Interview 1:

Institution: Hengyang Monitoring Station of Hunan Province Urban Water Supply Water Quality Monitoring Network

Q: What is the definition of algal blooms?
A: When we talk about algal blooms (eutrophication of water bodies), we are referring to the abnormal growth of algae and bacteria in water bodies, usually due to excessive nutrients (such as nitrogen and phosphorus) entering the water, disrupting the ecological balance. This situation may have negative impacts on the aquatic ecosystem, water quality, and human health.

Q: What are the microorganisms that commonly cause algal blooms (eutrophication of water bodies)?
A: Eutrophication of water bodies usually leads to excessive growth of microorganisms such as algae and bacteria, which can trigger algal blooms. The commonly seen microorganisms include algae and planktonic organisms. Among them: Algae: planktonic algae, cyanobacteria (blue-green algae). Planktonic organisms: phytoplankton and zooplankton.

Interview 2:

Institution: Hengyang Monitoring Station of Hunan Province Urban Water Supply Water Quality Monitoring Network

Q: What are some practical measures for the prevention and control of freshwater algal blooms?
A: Early prevention measures for algal blooms mainly focus on reducing nutrient input, monitoring water conditions, and taking proactive control measures to prevent excessive growth of microorganisms that can trigger algal blooms. Here are some specific measures for early prevention of algal blooms: Nutrient control. Agricultural management: Adopting precision fertilization techniques, applying fertilizers according to crop needs to avoid excessive fertilization. Proper crop rotation and intercropping arrangements can reduce nutrient loss. Soil conservation measures: Using agricultural practices that maintain soil fertility, such as crop residue cover and afforestation, help reduce soil erosion and nutrient loss. Water quality monitoring and warning systems. Regular monitoring: Setting up fixed monitoring points, collecting water samples periodically for analysis, and monitoring parameters such as nitrogen, phosphorus, dissolved oxygen, and algae in the water. On-site monitoring: Using portable water quality analyzers, quick water quality tests can be conducted in the field to rapidly assess water conditions. Water level regulation: For artificial lakes, adjusting water levels appropriately according to seasonal changes helps maintain ecological balance. Suspension treatment: Removing nutrient-rich suspended solids at the bottom of lakes through mechanical methods or biological precipitants reduces nutrient release. Hydrodynamic control: Increasing oxygen content in water by using water pumps, bubble systems, etc., disrupts the growth environment of algae. Biological control: Introducing predatory zooplankton, such as water fleas, to feed on algae, helps control excessive algal growth. Green infrastructure construction: Building green infrastructures such as wetlands, vegetative buffer strips along rivers, and rain gardens helps absorb nutrients, purify rainwater, and reduce nutrient input.

Early prevention of algal blooms requires cooperation from multiple parties, including source control of nutrients, regular monitoring of water quality, adoption of appropriate physical and biological control measures, as well as raising public awareness of environmental protection. The comprehensive application of these measures helps protect water health and reduce the risk of algal blooms.

