SGER: Opening Pandora's box: a cyanobacterial key and its potential to accelerate eutrophication

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Lake eutrophication, poor water quality caused by high phosphorus concentrations, is of great concern to both scientists and the public. This project seeks to test whether the cyanobacterium Gloeotrichia echinulata, a nuisance form of algae, is able to accelerate eutrophication in low-phosphorus lakes by accessing and transporting phosphorus that would otherwise remain locked in lake sediments. In early July 2007, G. echinulata?s surface population in Lake Sunapee, New Hampshire, was already at peak bloom densities more typical of late summer. This earlier bloom has the potential to increase the amount of phosphorus transported into the water column, disrupt the food web, and increase human exposure to cyanobacterial toxins. It is therefore a crucial time to track the dynamics of both G. echinulata and nutrients in Lake Sunapee. This project will evaluate the potential importance of G. echinulata to phosphorus cycling in Lake Sunapee during summer 2007 using field observations, laboratory measures, and analysis of sediment cores. This research will contribute to a growing understanding of the ways in which mobile organisms alter ecosystem processes. G. echinulata blooms have been reported from at least 20 low-phosphorus lakes across New England during the past decade; most of these lakes are vital resources for recreation and tourism. If this species represents a novel pathway for degradation of such lakes, there will be considerable implications for lake management. One graduate student and at least four undergraduates will work on this project, and findings will be shared with the non-profit, non-advocacy Lake Sunapee Protective Association.