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18S rDNA gene metabarcoding of microeukaryotes and epi-endophytes in the holobiome of seven species of large brown algae
Get PDFBrown algae (Phaeophyceae) are habitat-forming species in coastal ecosystems and include kelp forests and seaweed beds that support a wide diversity of marine life. Host-associated microbial communities are an integral part of phaeophyte biology, and whereas the bacterial microbial partners have received considerable attention, the microbial eukaryotes associated with brown algae have hardly been studied. Here, we used broadly targeted “pan-eukaryotic” primers (metabarcoding) to investigate brown algal-associated eukaryotes (the eukaryome). Using this approach, we aimed to investigate the eukaryome of seven large brown algae that are important and common species in coastal ecosystems. We also aimed to assess whether these macroalgae harbor novel eukaryotic diversity and to ascribe putative functional roles to the host-associated eukaryome based on taxonomic affiliation and phylogenetic placement. We detected a significant diversity of microeukaryotic and algal lineages associated with the brown algal species investigated. The operational taxonomic units (OTUs) were taxonomically assigned to 10 of the eukaryotic major supergroups, including taxonomic groups known to be associated with seaweeds as epibionts, endobionts, parasites, and commensals. Additionally, we revealed previously unrecorded sequence types, including novel phaeophyte OTUs, particularly in the Fucus spp. samples, that may represent fucoid genomic variants, sequencing artifacts, or undescribed epi-/endophytes. Our results provide baseline data and technical insights that will be useful for more comprehensive seaweed eukaryome studies investigating the evidently lineage-rich and functionally diverse symbionts of brown algae.publishedVersio
Selection of indicator contaminants of emerging concern when reusing reclaimed water for irrigation — A proposed methodology
Get PDFOrganic and microbial contaminants of emerging concern (CECs), even though not yet regulated, are of great concern in reclaimed water reuse projects. Due to the large number of CECs and their different characteristics, it is useful to include only a limited number of them in monitoring programs. The selection of the most representative CECs is still a current and open question. This study presents a new methodology for this scope, in particular for the evaluation of the performance of a polishing treatment and the assessment of the risk for the environment and the irrigated crops. As to organic CECs, the methodology is based on four criteria (occurrence, persistence, bioaccumulation and toxicity) expressed in terms of surrogates (respectively, concentrations in the secondary effluent, removal achieved in conventional activated sludge systems, Log Kow and predicted-no-effect concentration). It consists of: (i) development of a dataset including the CECs found in the secondary effluent, together with the corresponding values of surrogates found in the literature or by in-field investigations; (ii) normalization step with the assignment of a score between 1 (low environmental impact) and 5 (high environmental impact) to the different criteria based on threshold values set according to the literature and experts' judgement; (iii) CEC ranking according to their final score obtained as the sum of the specific scores; and (iv) selection of the representative CECs for the different needs.
Regarding microbial CECs, the selection is based on their occurrence and their highest detection frequency in the secondary effluent and in the receiving water, the antibiotic consumption patterns, and recommendations by national and international organisations.