Q: What are the current hazards caused by algal blooms?
A: Algal blooms (eutrophication) can lead to a series of severe ecological, environmental, and health problems. Here are some major hazards caused by algal blooms: Deterioration of water quality: Algal blooms cause excessive growth of algae, making the water turbid, reducing transparency, and affecting the clarity of the water, thereby reducing its aesthetic value and environmental quality. Oxygen depletion and hypoxia: After the explosive growth of algae, when they die and are decomposed by bacteria, they consume a large amount of dissolved oxygen, leading to water hypoxia, endangering the survival of aquatic organisms, and even causing mass fish mortality events. Toxin release: Some algae, especially cyanobacteria, may produce toxic algal toxins such as microcystins and cyanotoxins. These toxins can enter the food chain through contaminated fish and shellfish, posing risks to human health and causing food poisoning incidents. Disruption of ecological balance: Excessive algal growth caused by algal blooms can lead to an imbalance between phytoplankton and zooplankton, resulting in the proliferation of certain species and the decline of others, disrupting the ecological balance of the water body. Fish mortality: Algal blooms resulting in eutrophication and hypoxia can cause mass fish mortality, affecting fisheries resources, reducing catch yields, and causing economic losses to the fishing industry. Light limitation: Algal blooms form algal layers on the water surface, blocking sunlight and reducing the light penetration in the underwater ecosystem, affecting the growth of aquatic plants and zooplankton. Pollution source spreading: Toxins produced by toxic algae in algal blooms can be further spread to other areas by wind and waves, polluting water bodies and endangering ecosystems and water quality. Damage to ecological landscapes: Algal blooms make the water turbid and produce odor, reducing the aesthetics of water bodies and affecting the ecological landscapes of lakes, rivers, and other water bodies, resulting in negative impacts on tourism and leisure industries. Threat to human health: Toxins produced by toxic algae can enter the human body through drinking contaminated water, water activities, or consumption of contaminated food, causing gastrointestinal problems, skin irritation, respiratory problems, and even neurotoxic reactions. Economic impacts: Health issues, reduced fishery resources, damage to the tourism industry, etc., caused by algal blooms can result in economic losses, affecting sustainable development in local communities.

In summary, algal blooms pose serious threats to freshwater ecosystems, ecological balance, water quality, and human health. Therefore, it is crucial to prevent and control algal blooms and protect water body health for the sake of environmental sustainability.

Interview with Zhou Qiaohong and Ge Fangjie:

Institution: Institute of Hydrobiology, Chinese Academy of Sciences

Q: How exactly do harmful algal blooms affect the food safety of fish, crops, and other organisms consumed by humans?
A: The concept of "food security" encompasses more than just the traditional focus on grain and quantity. It represents a strategic shift and historical evolution in the food security concept espoused by the Central Party Committee, broadening the traditional boundaries of grain security to encompass food safety. Harmful algal blooms lead to changes in water quality, which affect biomass, which in turn affects both quality and quantity of food sources. The algae themselves produce toxins, such as microcystins, which can impact human livers. One well-known example of harmful algal blooms causing human disruption occurred during the 2007 Taihu Lake blue-green algae pollution event in Wuxi, which caused contamination of the entire city's tap water. Due to algae accumulation near the water source, large amounts of NH3, thiol, sulfides, and hydrogen sulfide were produced during anaerobic decomposition, causing a shortage of drinking water and hoarding of bottled water in supermarkets and shops.

How specifically do harmful algal blooms impact human food safety?
A: First, the toxins produced by harmful algal blooms can accumulate through the food chain. For example, fish and shrimp that feed on blue-green algae will transfer toxins from the algae to their bodies, which cannot metabolize the toxins. When humans consume these contaminated fish, they risk liver toxicity and potential cancer. Moreover, if plants are irrigated with contaminated water, they can absorb the toxins, leading to potential bioaccumulation.

Interview with Dr. Yan Yunjun:

Interviewee: Yan Yunjun
Bio: Dr. Yan Yunjun is from Luotian County, Hubei Province. He is the Vice Dean, Professor, Ph.D. Supervisor, and Deputy Director of the Key Laboratory of Ministry of Education for Biophysical and Biochemical Sciences at the School of Life Science and Technology, Huazhong University of Science and Technology. His research mainly focuses on synthetic biology, bio-based materials, energy biotechnology, enzyme engineering, and aquatic biology.

Q: Does the warning algal concentration for algal blooms vary among different lakes?
A: Taking Microcystis aeruginosa blooms in Erhai Lake as a research subject, a research team from Huazhong Normal University has classified the acute ecological risks of Microcystis blooms into three levels: low, medium, and high. The thresholds are as follows: less than 3.4x106 cells/L for low risk, between 3.4x106 and 3.4x107 cells/L for medium risk, and greater than 3.4x107 cells/L for high risk. According to the local standard in Kunming city, for the classification of Microcystis blooms in Dianchi Lake, an algal concentration between 1x107 cells/L and 5x107 cells/L is considered as mild blooms. This means there are visible algal aggregations in the form of filaments, bands, patches, etc., or suspended algal particles in the water. In the evaluation criteria for Taihu Lake's cyanobacterial bloom disaster assessment, an algal cell concentration between 1x107 cells/L and 5x107 cells/L is considered as a severe disaster. It can be seen that different lakes have different recommended algal concentrations for algal bloom warnings.

