Cyanobacterial water bloom of Limnoraphis robusta in the Lago Mayor of Lake Titicaca. Can it develop?

Abstract

Cyanobacterial blooms are commonly associated with high concentrations of nutrients in waters. An exception among the species forming heavy water blooms is Limnoraphis robusta Komárek et al. (Fottea 13:39-52, 2013). Until now, heavy water blooms of this species were found only in tropical, rather oligotrophic waters. Filaments of L. robusta contain diazocytes and thus are able to fix molecular nitrogen during night. This ability gives L. robusta an advantage over other phytoplankters to explore nitrogen-poor habitats. In 2014, filaments of this cyanobacterium appeared also in plankton and periphyton in the Bay of Puno, Lake Titicaca, Peru. Accessible data on water chemistry, chlorophyll a concentration, and phytoplankton composition were compared with those from Lake Atitlán, Guatemala, where this cyanobacterium formed a thick brownish layer on the water surface in 2008, 2009 and 2011. Except for shallow bays, both lakes (Atitlán and Lago Mayor of Titicaca) are still oligotrophic in some periods, and phytoplankton growth is limited by lack of nitrogen. In this paper, we are discussing factors which might allow development of heavy bloom of this cyanobacterium in the Lago Mayor and other clear parts of the Lake Titicaca.

Metagenomics Analysis to Investigate the Microbial Communities and Their Functional Profile During Cyanobacterial Blooms in Lake Varese

“…6). Lyngbya robusta is a species involved in nitrogen fixation [57,[78][79][80] and its blooms have been observed in freshwater waterbodies including Lake Atitlan (Guatemala) where concentrations of NO 3 − and NH 4 + were indicative of a N limitation, as also observed in Lake Varese, where these values were found to be below the LOD in most of the samples analysed (Online resource 1: Supplemental Table S5) [58]. While no reads assigned to the nitrogenase activity were detected by the SEED analysis (Fig.…”

Analysis of prokaryotic genes in an impaired Great Lakes harbour reveals seasonal metabolic shifts and a previously undetected cyanobacterium

“…Limnoraphis robusta and Limnoraphis birgei share similar morphological characteristics (Komarek et al, 2013) and may be challenging to distinguish using microscopic techniques, such as those used in the aforementioned studies. Interestingly, Limnoraphis robusta was thought to form blooms only in tropical oligotrophic waters until more recent reports emerged describing bloom formation in eutrophic lakes in North and South America (Komarkova, Montoya, & Komarek, 2016; Kurobe et al, 2013). High relative abundances of Limnoraphis robusta in this current study of Hamilton Harbour suggests that this species may be an important component of the mixed algal blooms that occur seasonally in the harbour.…”

Lake Atitlan: A Review of the Food, Energy, and Water Sustainability of a Mountain Lake in Guatemala

“…These blooms are not only unaesthetic and hurtful to tourism, but certain phytoplankton blooms can consist of cyanobacteria, which produce toxins dangerous to human contact [78]. The algae blooms observed in the lake are primarily made up of Limnoraphis robusta, a non-toxin forming cyanobacteria [79], yet continue to negatively affect tourism and disrupt the lake ecology [80]. Cyanobacteria in the lake has been detected since the 1970′s, however it has been present in the lake at considerable levels since the largest bloom in 2009 [81][82][83].…”