Can Algicidal Bacteria be the Solution to Successfully Manage Freshwater Algal Blooms?

Abstract

Eutrophication is a phenomenon that can occur in any water body, caused by an excessive input of nutrients, particularly nitrogen and phosphorus. This causes the rapid growth of primary producers (usually an algae bloom), which depletes other nutrients in water and can cause disruption of the local ecosystem. The algal bloom, pollute drinking water, wildlife water reservoirs, and collapse ecosystems. Eutrophication has increased in recent years due to anthropogenic climate change and increased nutrient loading from agriculture and industrial wastewater. In freshwater, the most common bacterium causing algal blooms are Cyanobacteria, such as Microcystis. Current management strategies have focused on reducing phosphorus, however in eutrophic freshwater, harmful algal blooms are mostly the result of Microcystis, a genus of cyanobacteria that is unable to fix its own nitrogen. Thus, managing aquatic nitrogen will become crucial in eutrophic freshwater bodies. A variety of physical, chemical, and biological methods have been proposed and implemented to reduce algal blooms at all stages, however each method has its limitations. A particularly novel line of management is microbial management, taking advantage of the high specificity and lower cost of microbial mediation. This paper review the current understanding of eutrophication-related algal blooms and their effects, discuss current management techniques for freshwater algal blooms, and evaluate the validity of using algicidal bacteria to combat Microcystis algal blooms.