During our study trip in France, we visited the Institute of Plant Sciences Paris-Saclay (IPS2) and had a profound exchange with Professor Adnane Boualem from the institute. He enthusiastically demonstrated to us the impact of soil microorganisms on plants, especially crops. Based on this, our team determined the research direction of interest, which is to detect harmful microorganisms in the soil that affect crops. We also made preliminary selections of Aspergillus flavus and Fusarium as potential targets for our research.

Interview:

Institution: Institute of Plant Sciences Paris-Saclay (IPS2), France

Institution's Authority: The application of multidisciplinary approaches to understand the molecular and genetic mechanisms controlling plant growth, as well as the regulation of endogenous and exogenous signals through biological and non-biological origins. Development of tools, including bioinformatics and modeling, to provide predictive knowledge and facilitate research on "transformation" between model species and crops.

Interviewee: Adnane Boualem

Q: The iGEM competition (International Genetically Engineered Machine) we participated in is an international genetic engineering and machine design competition founded by the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) in the United States. It is the highest-level international academic competition in the field of Synthetic Biology. Could you please tell us about the applications of gene editing in plants?
A: There are many applications, such as: - Improving crop yield: Enhancing crop yield by modifying genes related to photosynthesis, disease resistance, and stress tolerance. - Enhancing nutritional value: Increasing the content of certain nutrients or improving plant digestion and absorption mechanisms to make plants richer in vitamins, proteins, or other important nutrients. - Improving pest resistance and disease resistance: Targeted editing of defense genes in plants to enhance their resistance against pests and diseases. - Enhancing tolerance to soil environments: Editing plant mechanisms related to water regulation, ion balance systems, and antioxidant capacity, among others. - Improving crop quality: Editing crop characteristics such as taste, color, and aroma to obtain better crop quality.

Q: Soil microorganisms have a significant impact on crop growth. Our preliminary idea is to design a sensor for detecting microorganisms in the soil that are difficult to detect. Is this idea feasible?
A: Yes, it is feasible, and it has great development potential.

Q: How can we detect microorganisms in the soil?
A: One method is to use whole-genome sequencing after collecting soil samples.

Afterwards, we conducted a social practice in Hengyang, Hunan province, targeting government agencies and farms. Unfortunately, during the practice, we found that the actual harm caused by these two fungi was not as significant as described in the literature. In some areas, people were not even aware of the existence of sickle fungus. Due to the consideration of real-world problems and the flaws in our experimental design, our research has reached a bottleneck period.

Interview 1:

Interviewed Organization: Zhangmu Peach Orchard

Interviewee: The interviewee requested anonymity

Q: Can the Fusarium fungus parasitize soil or water sources?
A: Some species of Fusarium fungi can parasitize soil or plant roots, while others cannot directly parasitize soil but their spores exist in large quantities in the soil. Generally speaking, Fusarium fungi do not exist in water bodies, but their spores can remain active in water for a long time. However, due to low concentrations, they do not usually cause water pollution or infections. However, some Fusarium species, such as Fusarium oxysporum, can parasitize plants, animals, and organic matter in water bodies, causing water pollution and infections in animals and plants.

Q: Does Fusarium fungus cause plant mold during storage or during normal growth?
A: Fusarium fungus typically causes plant mold during storage. When plants are harvested, improper storage conditions such as high humidity or low temperature can lead to Fusarium infection and mold. This mold can cause problems such as black spots, rotting, and deterioration in plants. Therefore, proper environmental conditions should be provided during plant storage to prevent Fusarium infection and mold.

