Nitrogen sources and concentrations shape algal odor compounds: Key drivers of <i>β</i>-cyclocitral and <i>β</i>-ionone in water bodies of the lower Yangtze River
JOURNAL OF ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES, cilt.168, ss.456-465, 2026 (SCI-Expanded, Scopus)
- Yayın Türü: Makale / Tam Makale
- Cilt numarası: 168
- Basım Tarihi: 2026
- Doi Numarası: 10.1016/j.jes.2026.02.047
- Dergi Adı: JOURNAL OF ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES
- Derginin Tarandığı İndeksler: Science Citation Index Expanded (SCI-EXPANDED), Scopus, BIOSIS, Compendex, EMBASE, Environment Index, Geobase, Greenfile, ICONDA Bibliographic, INSPEC, MEDLINE, The International Construction Database (ICONDA), Zoological Record, Academic Search Ultimate (EBSCO), Business Source Ultimate (EBSCO), Engineering Source (EBSCO)
- Sayfa Sayıları: ss.456-465
- Orta Doğu Teknik Üniversitesi Adresli: Evet
Özet
Taste and odor (T&O) compounds derived from cyanobacterial blooms pose escalating threats to freshwater security worldwide, yet the drivers of specific T&O metabolites remain poorly constrained. Here, we investigated the dual effects of nitrogen (N) sources and concentrations on the production of p-cyclocitral and p-ionone, two algal-derived T&O compounds, through integrated field surveys (54 sites across lakes and rivers) in the eutrophic lower Yangtze River, China, and laboratory cultivation of typical cyanobacteria (Microcystis aeruginosa and Pseudanabaena cinerea). Our field data revealed that the concentrations of p-cyclocitral and p-ionone in lakes and rivers were not significantly different, but increased with the trophic level index. Redundancy analysis and Mantel analysis showed that Microcystis and Pseudanabaena were potentially dominant contributors to pcyclocitral and p-ionone in the water column. Structural equation modeling and variation partitioning analysis showed that enhanced nitrate (NO3--N) significantly promoted the production of these compounds. Laboratory experiments demonstrated that inorganic N (NaNO3) maximized total T&O yields by promoting algal biomass, whereas organic N (urea and glutamic acid) elevated the T&O production per unit biomass by 1.5-to 9.5-fold. Notably, Pseudanabaena exhibited a 2.3-fold higher p-ionone yield than Microcystis, with greater sensitivity to N concentrations. Our study highlights the critical role of nitrogen pollution, both source and concentration, in the production of T&O compounds by phytoplankton and provides reference data for managing T&O issues in rivers and shallow lakes.