RECRUITMENT OF MICROCYSTIS (CYANOPHYCEAE) FROM LAKE SEDIMENTS: THE IMPORTANCE OF LITTORAL INOCULA1

Abstract

Recruitment of Microcystis from sediments to the water column was investigated in shallow (1–2 m) and deep (6–7 m) areas of Lake Limmaren, central Sweden. Recruitment traps attached to the bottom were sampled on a weekly basis throughout the summer season ( June–September). A comparison between the two sites showed that the recruitment from the shallow bay was significantly higher over the entire season for all three Microcystis species present in the lake. Maximum rates of recruitment were found in August, when 2.3 × 105 colonies m−2·day−1 left the sediments of the shallow area. Calculated over the entire summer, Microcystis colonies corresponding to 50% of the initial abundance in the surface sediments were recruited in the shallow bay, whereas recruitment from the deep area was only 8% of the sediment colonies. From these results we conclude that shallow areas, which to a large extent have been overlooked in studies of recruitment of phytoplankton, may be crucial to the dynamics of these organisms by playing an important role as inoculation sites for pelagic populations.