This article has been reviewed according to Science X's editorial process and policies. Editors have highlighted the following attributes while ensuring the content's credibility: A new study by researchers at the University of South Florida and Florida Atlantic University has demonstrated that a DNA sequencing tool can rapidly identify harmful algae in coastal waters, offering a new approach for monitoring species that could lead to improved methods for detecting potentially dangerous species before blooms become widespread. The findings are published in a paper titled "Near real-time long-read eDNA sequencing reveals harmful algal bloom dynamics in the Indian River Lagoon" in PLOS Water.
The research team used a specialized tool called the Oxford Nanopore MinION to identify harmful algal bloom (HAB) species at 20 sites across Florida's Indian River Lagoon. Using the technology, they found 11 harmful algal bloom species, including species responsible for brown and red tides, with some at very low concentrations. Researchers also found that harmful algal blooms don't exist in a silo: their impact is a cooperative effort.
Their findings could enhance the understanding of how environmental drivers shape bloom risk across brackish coastal systems, particularly in Florida. The team included Justin Gibbons, a computational biologist in the Department of Global, Environmental, and Genomic Health Sciences in the USF College of Public Health; and Rays H.Y. Jiang, an associate professor in the genomics program at the college.
They collaborated with faculty at FAU's Harbor Branch Oceanographic Institute in Boca Raton, including Greg O'Corry-Crowe, research professor; Heidi Pagáan, research associate; and Tatiana Ferrer, coordinator of research programs. "The result that stood out to me the most was the frequent co-occurrence of the harmful algal bloom species," Gibbons said. "This suggests that there are either shared ecological drivers for them or that they somehow interact and promote the growth of each other." The study focused on the Indian River Lagoon, a brackish estuary system 156 miles (251 kilometers) long on Florida's east coast.
One of North America's most biologically diverse bodies of water, it supports more than 4,300 species of plants and animals. But HABs threaten the harmony of the ecosystem. To understand how HABs develop and spread, the team analyzed environmental DNA in lagoon water.
Rather than looking at the bacterial marker commonly used in microbial studies, they targeted a specific eukaryotic ribosomal RNA gene, which provides a window into algae that cause blooms. A eukaryotic organism has a distinct, membrane-bound nucleus that holds its genetic material. Using the Oxford Nanopore MinION, the team performed real-time, full-length sequencing of microbial communities across 20 sites in the lagoon.
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