This study was conducted to evaluate the characteristics of geosmin production of Anabaena circinalis under different environmental condition. The test cyanobacterium was isolated from Lake Paldang. The growth rate and geosmin production of A. circinalis were examined with different variables including temperature (10, 15, 20, 25℃), light intensity (60, 120, 240 μmol photons m-2 s-1), and phosphorus concentration (0.01, 0.05, 0.25, 0.50, 1.00 mg L-1). The highest growth rate and chlorophyll-a (Chl-a) concentration appeared at 25℃, 60 μmol photons m-2 s-1 and 1.00 mgP L-1 for temperature, light intensity, and P concentration, respectively. Total geosmin production was highest at the optimal growth condition of each variable, while chlorophyll-specific geosmin production (the ratio of geosmin to Chl-a) was higher at the less favorable growth condition, indicating high potential of the off-flavor problem during low temperature period, e.g., late fall and early winter. Our results demonstrated that geosmin production of A. circinalis was directly related to chlorophyll synthesis and varied with cellular growth condition.

September 2014 and March 2015 at the three sites (PD-1, PD-2 and PD-3) of Lake Paldang. Nitrogen and phosphorus concentrations were higher at PD-2 than at PD-1 and PD-3. TSI (TN) values at the three field sites were in the range of 65~85, which were the level of eutrophic or hypereutrophic state. TSI (TP) also showed high values (49~68), which were the level of mesotrophic or eutrophic state. Akinete germination potential was higher at PD-2 with increased nutrient (nitrogen and phosphorus), and algal growth potential also increased with nutrient enrichment.

Akinete germination may be a starting point of some akinete-producing cyanobacterial blooms in eutrophic freshwater systems. This study examined germinability of akinete of a cyanobacterium Anabaena circinalis isolated from the sediment of the North Han River (Cheongpyung Dam), Korea, under several environmental factors such as temperature (5∼25℃), light (0∼100μmol photons m-2 s-1), nutrients (nitrogen and phosphorus) and pH (5~12). The high germination rate appeared at high temperature: >55% at 25℃, followed by 15% at 15℃, 10℃ and 10% at 5℃. Low light intensity was favorable for akinete germination. Over 45% of germination occurred at low light intensities (5, 15 and 30μmol photons m-2 s-1), while less than 10% of germination occurred at both 50 and 100μmol photons m-2 s-1. No germination occurred in the dark condition. Akinete germination rate increased with nutrient (phosphorus and nitrogen) enrichment, and nitrogen addition showed greater effect on the germination compared to phosphorus addition. Akinetes germinated well at neutral or slightly alkaline pH condition (pH 7 and pH 8: >55%), but no germination was observed at pH 11~12. The present study demonstrates some favorable ambient conditions of Anabaena circinalis germination, which could provide useful information to study the germination conditions of other Anabaena species or akinete-forming algae and predict its bloom in eutrophic freshwaters.

본 연구는 최근 북한강 수계에서 번성하고 있는 Anabaena strain의 16S rDNA 염기서열을 이용한 종 수준의 동정과 geosmin 합성 유전자의 탐침을 통해 이취미 물질의 잠재 생산능력을 분석하였다. 현장(경기도 양평군 조암면 삼봉리 수역)에서 분리 배양한 Anabaena는 직선형과 나선형 두 가지의 형태적 변이를 보였다. 이들은 세포의 크기와 사상체에서 형태적 차이를 나타냈으며, A. circinalis 및 A. crassa와 유사한 형태적 특징들을 보여주었다. 그러나 16S rDNA 계통수 및 유연관계를 분석한 결과, 직선형과 나선형 모두 동일한 A. circinalis 종으로 확인되었다(98%~100%의 유전적 유사도). 또한 직선형과 나선형 strain 모두에서 geosmin을 합성하는 유전자 구간이 발견되어, 북한강 수계에 존재하는 Anabaena circinalis는 종의 형태적 변이에 관계없이 geosmin을 생산할 수 있음을 보여주었다. 본 연구의 결과는 유전자 수준에서 A. circinalis의 geosmin 생산에 대한 직접적인 증거를 제공하는 국내 최초의 보고로서 북한강 수계에서 geosmin 증가의 원인종 확인 및 관리에 중요한 자료를 제공한다.

This study was carried out in the Bukhan River in the summer of 2014 and 2015, to identify the relationship between geosmin and the morphological changes in Anabaena. Identification of Anabaena was conducted using morphological and molecular analyses. Anabaena in this study was similar to Anabaena circinalis, A. crass, and A. spiroides with regard to regular coils, vegetative cell, akinete shape, and size, hoever, it was distinguishabl from A. crass and A. spiroides because of its larger trichome coil size. Additionally, the sequences of phycocyanin (PC) gene from Anabaena showed a 99% genetic similarity with A. circinalis NIES-1647 strain. The coil diameter of trichome ranged from 106 to 899 μm, and the diameter and abundance showed an insignificant positive correlation (r=0.544, p<0.05). The result of relationship between the coil diameter and the cell number per 360-degree rotation was kept at 33.8±5.2 cells per 100 μm diameter despite variable diameter. The average geosmin concentrations in 2014 and 2015 were investigated to be 99 ng/L and 35 ng/L, respectively. A. circinalis cell density contributed considerably to the change in geosmin and was positively correlated with geosmin concentration (2014; r=0.599, p<0.01, 2015; r=0.559, p<0.01). Our results suggest that geosmin and coil diameter could be estimated with the help of cell density.