The methodology was applied within the ongoing reuse project SERPIC resulting in a list of 30 indicator CECs, including amoxicillin, bisphenol A, ciprofloxacin, diclofenac, erythromycin, ibuprofen, iopromide, perfluorooctane sulfonate (PFOS), sulfamethoxazole, tetracycline, Escherichia coli, faecal coliform, 16S rRNA, sul1, and sul2.publishedVersio
Mercury in the Barents region – River fluxes, sources, and environmental concentrations
Get PDFArctic rivers are receiving increased attention for their contributing of mercury (Hg) to the Arctic Ocean. Despite this, the knowledge on both the terrestrial release sources and the levels of Hg in the rivers are limited. Within the Arctic, the Barents region has a high industrial development, including multiple potential Hg release sources. This study presents the first overview of potential Hg release sources on Norwegian and Russian mainland draining to the Barents Sea. Source categories cover mining and metallurgy industry; historical pulp and paper production; municipal and industrial solid waste handling; fossil fuel combustion; and past military activities. Available data on Hg in freshwater bodies near the identified potential release sources are reviewed. Levels of Hg were occasionally exceeding the national pollution control limits, thereby posing concern to the local human population and wildlife. However, the studies were sparse and often unsystematic. Finally, we present new data of Hg measured in five Barents rivers. These data reveal strong seasonality in the Hg levels, with a total annual flux constituting 2% of the panarctic total. With this new insight we aspire to contribute to the international efforts of reducing Hg pollution, such as through the effective implementation of the Minamata Convention. Future studies documenting Hg in exposed Barents freshwater bodies are warranted.publishedVersio
The Norwegian Water Column Monitoring programme 2021: Assessing the impacts of Ekofisk and Eldfisk offshore oil and gas installations on the marine environment
Get PDFProsjektleder: Steven BrooksThe Norwegian offshore Water Column Monitoring (WCM) programme investigated the potential effects of Ekofisk and Eldfisk oil and gas installations on the marine environment. Produced water (PW) impacts were assessed in the water column by deploying monitoring stations containing mussels, passive samplers (PSDs), scallops and scientific equipment downstream of the Ekofisk and Eldfisk installations for 6 weeks at 2 depths between March and May 2021 and compared to two reference stations and a day zero group. Chemical and biological effects were measured and a clear relationship between PAH concentration in mussels and proximity to the Ekofisk installation was shown in the 20 m mussels reaching background concentrations in mussels 4000 m downstream. Only low concentrations were found in the Eldfisk mussels and 40 m mussels and scallops showing low exposure to the PW plume. Biological responses in mussels represented a weak response to low PW exposure. In addition, demersal fish were collected from within the Ekofisk safety zone and three regions of the North Sea (Ekofisk region, Egersundbank, Vikingbank). Integrated chemical and biological effects were measured, a relationship between PAH exposure (liver /metabolites) in dab and CYP1A activity (EROD and CYP1A protein), with higher levels in dab populations living in areas of oil and gas activity. Genotoxicity was also observed in cod and dab from the Ekofisk.Offshore Norway, represented by ConocoPhillipspublishedVersio
The recovery of European freshwater biodiversity has come to a halt
Get PDFOwing to a long history of anthropogenic pressures, freshwater ecosystems are among the most vulnerable to biodiversity loss1. Mitigation measures, including wastewater treatment and hydromorphological restoration, have aimed to improve environmental quality and foster the recovery of freshwater biodiversity2. Here, using 1,816 time series of freshwater invertebrate communities collected across 22 European countries between 1968 and 2020, we quantified temporal trends in taxonomic and functional diversity and their responses to environmental pressures and gradients. We observed overall increases in taxon richness (0.73% per year), functional richness (2.4% per year) and abundance (1.17% per year). However, these increases primarily occurred before the 2010s, and have since plateaued. Freshwater communities downstream of dams, urban areas and cropland were less likely to experience recovery. Communities at sites with faster rates of warming had fewer gains in taxon richness, functional richness and abundance. Although biodiversity gains in the 1990s and 2000s probably reflect the effectiveness of water-quality improvements and restoration projects, the decelerating trajectory in the 2010s suggests that the current measures offer diminishing returns. Given new and persistent pressures on freshwater ecosystems, including emerging pollutants, climate change and the spread of invasive species, we call for additional mitigation to revive the recovery of freshwater biodiversity.publishedVersio
Revisiting global diversity and biogeography of freshwater diatoms: New insights from molecular data
Get PDFThe distribution of microorganisms has long been assumed to be cosmopolitan and primarily controlled by the environment, but recent studies suggest that microbes may also exhibit strong biogeographical patterns driven by dispersal limitation. Past attempts to study the global biogeography of freshwater diatoms have always encountered the great difficulty of collecting taxonomically harmonized large-scale data. However, developments in molecular techniques and DNA metabarcoding provide a unique opportunity to overcome these limitations and to disclose diatom biodiversity at an unprecedented scale and resolution. Here, we assembled DNA metabarcoding data of freshwater benthic diatom communities sampled in seven geographic regions across the world to investigate how diatom diversity varies along latitude and to assess the proportion of genetic variants of these microorganisms which are exclusive or shared across regions. We observed significant differences in assemblages among climate zones and found that genetic richness is not affected by latitude, but by an island effect. The genetic resolution directly impacts the proportion of variants shared across regions; however, the majority of taxa remained specific to a single geographic region. Freshwater diatoms disperse over long distances and across oceans but at rates that allow the appearance of local genetic variants and the regionalization of assemblages. Future work should focus on putting these diversity dynamics into a temporal context, an approach that should be possible by bringing together new sequencing techniques and phylogeography.publishedVersio
Tiltaksorientert overvåking i henhold til vannforskriften for Glencore Nikkelverk AS i Kristiansandsfjorden. Undersøkelse av blåskjell i 2022.
