Cyanobacterial Toxicity Expression Within An Interconnected Multi-Lake Suburban Lake System In NY

Abstract

The most ancient phytoplankton on Earth, cyanobacteria cause toxic algal blooms in freshwater environments (J.M. O'Neill et al., 2012). It is widely acknowledged that harmful algal blooms are complicated phenomena that are usually not brought on by a single environmental factor but rather by a number of interrelated ones (Heisler et al., 2008). This study examines the relationship between the freshwater ecosystem in Lake Hemlock at Mountain Lakes Park, located at a higher elevation (~915 ft above sea level), to those within the three lakes council (Lake Waccabuc, Lake Oscaleta, and Lake Rippowam), located at a lower elevation (~650 ft above sea level), in South Salem, NY. This study focuses on analyzing microcystin and saxitoxin concentrations found in each body of water as a function of the generic diversity and relative abundance of the "dirty dozen"� of cyanobacteria, and the phycocyanin and chlorophyll levels present. This study found a positive relationship between phycocyanin levels and microcystin concentration, a significant positive relationship between microcystin concentration and cyanobacteria diversity, and a significant relationship between phycocyanin levels and saxitoxin concentration. This study found a significant similarity in the ecology of freshwater systems located in The Three Lakes Council in South Salem, NY and that Lake Hemlock in Mountain Lakes Park has a different ecology from Lake Waccabuc, Lake Oscaleta, and Lake Rippowam.