Planktonic bloom‐forming Cyanobacteria and the eutrophication of lakes and rivers

SUMMARY. 1. Eutrophication of water bodies involves the enrichment of plant nutrients, often followed by significant shifts in the phytoplankton towards Cyanobacteria. When comparing different aquatic systems, even with similar nutrient contents and in the same climatic region, inverse deductions are not valid; i.e. (a) the presence of Cyanobacteria does not necessarily indicate eutrophic conditions, or (b) eutrophic or even poly‐trophic conditions do not necessarily support cyanobacterial development. 2. Above a threshold of 10 μg 1 −1 total phosphorus, the development of Cyanobacteria can be described by physical factors, such as water column stability. By characterizing different forms of turbulence, the presence or absence of Cyanobacteria in lakes and rivers can be predicted. 3.When the turbulence of the water column is rather low, as it is in sheltered or meromictic lakes, Cyanobacteria can build up dense populations. In nutrient poor systems, species of Oscillatoria and (seldom) Aphanizomenon are dominating. 4.If the turbulence of the water column is high (mixing depth much greater than euphotic depth) or the mixing pattern is irregular, as in slowly flowing or regulated rivers, Cyanobacteria are outcompeted. 5. In the presence of frequent or permanent turbulence, but with mixing depths lower or not much greater than the euphotic zone (as it is the case in shallow, unstratified lakes, mostly eutrophic or even hypertrophic), Cyanobacteria can outgrow normally dominant r ‐strategists under conditions of low N:P ratios, high water temperatures, pH >9.0 or low light availabilities. 6. If turbulence is comparatively great (10 to $15 m) and stable for a longer period of time, some cyanobacteria are able to adapt. 7. Our statements are discussed on the basis of physiological characteristics.