Tackling Harmful Algal Blooms: Development of an innovative and integrative method for forecasting toxic cyanobacteria in a changing environment

Harmful algal blooms of cyanobacteria (cyanoHABs) are increasing globally, and often produce potent toxins hazardous to human and ecosystem health.

Given the diversity and regional variability of cyanoHABs, information on how this diverse group of microorganisms will respond to current and future climate scenarios is still limited.

The overarching hypothesis of this proposal is that anthropogenic environmental changes, e.g. global warming, ocean acidification, and eutrophication, will favor the growth of toxic cyanobacteria, and therefore the frequency, and distribution of cyanoHABs.

To test this hypothesis, the project will be carried out along the Baltic Sea area, where severe and recurrent cyanoHABs are alarmingly occurring.

Although toxin production has been documented for several cyanobacteria in the Baltic Sea, undetected cyanoHABs and toxins are suspected to occur.

This project uses an innovative and integrative approach, combining state-of-the-art genomics and chemical approaches to: (1) identify cyanoHABs and their toxins; (2) delineate the biosynthetic pathways encoding those toxins; and (3) determine how the biosynthesis of toxins is environmentally regulated by anthropogenic changes.

This is a timely project as cyanoHABs are phenomena that are increasing worldwide, and of societal relevance as the findings will be valuable for developing tools to help governmental agencies forecast and mitigate public and environmental health issues, as well as in policy-making.