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Multiple toxigenic and non-toxigenic species coexist in a bloom of the cyanobacterium Microcystis
Lund Univ, Dept Biol, Solvegatan 35-37, S-22362 Lund, Sweden..
Univ Oklahoma, Sch Biol Sci, Norman, OK 73019 USA..
Lund Univ, Dept Lab Med, Natl Bioinformat Infrastruct Sweden NBIS, S-22362 Lund, Sweden..
Univ Gdansk, Dept Marine Biol & Biotechnol, Marszalka J Pilusudskiego 46, PL-81378 Gdynia, Poland..
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2026 (English)In: Harmful Algae, ISSN 1568-9883, E-ISSN 1878-1470, Vol. 158, article id 103171Article in journal (Refereed) Published
Abstract [en]

Freshwater blooms of the microcystin-producing (toxigenic) cyanobacterium Microcystis may cause severe damage to human health and the environment. However, toxigenic and non-toxigenic strains co-exist within single blooms, and microcystin concentration in the water varies throughout the season. We hypothesized that strains that produce and do not produce microcystins represent different genotypes. To this end, we combined microcystin analysis with genomic analyses of individual strains isolated from a natural bloom of the morphospecies Microcystis botrys. Whole-genome assemblies revealed high genomic diversity among 19 strains, representing five different genospecies. Ten strains had intact microcystin cluster with all ten genes (mcyA-J) present and the nine remaining strains lacked all mcy genes. All non-microcystin producing strains were members of a single genospecies, while the microcystin producers were distributed across four different genospecies. One strain had all ten genes present but detectable levels of microcystin were not measured, possibly due to phenotypic plasticity in gene expression or genetic inactivation. Overall, these results demonstrate that even single-morphospecies blooms, from a single time point, consist of multiple populations of genospecies, with different microcystin genotypes and phenotypes. These findings are of great value to the field as the two common observations, presence of toxigenic and non-toxigenic strains within a single bloom and seasonal succession of toxigenicity, can now be attributed to species co-existence and species succession.

Place, publisher, year, edition, pages
Elsevier, 2026. Vol. 158, article id 103171
Keywords [en]
Microcystin, Microcystis, mcy genes, genospecies, cyanobacterial toxins
National Category
Ecology
Identifiers
URN: urn:nbn:se:hj:diva-73535DOI: 10.1016/j.hal.2026.103171ISI: 001816168600001Scopus ID: 2-s2.0-105043394703Local ID: HOA;intsam;1096064OAI: oai:DiVA.org:hj-73535DiVA, id: diva2:2091926
Available from: 2026-08-13 Created: 2026-08-13 Last updated: 2026-08-13Bibliographically approved

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