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Impact of temperature and species interaction on filamentous cyanobacteria may be more important than salinity and increased pCO2 levels

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Abstract

A future business-as-usual scenario (A1FI) was tested on two bloom-forming cyanobacteria of the Baltic Proper, Nodularia spumigena and Aphanizomenon sp., growing separately and together. The projected scenario was tested in two laboratory experiments where (a) interactive effects of increased temperature and decreased salinity and (b) interactive effects of increased temperature and elevated levels of pCO2 were tested. Increased temperature, from 12 to 16 °C, had a positive effect on the biovolume and photosynthetic activity (F v/F m) of both species. Compared when growing separately, the biovolume of each species was lower when grown together. Decreased salinity, from 7 to 4, and elevated levels of pCO2, from 380 to 960 ppm, had no effect on the biovolume, but on F v/F m of N. spumigena with higher F v/F m in salinity 7. Our results suggest that the projected A1FI scenario might be beneficial for the two species dominating the extensive summer blooms in the Baltic Proper. However, our results further stress the importance of studying interactions between species.

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Acknowledgments

This study was financed by Magnus Bergvall Foundation and Oscar and Lili Lamm Foundation. We thank M. Appelgren, M. Mohlin, A. Torstensson and K. Vikström for assistance in the laboratory. We are grateful to J. Havenhand, S. Dupont and an anonymous reviewer for constructive criticism, improving an earlier version of the manuscript.

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  1. Department of Biological and Environmental Sciences, University of Gothenburg, Box 461, 405 30, Göteborg, Sweden

    Maria Karlberg & Angela Wulff

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  1. Maria Karlberg
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Correspondence to Maria Karlberg.

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Communicated by S. Dupont.

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Karlberg, M., Wulff, A. Impact of temperature and species interaction on filamentous cyanobacteria may be more important than salinity and increased pCO2 levels. Mar Biol 160, 2063–2072 (2013). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00227-012-2078-3

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