Q: What are the representative organisms in the Fusarium genus?
A: There are various organisms in the Fusarium genus, including Fusarium acuminatum, Fusarium solani, and Fusarium oxysporum.

Q: What are the main toxins produced by Fusarium fungi?
A: Well, as far as I can remember, there are four main toxin-producing species in the Fusarium genus: 1 Fusarium graminearum, which commonly infects rice, wheat, and maize. 2 Fusarium verticillioides, mainly parasitic on maize and wheat. 3 Fusarium sporotrichioides, mainly parasitic on wheat and maize. 4 Fusarium proliferatum. The main toxins produced are: - Zearalenone (ZEN): This toxin not only contaminates grains and animal feed, but also poses a threat to human health by entering the human body through contaminated or residual meat, milk, and other animal-derived foods. ZEN promotes the occurrence and development of related tumors and has certain carcinogenic properties. - T-2 toxin: As a widely distributed fungal toxin in nature, it mainly contaminates cereal crops such as wheat and barley and their products, posing a significant risk to human health. It has strong toxicity in several aspects, including cytotoxicity, immunosuppression, teratogenicity, carcinogenicity, and emetic effects. There are some other toxins, but I can’t remember them well.

What plant diseases can be caused by Fusarium?
A: Generally speaking, it can affect many kinds of ornamental plants and food crops. 1. Fusarium Wilt (Significant impact) Mainly infects ornamental flowers. Current control methods (only preventive measures): - Physically: Choose suitable and disease-resistant varieties for intensive cultivation. Rotate the cultivation of cut flowers and annuals to prevent the accumulation of pathogens due to continuous cropping. Disinfect the soil and growing media. Remove and destroy diseased plants in a timely manner to reduce the further spread of the pathogen. Control plant density, improve ventilation, reduce humidity, and maintain proper soil or substrate moisture content by using well-drained substrates. - Chemically: Chemical treatment using appropriate fungicides. 2. Wheat Fusarium Head Blight (Significant impact) Crops affected: Wheat Caused by multiple species of Fusarium, mainly Fusarium graminearum. Control methods: (No definitive control method) Use resistant cultivars, early harvesting to reduce the number of infected grains (to minimize toxin levels, harvest when the grain moisture content is around 13-15%), crop rotation and integrated management practices. Chemical treatment can also be used. 3. Banana Fusarium Wilt (Significant impact) (Mainly caused by Fusarium oxysporum and its variants) Crops affected: Banana and plantains This disease affects multiple banana varieties, including Cavendish bananas (which account for over 80% of global banana production and are highly susceptible to Fusarium infection). It can lead to complete loss of banana yield. Control methods: Currently, there is no effective cure for this disease. Once infected, fungicides and chemical agents are ineffective. Prevention and containment are the key strategies.

Q:What are the main prevention and control measures?
A: There are many aspects about it. Soil management: Maintain good soil ventilation and drainage, and avoid excessive soil moisture. Avoid continuous cropping and practice proper crop rotation to reduce the accumulation of pathogens. Planting healthy seedlings: Select healthy seedlings and avoid using infected ones. Seed disinfection: Treat seeds with diluted bleach solution or other disinfectants to reduce the spread of pathogens on the seed surface. Biological control: Use beneficial microorganisms for disease control, such as antagonistic bacteria and fungal parasites. Apply biopesticides containing these beneficial microorganisms to inhibit the growth of pathogens. Chemical control: Use appropriate chemical pesticides for prevention and control during the initial outbreak or high incidence period. Removal of diseased residues: Promptly remove diseased residues and infected plants to prevent the spread and accumulation of pathogens. Crop rotation and intercropping: Practice proper crop rotation and intercropping, selecting crops with different hosts from the Fusarium pathogen to reduce its spread and infection. Nutrient management: Apply fertilizers appropriately to maintain healthy plant growth and enhance plant resistance to diseases.

The interviewee showed great interest in our final product after hearing about the preliminary planning and introduction of our project.

