Water Resources Research Act Program

Details for Project ID VT_2023_Morales2

Identifying the environmental drivers of toxic vs. non-toxic cyanobacteria strain abundance in two eutrophic bays of Lake Champlain.

Institute: Vermont
Year Established: 2023 Start Date: 2023-09-01 End Date: 2024-08-31
Total Federal Funds: $14,860 Total Non-Federal Funds: $14,860

Principal Investigators: Ana M. Morales-Williams

Project Summary: The combination of climate change and increased rates of eutrophication on Vermont lakes is likely a catalyst for cyanobacteria blooms. In the northeastern arm of Lake Champlain, cyanobacteria blooms were expected to increase due to warmer water temperatures, increasing phosphorus trends, and increasing biomass of cyanobacteria over the last decade. However, cyanotoxin concentrations have remained relatively low. The ecological role of cyanotoxins in cyanobacteria blooms continues to remain elusive because not all cyanobacteria species produce toxins, abiliies to produce toxins vary between strains, and toxic and non-toxic strains of cyanobacteria are morphologically identical. It is unknown what cyanobacteria produce toxins and how this may shift under future climate scenarios. This project will identify which cyanobacteria species can produce cyanotoxins in the northeastern arm of Lake Champlain by combining metagenomic DNA sequencing, high frequency limnological data, and weekly nutrient samples and investigate the ecological drivers of toxic vs. non-toxic cyanobacteria populations.