Get PDFProsjektleder: Merete SchøyenNIVA har gjennomført tiltaksorientert overvåking i sjøområdet utenfor Glencore Nikkelverk AS i Kristiansandsfjorden i 2022 i henhold til vannforskriften. Ved fem blåskjellstasjoner har det blitt analysert for et utslippsrelevant utvalg av de prioriterte stoffene dioksiner, dioksinliknende PCB, bly (Pb) og nikkel (Ni). Det har også blitt analysert for de vannregionspesifikke stoffene arsen (As), kobber (Cu) og sink (Zn). I tillegg ble det analysert for sølv (Ag), kobolt (Co), jern (Fe), palladium (Pd), selen (Se), thorium (Th) og uran (U). Et utvalg triklor-trimetylbenzener (KAB) ble også analysert. For de prioriterte stoffene i blåskjell ble det ikke målt konsentrasjoner som overskred miljøkvalitetsstandarder (Environmental Quality Standard, EQS), og alle de fem blåskjellstasjonene var derfor i «god kjemisk tilstand». For de vannregionspesifikke stoffene er det ikke oppgitt EQS-verdier i biota i Veileder 02:2018. Det var signifikante oppadgående tidstrender for Co i blåskjell ved Glencore kai, og for As ved Dvergsøya. Det var signifikante nedadgående tidstrender for Cu i blåskjell ved Glencore kai og Hanneviksbukta, for Ni, Pb, Zn, Co og Fe ved Hanneviksbukta, og for dioksiner og dioksinliknende PCB ved Myrodden. Det ble påvist triklor-trimetylbenzener (sum KAB) på fire av de fem blåskjellstasjonene.Glencore Nikkelverk ASpublishedVersio
Overvåking av Vestvannet og Borredalsdammen i Viken, 2022
Get PDFProsjektleder: Andreas BallotNIVA og FREVAR har gjennomført overvåking av vannkvaliteten i Vestvannet i Sarpsborg og Borredalsdammen i Fredrikstad i 2022, med fokus på utvalgte fysisk-kjemiske parametere og planteplankton. Gjennomsnittlig konsentrasjon av totalt fosfor og totalt nitrogen har gått ned i Vestvannet-B og Borredalsdammen i 2022 sammenlignet med 2021. Algebiomassen og klorofyll- konsentrasjonene var lavere i Vestvannet-B i 2022 sammenlignet med 2021. I Borredalsdammen har det også vært en nedgang i algebiomasse men en økning i klorofyll a-konsentrasjon i 2022 i forhold til 2021. Algesamfunnet var hovedsakelig sammensatt av arter som er vanlige i lavlandsinnsjøer. I prøven fra Borredalsdammen i juli og september var det noe cyanobakterier av slekten Planktothrix, Microcystis og Dolichospermum, da det ble påvist lav konsentrasjon av microcystin. Generelt var det lite cyanobakterier i både Vestvannet-B og Borredalsdammen sammenlignet med total algebiomasse. Vestvannet-B og Borredalsdammen havnet i «svært god» økologisk tilstand iht. vannforskriften. Vestvannet-B vurderes som «godt egnet» og Borredalsdammen vurderes som «egnet» til drikkevann med hensyn til microcystin. I en totalvurdering av vannenes egnethet som drikkevann vurderes derimot begge vannene til «ikke egnet» grunnet høye fargetall i Vestvannet-B og Borredalsvannet, men siden FREVAR utfører omfattende behandling av vannet vil det likevel kunne leveres drikkevann av god kvalitet.Fredrikstad Vann, Avløp og Renovasjonsforetak (FREVAR KF)publishedVersio
