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Cylindrospermopsis in Lake Erie: Testing its association with other cyanobacterial genera and major limnological parameters
Citation:
Conroy, J. D., E. L. QUINLAN, D. D. Kane, AND D. A. Culver. Cylindrospermopsis in Lake Erie: Testing its association with other cyanobacterial genera and major limnological parameters. JOURNAL OF GREAT LAKES RESEARCH. International Association for Great Lakes Research, Ann Arbor, MI, 33:519-535, (2007).
Impact/Purpose:
The goal of this research is to develop methods and indicators that are useful for evaluating the condition of aquatic communities, for assessing the restoration of aquatic communities in response to mitigation and best management practices, and for determining the exposure of aquatic communities to different classes of stressors (i.e., pesticides, sedimentation, habitat alteration).
Description:
We report the first documented observation of the potentially toxic cyanobacterium Cylindrospermopsis in lake Erie and Sandusky Bay in 2005 and quantify the physical and chemical parameters and the cyanobacterial community composition contemporaneous to its occurrence. We hypothesize that the high temperature, low light intensity, and high nutrient content of Sandusky Bay, a shallow, drowned river mouth along the southwestern shore of Lake Erie, provides an ideal habitat for Cylindrospermopsis. This is consistent with published laboratory and field studies that show these physical and chemical conditions facilitate Cylindrospermopsis growth. Using multivariate statistics, we found that Cylindrospermopsis biomass correlated with high temperatures and ahllow depths, conditions often found in Sandusky Bay. Light climate and nutrient cocentraitons were not associated with Cylindrospermopsis biomass, most likely because the light climate did not systematically change during the season and because nutrients exceeded demand. We propose that Cylindrospermopsis will increase in importance in Lake Erie, as previous research o climate change in the Great Lakes region predicts future higher water temperatures and lower water levels.