Interview 2:/h5>

Institution: Hengyang City, Hunan Dajiang Agriculture (Hengyang) Agricultural Big Data Operation Center

Interviewee: Liu Yichen

Q: What are the commonly used detection methods for Fusarium spp.?
A: Emmm, it mainly composes detection of mycelium and detection of mycotoxins. 1. Detection of mycelium: - Dilution spread plate method Advantages: Low cost, simple operation Disadvantages: Long cycle, low efficiency and sensitivity - Molecular detection methods (such as conventional PCR, fluorescence PCR) (The most widely used method currently) Advantages: High sensitivity, high specificity, can quickly test in mixed samples Disadvantages: Higher equipment requirements and costs, cannot be promoted in production practice - Immunological detection (such as ELISA) Advantages: High specificity, fast detection speed Disadvantages: Need purification, unable to standardize (different host antigen-antibody is different), poor practicality 2. Detection of mycotoxins: - Gas chromatography to detect multiple toxins Advantages: High accuracy Disadvantages: High requirements for professional knowledge and equipment, high cost - ELISA to detect vomitoxin Advantages: High specificity, fast detection speed Disadvantages: Short antibody life and low temperature storage required, only suitable for laboratory use.

Q: What are the commonly used detection methods for Aspergillus flavus?
A: The following methods are more commonly used in laboratories: 1. Liquid chromatography Advantages: Low detection limit, fast detection speed, accurate qualitative and quantitative results Disadvantages: Expensive instrument, complex operation 2. TLC method Advantages: Simple equipment, low cost Disadvantages: Tedious operation, time-consuming, extraction and purification effects are unsatisfactory 3. ELISA method Advantages: Accurate and reliable, involves few instruments and reagents, high recovery rate, and simple experimental steps. It is currently one of the more advanced methods for detecting Aspergillus flavus mycotoxins at home and abroad. Disadvantages: Short antibody life and low temperature storage required, higher false positive rate during measurement, suitable for screening large number of samples. 4. Gold standard test paper method Advantages: Simple and fast, does not require other equipment, can be tested in the laboratory or on-site Disadvantages: Low accuracy and precision 5. Biosensor method Advantages: High selectivity, fast response, simple operation, convenient to carry, suitable for on-site testing, etc. Disadvantages: Under development, no landing products available. .

Mr. Liu believes that our project may be helpful to him after listening to the preliminary planning and introduction of our project.

Interview 3:

Interviewee: Luo Guangde
Interviewed Institution: Hengxianji Ecological Farm

Q: What is the main way that aflatoxin is produced? What are the distribution areas?
A: Aflatoxin is produced by fungi from the Aspergillus genus, and the distribution of these fungi in China is concentrated in the central, southern, and northern regions. In these areas, there are more toxic strains and higher levels of toxins produced, while in the northeast and northwest regions there are fewer.

Q: What are the ways that aflatoxin causes soil pollution?
A: Natural transmission: Spores in the air enter the soil through plant residues, organic fertilizers, and other sources. Plant infection: Aspergillus/parasitic fungi can infect plants, especially in damaged or warm, humid conditions. After infecting the plant, the fungi grow in the plant residue and release spores into the soil. Contaminated seeds and agricultural products: Aspergillus/parasitic fungi can enter the soil by contaminating seeds and agricultural products. If these products are infected, the fungi may be released into the soil during planting or use. Plant root infection: Aspergillus/parasitic fungi can enter the soil by infecting plant roots. They invade the plant roots, form mycelium, absorb nutrients, and release spores into the soil and surrounding plants to reproduce and spread.

Q: What are the ways that aflatoxin causes water pollution?
A: Generally, aspergillus/parasitic fungi usually do not directly pollute water. They mainly grow in soil and spread through spores in the air. However, their spores may occasionally enter water under specific conditions, but this is rare and generally does not cause pollution.However, if you insist on saying that it can be infectious, it is not entirely impossible. For example, through plant residues: This is often caused by agricultural wastewater in adjacent water bodies, especially under conditions of plant tissue damage or high temperature and humidity. After Aspergillus infects the plant, it grows in the plant residue and releases spores, which then flow into water bodies with rainwater and agricultural wastewater. Through contaminated agricultural products: This occurs often during washing or processing of these products. If the agricultural products are infected, Aspergillus may enter the water source through these contaminated products. However, the impact is generally small due to the low concentration.

