Survey of Microcystin-Producing Cyanobacteria in French Lakes of Various Trophic Status Using Environmental and Cyanobacterial Parameters and an Active Mussel Biomonitoring

Microcystins (MCs), hepatotoxins produced by cyanobacteria, represent a potential threat to aquatic ecosystems and human health. Measuring various environmental and cyanobacterial parameters in water samples can be useful for monitoring water quality and assessing risk but remains a short-term appro...

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Main Authors: Emilie Lance, Alexandra Lepoutre, Luc Brient, Nicolas Maurin, Emmanuel Guillon, Alain Geffard, Dominique Amon-Moreau
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: MDPI AG 2025-05-01
Series:Toxins
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Online Access:https://www.mdpi.com/2072-6651/17/5/245
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author Emilie Lance
Alexandra Lepoutre
Luc Brient
Nicolas Maurin
Emmanuel Guillon
Alain Geffard
Dominique Amon-Moreau
author_facet Emilie Lance
Alexandra Lepoutre
Luc Brient
Nicolas Maurin
Emmanuel Guillon
Alain Geffard
Dominique Amon-Moreau
author_sort Emilie Lance
collection DOAJ
description Microcystins (MCs), hepatotoxins produced by cyanobacteria, represent a potential threat to aquatic ecosystems and human health. Measuring various environmental and cyanobacterial parameters in water samples can be useful for monitoring water quality and assessing risk but remains a short-term approach. Beyond local risk assessments, estimating global and medium-term levels of freshwater contamination by MC-producing cyanobacteria is challenging in large lakes due to the spatio-temporal variability of their proliferation and the need to multiply sampling dates and locations. In such conditions, a sentinel organism can be valuable for monitoring MCs in situ and providing a time-integrated picture of contamination levels at various stations. We previously assessed the ability of the freshwater bivalves <i>Anodonta anatina</i> and <i>Dreissena polymorpha</i> to act as biointegrators of MCs, even under low exposure levels to cyanobacteria. In this study, through a two-season investigation in several French lakes experiencing moderate cyanobacterial blooms, we evaluated the relevance of various parameters (cyanobacterial density and biovolume, chlorophyll-a, and phycocyanin) as well as the use of bivalves as indicators of medium-term freshwater contamination by MC-producing cyanobacteria. MC concentrations in cyanobacterial biomass (intracellular MCs) and in bivalves (free MCs, being unbound, and total free and protein-bound accumulated MCs) were measured alongside the characterization of phytoplankton communities. Both mussels integrated and highlighted the presence of intracellular MCs in the environment over the period between two successive water samplings, even at low contamination levels, demonstrating their suitability for in situ biomonitoring of MC-producing cyanobacteria. The results are discussed in terms of the strengths and limitations of different parameters for assessing MC contamination levels in waters depending on the objective (managing, preventing, or global evaluation) and the monitoring strategies used.
