90% of the lake’s surface, thus it is imperative to understand the community structure during bloom and non-bloom events to identify potential drivers of these microbial communities. From August 2019 to September 2020, Lake Okeechobee and the connected St. Lucie River and estuary were sampled for 16S rRNA metagenomic analysis and limnological parameters. Results revealed community structure varying spatially and temporally within Lake Okeechobee and the St. Lucie River and estuary. The most abundant cyanobacterial families within Lake Okeechobee over the course of this study included Aphanizomenonaceae, Microcystaceae and Prochlorococcaceae and the most abundant bacterial families included Chitinophagaceae, Pirellulaceae, and Sporichthyaceae. While the majority the cyanobacterial ASVs corresponded to Prochlorococcaceae, several toxigenic genera were detected within the lake, with Dolichospermum and Microcystis occurring frequently. Additionally, cyanotoxins also varied spatially and temporally, with several different microcystin congeners detected as well as anatoxin-a and nodularin throughout both the lake and river. This study provides insights into drivers of the cyanobacterial and associated microbial communities within Lake Okeechobee, and highlights potential drivers of bloom forming taxa and their toxins.