WYOMISSING, Pa. — The green muck that sometimes appears on the surface of ponds and along the coast may be unsightly, but is it dangerous? Two Penn State Berks researchers are taking an interdisciplinary approach to study the microorganisms making up those green algal blooms, combining their individual knowledge of cyanobacteria and cellular processes, with the goal of helping to ensure that public lakes and waterways are safe for tourism and recreation.
Sarah Princiotta, an associate professor of biology at Penn State Berks, and Justin DiAngelo, professor and program chair of the biochemistry and molecular biology degree program at the college, have received a Penn State Presidential Public Impact Research Award (PPIRA) to help support their study, titled “Leveraging a water quality monitoring program to improve detection of harmful algal blooms.” The PPIRA program recognizes and supports faculty who are conducting research that benefits their communities.
Cyanobacteria, commonly known as blue-green algae, can form dense proliferations or “blooms” in an aquatic environment, turning the water bright green and potentially releasing toxic compounds at the same time. This surface scum depletes oxygen levels crucial to the survival of fish, and it has been attributed to illness and death in wildlife and illness in humans.
“Cyanobacteria are natural in lakes and waterways; they are one of the earliest microbes that populated our planet,” Princiotta said, noting that a warming climate has upset the balance of the microbes that naturally live in aquatic environments. “We’re seeing more frequent and more severe bloom events that last for longer durations, and they are damaging for aquatic life, for pets and for people. … It’s a public health issue, a sustainability issue and a financial issue.”
Better understanding of why and when blooms occur, the researchers explained, could provide managers of lakes and reservoirs, including Blue Marsh Lake in Berks County and Lake Wallenpaupack in Warren and Pike Counties, advance notice of potential blooms, allowing them to take precautions that help keep visitors and local communities safe.
At Lake Wallenpaupack, where Princiotta has conducted research in the past, she and DiAngelo will work with Lacawac Sanctuary, a nonprofit ecological field station, and Pocono Lake Ecological Observatory Network (PLEON) Lake School, an environmental education center, which conducts on-the-ground monitoring every month. The field center will collect lake water and bring it to the Penn State Berks lab for analysis. The researchers will specifically assess the microbes present and quantify the cells expressing cyanobacteria toxin-associated genes.
The team will also evaluate which genes the algae are actively expressing, meaning the genetic instructions are being translated into functional production. In this case, Princiotta explained that algae can carry genetic instructions for producing toxins without actually producing the toxins, like a person carrying a gene for a particular disease that may or may not become active in their lifetime.
“With these cells, we think they have the gene, but we need to know whether it’s been ‘turned on,’” DiAngelo said, explaining that once a gene is activated, its code is read and the cell begins producing whatever the code dictates. They’re investigating if environmental changes, like different nutrients and levels of availability, affects the production of toxins.
By understanding if toxin production is influenced by environmental changes, DiAngelo said, there’s potential for better understanding what triggers blooms. For example, routine sampling could reveal increasing levels of phosphorus or nitrogen, which can end up in waterways via multiple pathways including as agricultural runoff. If the researchers can determine the precise nutrient combinations and amounts that trigger gene activation, they can better pinpoint when algae will bloom and at what point the bloom becomes dangerous for humans and animals.
Taking an interdisciplinary approach
Princiotta has spent most of her career studying blue-green algae, and she said she was excited to partner with DiAngelo on this research to learn about different techniques that she could use in her work.
“The funding provided an opportunity for me to learn molecular methods from Justin, and apply those to my research questions related to cyanobacteria bloom development/toxin production,” Princiotta explained. She added that the potential for a collaboration with someone who uses these techniques in molecular biology was amongst the reasons that she pursued a position at Penn State Berks.
Meanwhile, DiAngelo, who has spent his career studying the genes and pathways that tissues use to regulate energy homeostasis in the common fruit fly, said he welcomed the opportunity to apply his research expertise to a new field of study.
“I enjoy learning new things,” DiAngelo said. “While the study of microorganisms is new to me, I can apply the techniques I use to study larger organisms and learn how they translate.”
Cultivating the next generation of scientists
In addition to the potential benefits of the research to the community, their study is also helping to prepare student researchers for their future careers. Three Berks students are currently assisting with the study: Malachi Bodman, a third-year integrative science major; Haylee Felix, a second-year biology major; and Aramis Rosario Gonzalez, a fourth-year biology major.