Zions national park HABS

The capability of benthic cyanobacteria to produce toxins, especially neurotoxins, and to survive in extreme environmental conditions has induced myriad research in the genomics and evolution of cyanobacterial strains. The toxin-producing cyanobacteria has been responsible for animal deaths throughout the world. Such an incident was documented when a dog died in the Virgin River in Zions National Park in 2020 due to ingestion of cyanobacterial mats while swimming in the river. In 2021 we collected benthic cyanobacterial mats on May 2nd, May 25 and June 21 from two sites (visitor center and north creek) in the Virgin River of Zions National park and studied them by genomic and transcriptomic analyses. A particular emphasis was placed on the presence of the mat forming benthic Microcoleus representative .