After listening to the preliminary planning and introduction of our project, Mr. Luo thinks that our project has great potential.

But we didn't give up. A chance encounter gave our group the opportunity to interview at the Institute of Hydrobiology, Chinese Academy of Sciences. In the interview with Professor Zhou, we learned about the significant impact of algal blooms on the people of Wuhan. We also found out that there were no obvious early warning signs for algal blooms, and the water color only changed significantly when the blooms occurred. We came up with the idea of using nematodes to measure the concentration of a certain type of algae in water bodies that were about to experience algal blooms, in order to achieve early warning. This way, we could provide an early warning before the blooms became visible to the naked eye. With this inspiring idea, we quickly launched group discussions and decided to shift our focus to measuring microcystin (the signature product of Microcystis aeruginosa, the cyanobacterium responsible for blue-green algal blooms) and studying how it relates to the biomass of Microcystis aeruginosa in water bodies. We actively carried out social practices as well.

Interview:

Institution: Institute of Hydrobiology, Chinese Academy of Sciences

Institution's Authority: The Institute of Hydrobiology, Chinese Academy of Sciences (hereinafter referred to as the Hydrobiology Institute) is the only comprehensive academic research institution in China that engages in inland water life processes, ecological environment protection, and biological resource utilization research. The strategic positioning and development goals of the Hydrobiology Institute are to address major national strategic needs in water ecological environment protection, aquatic biological resource utilization, etc., carry out fundamental, strategic, and prospective major scientific and technological issues, focus on major theoretical innovation and core technological breakthroughs, and continue to play a leading role in the fields of freshwater ecological environment protection, aquatic biodiversity formation and adaptive evolution mechanisms, aquatic biological resource protection, fish basic biology and genetic breeding theory, freshwater aquaculture model, and microalgae biotechnology.

Interviewee: Zhou Qiaohong

Q: What are the water quality classification standards and their categories?
A: We mainly refer to the national standards. Physical properties (main): PH of water, dissolved oxygen, etc. Chemical properties (main): Various element contents in water, etc. Biological properties (secondary): Coliform bacteria content in water, no other biological indicators. Chlorophyll content can also be considered for detection.

Q: How does red tide occur?
A: Changes in nutrient elements such as N and P in the water lead to changes in microbial content in the water. Some planktonic plants, protozoa or bacteria occupy an advantageous position in the ecological environment, leading to explosive growth or high aggregation. The original species in this ecological niche decrease or die out. And due to the color of the dominant species, the color of the water will also change accordingly. However, red tide is just one type of eutrophication of water bodies. According to the algal species occupying the advantageous position, it can be divided into blue-green algae bloom (freshwater, most common), diatom bloom (freshwater with more silicon elements, often found in the Han River), dinoflagellate bloom (red tide, ocean), etc.

Q: Which microorganisms' content will increase dramatically during water eutrophication? Which microorganisms' content will decrease dramatically?
A: After water eutrophication, the number of dominant species will increase dramatically, while the number of original species in this ecological niche will decrease or die out. Overall, the species diversity of the water body will decrease.

What are the hazards of algal blooms?
A: 1. Large numbers of red tide organisms gathered in the gills of fish, causing them to suffocate and die due to lack of oxygen; 2. After red tide organisms die, their bodies consume a large amount of dissolved oxygen in the water during decomposition, leading to the death of fish and other marine organisms due to lack of oxygen, causing serious damage to the normal marine ecosystem; 3. Fish may die from consuming large amounts of toxic algae; 4. Some algae can secrete toxins that seriously threaten consumers' health and safety through the food chain.