Cyanobacterial Toxin Dynamics in Aquatic Ecosystems
Summary
Cyanobacteria are ubiquitous photosynthetic prokaryotes that can form dense blooms in freshwater, estuarine and coastal habitats under conditions of elevated nutrient loading and warming. These blooms often release a suite of bioactive secondary metabolites—collectively known as cyanotoxins—including hepatotoxic peptides (microcystins), alkaloids (saxitoxins, cylindrospermopsin) and non-protein amino acids (BMAA). Toxin dynamics encompass biosynthesis within cyanobacterial cells, extracellular release during bloom senescence, chemical transformation in the water column and uptake by plants and animals. Environmental drivers such as eutrophication, hydrodynamics, light regimes and microbial degradation govern the spatial and temporal distribution of toxins. Once released, cyanotoxins may persist, undergo photochemical or microbial breakdown, sorb to particulates or bioaccumulate in aquatic organisms, with repercussions for ecosystem function, food-web structure and public health. Interdisciplinary approaches, combining high-resolution analytical chemistry, genomics and ecological modelling, have advanced understanding of toxin fate, while integrative management strategies aim to mitigate bloom frequency and reduce exposure risks at the land–water interface.
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Cyanobacterial Toxin Dynamics in Aquatic Ecosystems publication trend
The graph below shows the total number of articles in cyanobacterial toxin dynamics in aquatic ecosystems across all publications each year (not limited to Nature Index journals).
Technical terms
Eutrophication: Enrichment of waters with nutrients, notably nitrogen and phosphorus, leading to excessive algal and cyanobacterial growth.
Microcystins: A family of cyclic heptapeptide hepatotoxins produced by several bloom-forming cyanobacteria, inhibiting serine/threonine protein phosphatases.
Bioaccumulation: Process by which toxins concentrate in the tissues of organisms over time, potentially magnifying along trophic levels.
Metabolome: The complete set of small-molecule metabolites present within a biological sample, reflecting its physiological and biochemical state.
Holobiont: The composite organism formed by a host and its associated microbial symbionts, considered as a functional ecological unit.
References
- Disruption of fish gut microbiota composition and holobiont’s metabolome during a simulated Microcystis aeruginosa (Cyanobacteria) bloom. Microbiome (2023).
- Uptake of the cyanobacterial toxin microcystin by crop plants irrigated with contaminated wastewater: a review. Reviews in Environmental Science and Bio/Technology (2025).
- CyanoMetDB, a comprehensive public database of secondary metabolites from cyanobacteria. Water Research (2021).
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