Identifying microcystin toxins at the land-sea interface in Lummi Bay and Bellingham Bay, Washington

识别华盛顿州卢米湾和贝灵厄姆湾陆海界面的微囊藻毒素

• 批准号: 1721285
• 负责人: Melissa Peacock
• 金额: $ 19.99万
• 依托单位: Northwest Indian College
• 依托单位国家: 美国
• 项目类别: Standard Grant
• 财政年份: 2017
• 资助国家: 美国
• 起止时间: 2017-12-01 至 2020-11-30
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://www.nsf.gov/awardsearch/showAward?AWD_ID=1721285&HistoricalAwards=false
• 关键词: Identifying; microcystin; toxins; land; sea

The Tribal Colleges and University Program is designed to support improvements in the science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) education and research capacities of colleges and universities that serve significant numbers of Native students in the United States. Strengthening these educational opportunities serves to increase the number of Indigenous people attaining STEM degrees and thereby diversify the STEM workforce in the United States. The project titled "Identifying Microcystin Toxins at the Land-Sea Interface in Lummi Bay and Bellingham Bay, Washington", aligns with these outcomes through its investigation of the water quality in the bays surrounding the Lummi Indian Reservation. The team conducting the research project is comprised of highly qualified faculty members and STEM students from Northwest Indian College (NWIC). Microcystin toxins, produced by a group of cyanobacteria known as Microcysts spp., are a recognized water contamination threat in the coastal waters of the northwestern United States that pose considerable risks to the health of humans and other animals who eat contaminated shellfish. Through this research study, the research team from NWIC systematically monitor water quality at seventeen identified sites in the bays to 1) delineate the pathways leading to microsystin contamination in Lummi and Bellingham Bays, 2) detect local "hot spots" for Microcystis spp. in freshwater tributaries that feed into the bays, and 3) identify environmental conditions that may be influencing toxin production. Native student interns will be engaged in every aspect of this work and through coursework and fieldwork will build their knowledge and skills as developing researchers. A rigorous monitoring system will be developed to enable regular comprehensive study of the waters around the Lummi Reservation. The potential contamination of the marine ecosystem is an issue of health, economic, and cultural significance to the Lummi people and the larger community living in the northwest coastal region. Results of the study will be shared widely with the scientific community and area citizenry. Findings will be valuable in informing resource management decisions and guidelines for safe shellfish consumption.The increasing occurrence of harmful algal blooms (HABs) contaminating the marine food web in the coastal waters of the western United States portends the rise of serious health and economic issues related to cyanotoxin bioaccumulation in shellfish. Active monitoring of Washington's inland waters is lacking even as this area has experienced repeated events of unacceptable microcystin toxin levels in recent years. This emerging threat is addressed in the project through the development of a comprehensive monitoring system for the watersheds that feed into Lummi and Bellingham Bays on Washington's western coast to identify the sources of and environmental drivers associated with microcystin transfer from freshwater to marine environments in those waters. Faculty members will work with Native students from Northwest Indian College (NWIC) in conducting the study. Weekly water samples will be collected using Solid Phase Adsorption Toxin Tracking (SPATT) bags at seventeen sites predicted to be involved in or at risk for contamination. Samples will be analyzed to measure toxin levels using liquid chromatography mass spectrometry (LCMS). Temperature, cell count, and nutrient measurements will also be recorded. Findings will be valuable in developing water quality forecasting models and resource management plans for west coast freshwater and marine environments. Results will be shared widely through publication in peer-reviewed journals and community forums, and data will be accessible to researchers and citizens. NWIC students will gain knowledge and skills in conducting research through the courses, field work, and bench work they complete while engaged in this project, while the college will build research and curricular capacity.

部落学院和大学计划旨在支持提高为大量美国本土学生服务的学院和大学的科学、技术、工程和数学 (STEM) 教育和研究能力。加强这些教育机会有助于增加获得 STEM 学位的原住民数量，从而使美国的 STEM 劳动力多样化。该项目名为“识别华盛顿州卢米湾和贝灵厄姆湾陆海界面的微囊藻毒素”，通过对卢米印第安人保留地周围海湾的水质调查，与这些结果相一致。开展该研究项目的团队由来自西北印度学院 (NWIC) 的高素质教职人员和 STEM 学生组成。微囊藻毒素由一群被称为微囊藻属的蓝藻产生，是美国西北部沿海水域公认的水污染威胁，对食用受污染贝类的人类和其他动物的健康构成相当大的风险。通过这项研究，NWIC 的研究团队系统地监测了海湾 17 个已确定地点的水质，以 1) 描绘导致卢米和贝灵汉湾微系统素污染的途径，2) 检测当地微囊藻属的“热点”。流入海湾的淡水支流，以及 3) 确定可能影响毒素产生的环境条件。本土学生实习生将参与这项工作的各个方面，并通过课程作业和实地考察来建立他们作为发展研究人员的知识和技能。将开发严格的监测系统，以便定期全面研究鲁米保护区周围的水域。海洋生态系统的潜在污染对卢米人和生活在西北沿海地区的广大社区来说是一个具有健康、经济和文化意义的问题。研究结果将与科学界和地区公民广泛分享。研究结果对于为资源管理决策和安全贝类消费指南提供信息将具有重要意义。美国西部沿海水域有害藻华（HAB）污染海洋食物网的情况日益增多，预示着与贝类中蓝藻毒素生物积累相关的严重健康和经济问题的出现。尽管近年来该地区多次发生微囊藻毒素毒素水平不可接受的事件，但仍缺乏对华盛顿内陆水域的积极监测。该项目通过对流入华盛顿西海岸卢米湾和贝灵汉湾的流域开发综合监测系统来解决这一新出现的威胁，以确定与微囊藻毒素从这些水域的淡水转移到海洋环境相关的来源和环境驱动因素。教职人员将与西北印度学院 (NWIC) 的本地学生合作进行这项研究。每周将使用固相吸附毒素追踪 (SPATT) 袋在 17 个预计涉及污染或有污染风险的地点收集水样。将使用液相色谱质谱法 (LCMS) 分析样品以测量毒素水平。温度、细胞计数和营养测量值也将被记录。研究结果对于开发西海岸淡水和海洋环境的水质预测模型和资源管理计划非常有价值。研究结果将通过在同行评审期刊和社区论坛上发表来广泛分享，研究人员和公民也可以获取数据。 NWIC 学生将通过参与该项目期间完成的课程、实地工作和实验工作获得进行研究的知识和技能，而学院将建设研究和课程能力。