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Practical Tool Can ‘Take Pulse’ of Blue-Green Algae Status in Lakes

By Guest PostJune 12, 2012Environmentalgal blooms, alum creek, beach managers, blue green algae, buck creek, chlorophyll, cyanobacteria, deer creek, delaware, east fork, eutrophic lakes, feedback loop, fluorometer, gastrointestinal illness, jason marion, jiyoung lee, lake logan, lakes, madison lake, neurological problems, nutrient levels, ohio state, ohio state university, organic pollution, oxygen, ph, phycocyanin, phycocyanin levels, pigment, population growth, public health, secchi disk, septic systems, timothy buckley, toxin, toxin microcystin, urbanization, water resources, WHO

COLUMBUS, Ohio – Scientists have designed a screening tool that provides a fast, easy and relatively inexpensive way to predict levels of a specific toxin in lakes that are prone to blue-green algal blooms.

Blue-green algae is not your average pond scum – rather than consisting of plant-like organisms, blue-green algae actually are cyanobacteria, and some species are linked to the production and release of the toxin microcystin into the water. Human exposure to the toxin through drinking or recreational water contact can threaten public health by causing liver damage, neurological problems and gastrointestinal illness in humans. (more…)

Invisible Invasive Species Altering Ecosystems

By Guest PostDecember 10, 2010Environmentair temperatures, asian carp, australia, blue green algae, brackish diatom, climate change, cyanobacteria, dramatic fashion, ecology, ecosystems, elena litchman, european lakes, global change, great lakes, gypsy moths, invasive microbes, invasive species, lake michigan, macroorganism, malaria, microbial invaders, nitrogen fixing rhizobium, nonpathogenic microbes, north american, pathogenic parasitic fungus, portugal, scientific research, subtropical, temperate latitudes, tropical, zebra mussels

Elena Litchman, associate professor of ecology, who works at MSU's Kellogg Biological Station. Image credit: Michigan State University

EAST LANSING, Mich. — While Asian carp, gypsy moths and zebra mussels hog invasive-species headlines, many invisible invaders are altering ecosystems and flourishing outside of the limelight.

A study by Elena Litchman, Michigan State University associate professor of ecology, sheds light on why invasive microbial invaders shouldn’t be overlooked or underestimated.

“Invasive microbes have many of the same traits as their larger, ‘macro’ counterparts and have the potential to significantly impact terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems,” said Litchman, whose research appears in the December issue of Ecology Letters. “Global change can exacerbate microbial invasions, so they will likely increase in the future.” (more…)

Tag Archives: blue green algae

Practical Tool Can ‘Take Pulse’ of Blue-Green Algae Status in Lakes

Invisible Invasive Species Altering Ecosystems