Information in this section is from the 2003 Golden Alga Workshop and was current at that time. Please see the main Golden Alga page and Current Bloom Status for up-to-date information.
Golden Alga Workshop
List of Research Needs for the Study of Prymnesium parvum in Texas
The list below was developed from the Golden Alga Workshop recommendations and was reordered by the TPWD Golden Alga Task Force based on priority criteria and funding feasibility. This list will be used in determining proposals to be funded by TPWD and for seeking additional funding and cooperative studies. Procedures for applying for research funding from TPWD will be listed in the golden alga website portion of the TPWD website .
Research Needing Funding:
- Develop cost-effective, viable mitigation for bloom and toxin
treatment in large natural ecosystems. A current list of treatment
alternatives includes the following:
a. Use of decomposing barley straw to limit or prevent cell proliferation
b. Use of Christmas trees to limit or prevent cell proliferation
c. Use of clay flocculation in certain locations
d. Comparative advantages of PAC or other flocculant application
e. Biological control options (including Kathablepharis)
f. Ultrasonics, ozonation, and chemical flocculation
g. “Last resort” chemical control alternatives (may be appropriate in specific situations where severe lethality and other environmental concerns take a back seat)
h. Water system operation and potential alternatives for river flow alteration (Consider political dimensions.) - Monitor affected systems for specific blooms (start to finish); include sampling during non-bloom times for baseline data. (Some parameters include physical data such as temperature, salinity, alkalinity, light, turbidity, flow levels; chemical data such as dissolved oxygen, dissolved and particulate nitrogen, phosphorus, and carbon; and biological data such as phytoplankton composition and concentrations.) A Rapid Response plan should be developed.
- Research golden alga bloom causes, particularly related to nitrogen and phosphorus ratios and nutrient loading conditions. Explore if reasonable controls on septic tanks are likely to help or not; include cost/benefit analysis. Establish if there is an association of golden alga with introduced species in Texas.
- Explore bloom triggers and ending points for P. parvum; understand the importance of grazing and nutrient limitation (including carbon dioxide availability) for P. parvum growth.
- Investigate the conditions and triggers necessary for toxin production and fish kills; include the roles/dependencies of obligate needs for a dark cycle, nutrients and their interactions, conflicting temperature/salinity evidence, fish-stimulated production, and P. parvum densities.
- Develop predictive models, tools and techniques to recognize conditions supporting future blooms and prevent them. (Models will also spotlight gaps in knowledge to direct future research.)
- Develop hand-held field tools to identify alga and toxins. (Possibilities include electrochemical detection of toxic algae, rapid detection rRNA probes for toxic algae, ChemScanRDI (a laser based system to quickly analyze FISH-experiments), DNA-microarrays for monitoring phytoplankton composition, and oligonucleotide probes.)
- Establish and communicate reliable economic statistics for golden alga impact and remediation.
- Communicate and engage stakeholders about golden alga issues in Texas; include a public outreach strategy.
- Study and understand the “lethal cocktail” of toxins present from P. parvum and the dynamics of toxin production in different systems. These would include hemolysins, neurotoxins, fast-acting ichthyotoxins (cycloamines), reactive oxygen species H2O2, O 2- and OH-, DMSP, and toxic fatty acids; study spatial and temporal variations in toxin levels.
- Study and communicate the strengths and weaknesses of current mitigation strategies in hatcheries and contained systems; explore other mitigation strategies in these systems.
- Identify and study the resting stage of P. parvum, including distribution in Texas.
- Investigate methods and procedures to prevent the spread of golden alga to an uninfected water body; include potential transfers via boats.
- Coordinate water quality and other data statewide.
Research Presently Funded:
The following initiatives were identified at the workshop and are included in an already-funded State Wildlife Grant to TPWD for golden alga issues. While additional funding may be needed in the future, these actions are already being undertaken.
- Conduct a historical analysis and data mining of bloom and non-bloom areas; include meteorological data and spatial and temporal variations in toxicity. Data management with Geographic Information System (GIS) databases are needed for georeference.
- Develop information on distribution of golden alga in Texas rivers and reservoirs.
- Host a scientific workshop to bring together professionals interested in golden alga in Texas. Create a public and professional website to enhance communication.
- Explore the genetic strain of Texas golden alga and compare to worldwide golden alga. Establish how many strains are in Texas and if they are the same or related.