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Changes in the abundance and community composition of bloom-forming cyanobacteria in Lake Oubeira (El-Kala National Park, Algeria)

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Abstract

There is broad consensus that cyanobacterial blooms will increase in severity, frequency, and duration under future climate scenarios, particularly in the North African region, where there is a strong climatic influence from the Sahara Desert. These climate changes may potentially favor certain genera of cyanobacteria over others. This paper presents data on the dynamic changes of harmful cyanobacterial blooms (Microcystis, Planktothrix, Aphanizomenon, Dolichospermum, Pseudanabaena, and Cylindrospermum) and environmental factors sampled monthly during 3 years (2005, 2010, and 2015), in four stations of Lake Oubeira, which is the largest freshwater lake in Algeria (surface 23 km2, average depth 2 m). The results showed significant discrepancies among the three periods in both abundance and cyanobacteria community composition. The main genus of cyanobacteria was Microcystis, which usually formed a dense bloom from June to October. Various limnological variables, including pH, NH4-N, PO4-P, chlorophyll-a, and suspended solids, increased significantly over the study period, while water temperature, dissolved oxygen, and NO3-N maintained relatively stable. Surprisingly, although PO4-P and NH4-N concentrations increased, there was a clear downward trend in the abundance of Aphanizomenon and Planktothrix over time, while the opposite occurred with respect to Microcystis, Dolichospermum, Pseudanabaena, and Cylindrospermum. Suspended solids and pH were the main factors explaining the observed trend. The results of this study may help better understand the bloom cycle of cyanobacteria and how the cyanobacterial community responds to environmental changes in the Mediterranean region.

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Availability of data and materials

The datasets used and/or analyzed during the current study are available from the corresponding author on reasonable request.

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Acknowledgements

This work was financially supported by the General Directorate for Scientific Research and Technological Development (Algeria) (Grant No. D00L03UN230120150002). We would like to thank our reviewers for their insightful comments that helped in improving the clarity of this paper. Thanks also to Sandra Bensouilah for her help with English polishing

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Ecobiology Laboratory for Marine Environments and Coastal Areas, Faculty of Sciences, Badji-Mokhtar-Annaba University, P.O. Box 12, 23000, Annaba, Algeria

    Saber Belhaoues, Salah Arif & Mourad Bensouilah

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  1. Saber Belhaoues
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  2. Salah Arif
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  3. Mourad Bensouilah
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SB and MB contributed to the study design. MB supervised the study. SA and SB collected and analyzed the water samples. SB composed the manuscript with feedback from all authors.

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Correspondence to Saber Belhaoues.

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Belhaoues, S., Arif, S. & Bensouilah, M. Changes in the abundance and community composition of bloom-forming cyanobacteria in Lake Oubeira (El-Kala National Park, Algeria). Limnology 25, 39–50 (2024). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10201-023-00728-3

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