Tiltaksorientert overvåking av Ranfjorden i 2022. Overvåking for Mo Industripark AS, Celsa Armeringsstål AS, Elkem ASA Rana, Ferroglobe Mangan Norge AS, Miljøteknikk Terrateam AS og Rana Gruber AS
Get PDFProsjektleder: Sigurd ØxnevadNIVA har gjennomført tiltaksorientert overvåking av Ranfjorden i 2022 på oppdrag for Mo Industripark AS, Celsa Armeringsstål AS, Elkem ASA Rana, Ferroglobe Mangan Norge, Miljøteknikk Terrateam AS og Rana Gruber AS. Overvåkingsprogrammet er utført i henhold til Vannforskriften på bakgrunn av hvilke stoffer som bedriftene og kommunen har utslipp av til Ranfjorden. I 2022 ble kjemisk tilstand bestemt ved analyse av miljøgifter i prøver av blåskjell fra tre stasjoner. Det ble gjort analyser av metaller (arsen, bly, kadmium, kobber, krom, kvikksølv, nikkel og sink), polysykliske aromatiske hydrokarboner (PAH), polyklorerte bifenyler (PCB), perfluorerte alkylstoffer (PFAS) og tinnorganiske forbindelser. Blåskjellene fra Moholmen og nord for Toraneskaia hadde konsentrasjon av benzo(a)pyren som var høyere enn grenseverdien for dette prioriterte stoffet. Kjemisk tilstand for stasjonene Moholmen og nord for Toraneskaia klassifiseres derfor som «ikke god». Det var ikke overskridelse av grenseverdier for prioriterte stoffer i blåskjellene fra Bjørnbærviken, og den stasjonen klassifiseres til «god» kjemisk tilstand. Blåskjell fra Moholmen og nord for Toraneskaia hadde konsentrasjoner av PCB som var så vidt høyere enn grenseverdi for dette vannregionspesifikke stoffet. Det var kun lave konsentrasjoner av tinnorganiske forbindelser, og det ble ikke påvist PFAS i blåskjellene i 2022.Mo Industripark AS, Celsa Armeringsstål AS, Elkem ASA Rana, Ferroglobe Mangan Norge AS,
Miljøteknikk Terrateam AS og Rana Gruber ASpublishedVersio
Overvåking av marin bløtbunnsfauna i Jøssingfjorden, 2023
Get PDFProsjektleder: Hilde Cecilie TrannumDet er foretatt en overvåking av bløtbunnsfaunaen i Jøssingfjorden og utenforliggende sjøområder i 2023. Faunaen er undersøkt på fem stasjoner, og alle ble tidligere undersøkt i 2015 og 2018. Bløtbunnsfaunaen er tilstandsklassifisert iht. kravene i vannforskriften. På stasjonen utenfor influensområdet var tilstanden basert på bløtbunnsfaunaen «svært god», mens de øvrige stasjonene fikk «god» tilstand. På de tre stasjonene som har vært mest påvirket av avgang, er tilstanden nå i øvre sjikt av klasse «god». På de to stasjonene inne i fjorden representerer dette en vesentlig økning i tilstandsverdien. Redusert tetthet av opportunistiske og forurensningstolerante arter gjennom perioden 2015-2023 spiller positivt inn her. Forbedringen knyttes til en vedvarende restitusjon etter tidligere sjødeponering og tiltak for å redusere påvirkningen av de nåværende utslippene til fjorden.Titania A/SpublishedVersio