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spelling doaj-art-1be8cd5f0c854ce69056e5c5bdec4b912025-08-20T03:47:58ZengMDPI AGToxins2072-66512025-05-0117524510.3390/toxins17050245Survey of Microcystin-Producing Cyanobacteria in French Lakes of Various Trophic Status Using Environmental and Cyanobacterial Parameters and an Active Mussel BiomonitoringEmilie Lance0Alexandra Lepoutre1Luc Brient2Nicolas Maurin3Emmanuel Guillon4Alain Geffard5Dominique Amon-Moreau6UMR-I 02 INERIS-URCA-ULH Stress Environnementaux et Biosurveillance des Milieux Aquatiques, Bâtiment 18, BP 1039, 51687 Reims CEDEX 2, FranceUMR-I 02 INERIS-URCA-ULH Stress Environnementaux et Biosurveillance des Milieux Aquatiques, Bâtiment 18, BP 1039, 51687 Reims CEDEX 2, FranceUMR ECOBIO, Université de Rennes 1, 35042 Rennes CEDEX, FranceInstitut de Chimie Moléculaire Reims—UMR CNRS 7312, UFR Sciences Exactes et Naturelles, Bâtiment 18, BP 1039, 51687 Reims CEDEX 2, FranceInstitut de Chimie Moléculaire Reims—UMR CNRS 7312, UFR Sciences Exactes et Naturelles, Bâtiment 18, BP 1039, 51687 Reims CEDEX 2, FranceUMR-I 02 INERIS-URCA-ULH Stress Environnementaux et Biosurveillance des Milieux Aquatiques, Bâtiment 18, BP 1039, 51687 Reims CEDEX 2, FranceÉtablissement Public Territorial de Bassin Seine Grands Lacs, 12 rue Villiot, 75012 Paris, FranceMicrocystins (MCs), hepatotoxins produced by cyanobacteria, represent a potential threat to aquatic ecosystems and human health. Measuring various environmental and cyanobacterial parameters in water samples can be useful for monitoring water quality and assessing risk but remains a short-term approach. Beyond local risk assessments, estimating global and medium-term levels of freshwater contamination by MC-producing cyanobacteria is challenging in large lakes due to the spatio-temporal variability of their proliferation and the need to multiply sampling dates and locations. In such conditions, a sentinel organism can be valuable for monitoring MCs in situ and providing a time-integrated picture of contamination levels at various stations. We previously assessed the ability of the freshwater bivalves <i>Anodonta anatina</i> and <i>Dreissena polymorpha</i> to act as biointegrators of MCs, even under low exposure levels to cyanobacteria. In this study, through a two-season investigation in several French lakes experiencing moderate cyanobacterial blooms, we evaluated the relevance of various parameters (cyanobacterial density and biovolume, chlorophyll-a, and phycocyanin) as well as the use of bivalves as indicators of medium-term freshwater contamination by MC-producing cyanobacteria. MC concentrations in cyanobacterial biomass (intracellular MCs) and in bivalves (free MCs, being unbound, and total free and protein-bound accumulated MCs) were measured alongside the characterization of phytoplankton communities. Both mussels integrated and highlighted the presence of intracellular MCs in the environment over the period between two successive water samplings, even at low contamination levels, demonstrating their suitability for in situ biomonitoring of MC-producing cyanobacteria. The results are discussed in terms of the strengths and limitations of different parameters for assessing MC contamination levels in waters depending on the objective (managing, preventing, or global evaluation) and the monitoring strategies used.https://www.mdpi.com/2072-6651/17/5/245cyanobacteriamicrocystinsmonitoringbivalvesbiomonitoring
spellingShingle Emilie Lance
Alexandra Lepoutre
Luc Brient
Nicolas Maurin
Emmanuel Guillon
Alain Geffard
Dominique Amon-Moreau
Survey of Microcystin-Producing Cyanobacteria in French Lakes of Various Trophic Status Using Environmental and Cyanobacterial Parameters and an Active Mussel Biomonitoring
Toxins
cyanobacteria
microcystins
monitoring
bivalves
biomonitoring
title Survey of Microcystin-Producing Cyanobacteria in French Lakes of Various Trophic Status Using Environmental and Cyanobacterial Parameters and an Active Mussel Biomonitoring
title_full Survey of Microcystin-Producing Cyanobacteria in French Lakes of Various Trophic Status Using Environmental and Cyanobacterial Parameters and an Active Mussel Biomonitoring
title_fullStr Survey of Microcystin-Producing Cyanobacteria in French Lakes of Various Trophic Status Using Environmental and Cyanobacterial Parameters and an Active Mussel Biomonitoring
title_full_unstemmed Survey of Microcystin-Producing Cyanobacteria in French Lakes of Various Trophic Status Using Environmental and Cyanobacterial Parameters and an Active Mussel Biomonitoring
title_short Survey of Microcystin-Producing Cyanobacteria in French Lakes of Various Trophic Status Using Environmental and Cyanobacterial Parameters and an Active Mussel Biomonitoring
title_sort survey of microcystin producing cyanobacteria in french lakes of various trophic status using environmental and cyanobacterial parameters and an active mussel biomonitoring
topic cyanobacteria
microcystins
monitoring
bivalves
biomonitoring
url https://www.mdpi.com/2072-6651/17/5/245
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