title: Production and sedimentation of peptide toxins nodularin-R and microcystin-LR in the northern Baltic Sea.
abstract: This seven-year survey was primarily targeted to quantification of production of nodularin-R (NOD-R), a cyclic pentapeptide hepatotoxin, in Baltic Sea cyanobacteria waterblooms. Additionally, NOD-R and microcystin-LR (MC-LR; a cyclic heptapeptide toxin) sedimentation rates and NOD-R sediment storage were estimated. NOD-R production (70-2450 microg m(-3); approximately 1 kg km(-2) per season) and sedimentation rates (particles; 0.03-5.7 microg m(-2)d(-1); approximately 0.3kg km(-2) per season) were highly variable over space and time. Cell numbers of Nodularia spumigena did not correlate with NOD-R quantities. Dissolved NOD-R comprised 57-100% of total NOD-R in the predominantly senescent, low-intensity phytoplankton blooms and seston. Unprecedentedly intensive MC-LR sedimentation (0.56 microg m(-2)d(-1)) occurred in 2004. Hepatotoxin sedimentation rates highly exceeded those of anthropogenic xenobiotics. NOD-R storage in surficial sediments was 0.4-20 microg kg(-1) ( approximately 0.1 kg km(-2)). Loss of NOD-R within the chain consisting of phytoplankton, seston and soft sediments seemed very effective.
authors.affiliation: Finnish Institute of Marine Research, Helsinki, Finland. kankaanpaa@fimr.fi
authors.forename: Harri T
authors.initials: HT
authors.lastname: Kankaanpää
authors.forename: Olli
authors.initials: O
authors.lastname: Sjövall
authors.forename: Maija
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Huttunen
authors.forename: Miikka
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Olin
authors.forename: Krister
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Karlsson
authors.forename: Kirsi
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Hyvärinen
authors.forename: Laura
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Sneitz
authors.forename: Janne
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Härkönen
authors.forename: Vesa O
authors.initials: VO
authors.lastname: Sipiä
authors.forename: Jussi A O
authors.initials: JA
authors.lastname: Meriluoto
mesh_terms: D001427:Bacterial Toxins / Q000032:analysis / Q000096:biosynthesis*; D000458:Cyanobacteria / Q000378:metabolism; D004784:Environmental Monitoring / Q000379:methods; D019015:Geologic Sediments / Q000737:chemistry*; D008387:Marine Toxins / Q000032:analysis / Q000096:biosynthesis*; D052998:Microcystins / Q000032:analysis / Q000096:biosynthesis*; D046932:Nodularia / Q000378:metabolism; D009659:North Sea; D010456:Peptides, Cyclic / Q000032:analysis / Q000096:biosynthesis*; D012623:Seawater / Q000382:microbiology; D014871:Water Microbiology
chemical_list: D001427:Bacterial Toxins; D008387:Marine Toxins; D052998:Microcystins; D010456:Peptides, Cyclic; C063998:nodularin; C057862:cyanoginosin LR