Assessing anatoxin-producing benthic cyanobacteria and river ecosystem productivity

This was a presentation at the May 22nd, 2024 Klamath Basin Monitoring Program (KBMP) Meeting in Yreka, CA by Joanna Blaszczak from the University of Nevada, Reno. Presentation Summary: Recent advances in sensor technology and modeling have allowed us to both more accurately estimate gross primary productivity (GPP) in rivers and link GPP to autotrophic biomass estimates (Bernhardt et al. 2022, Blaszczak et al. 2023). While we know that GPP is influenced by both exogenous controls such as light and flow (Bernhardt et al. 2022) and endogenous controls such as density dependent growth (Borlestean et al. 2015, Blaszczak et al. 2023), the relative strength of these predictors on benthic cyanobacteria accrual and anatoxin production is unclear. By assessing synchrony between GPP and benthic cyanobacteria accrual, we can evaluate whether controls on GPP are like those on benthic cyanobacteria. This research also aims to determine if forecasts of GPP can be used as one of many predictors in near-term iterative forecasts of benthic cyanobacterial proliferations. As data required to model GPP is readily available, this information would be beneficial to freshwater managers who otherwise must go out and make discrete and costly toxin measurements.