Cyanobacterial blooms.

Huisman J; Codd GA; Paerl HW; Ibelings BW; Verspagen JMH; Visser PM

doi:10.1038/s41579-018-0040-1

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Journal article

Cyanobacterial blooms.

Huisman J Department of Freshwater and Marine Ecology, Institute for Biodiversity and Ecosystem Dynamics, University of Amsterdam, Amsterdam, Netherlands. j.huisman@uva.nl.
Codd GA School of Life Sciences, University of Dundee, Dundee, Scotland, UK.
Paerl HW Institute of Marine Sciences, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Morehead City, NC, USA.
Ibelings BW Department F.-A. Forel for Aquatic and Environmental Sciences and Institute for Environmental Sciences, University of Geneva, Geneva, Switzerland.
Verspagen JMH Department of Freshwater and Marine Ecology, Institute for Biodiversity and Ecosystem Dynamics, University of Amsterdam, Amsterdam, Netherlands.
Visser PM Department of Freshwater and Marine Ecology, Institute for Biodiversity and Ecosystem Dynamics, University of Amsterdam, Amsterdam, Netherlands.

2018-06-28

Published in:

Nature reviews. Microbiology. - 2018

English Cyanobacteria can form dense and sometimes toxic blooms in freshwater and marine environments, which threaten ecosystem functioning and degrade water quality for recreation, drinking water, fisheries and human health. Here, we review evidence indicating that cyanobacterial blooms are increasing in frequency, magnitude and duration globally. We highlight species traits and environmental conditions that enable cyanobacteria to thrive and explain why eutrophication and climate change catalyse the global expansion of cyanobacterial blooms. Finally, we discuss management strategies, including nutrient load reductions, changes in hydrodynamics and chemical and biological controls, that can help to prevent or mitigate the proliferation of cyanobacterial blooms.

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