Division CYANOBACTERIA
Class CYANOPHYCEAE
Order CHROOCOCCALES
Aphanothece paralleliformis, Chroococcus, Chroococcus dispersus, Chroococcus distans, Chroococcus minor, Chroococcus turgidus, Gomphosphaeria, Microcystis, Microcystis botrys, Microcystis wesenbergii, Woronichinia.
Order NOSTOCALES
Anabaenopsis elenkinii, Anabaena inaequalis, Aphanizomenon, Aphanizomenon flosaquae, Dolichospermum, Dolichospermum flosaquae, Dolichospermum lemmermannii, Dolichospermum planctonicum, Dolichospermum spiroides, Nodularia spumigena, Nostocaceae.
Order OSCILLATORIALES
Limnoraphis, Limnoraphis hieronymusii, Oscillatoria, Oscillatoriaceae.
Order SPIRULINALES
Spirulina, Spirulina subsalsa, Spirulina subtilissima.
Order SYNECHOCOCCALES
Merismopedia glauca, Merismopedia punctata, Merismopedia tenuissima, Merismopedia warmingiana, Planktolyngbya contorta, Planktolyngbya limnetica, Pseudanabaena, Rhabdogloea, Rhabdogloea elenkinii, Snowella, Snowella lacustris, Snowella septentrionalis, Anathece, Anathece bachmannii, Anathece clathrata, Anathece minutissima, Aphanocapsa, Aphanocapsa delicatissima, Aphanocapsa elachista, Aphanocapsa incerta, Aphanothecoideae, Coelomoron, Cyanodictyon, Cyanodictyon balticum, Cyanodictyon imperfectum, Cyanodictyon planctonicum, Cyanodictyon reticulatum, Cyanonephron, Cyanonephron styloides, Eucapsis, Eucapsis aphanocapsoides, Eucapsis microscopica, Lemmermanniella, Limnothrix.
Aphanizomenon flosaquae is a diazotrophic cyanobacterium, i.e. it has the ability to fix atmospheric nitrogen, so it can thrive during periods of nitrogen deficiency in the water. Therefore, the peak occurrence of this species is recorded in summer, mainly in June-August when the temperature is high enough. It then forms potentially toxic blooms on the water surface. There are in addition strains of this species that also appear in significant numbers in early spring, and in exceptional situations can form blooms even under the ice (as in 2018 in the Gulf of Finland).Anabaena inaequalis, Bornet & Flahault, 1886
OCCURRENCE: summer, Vistula Lagoon,
LIFE FORM: stright filaments; is refer as benthic species but it is also present in plankton
CELL SIZE: vegetative cells 3µm diameter
ENVIRONMENT: T=19.5÷20°C
SAMPLING DATE: June 2011
PRESERVATION: Lugol
MICROSCOPY: light microscopy
SYNONYMS: Anabaena laxa f. californica (O.Borge) Canabaeus, 1929
Anabaenopsis cf. elenkinii, V.V. Miller 1923
OCCURRENCE: summer, Vistula Lagoon, Vistula outlet
LIFE FORM: filaments with characteristic heterocytes, which develop intercalary in pairs in certain distances one from another, but trichomes often disintegrate soon after heterocyte formation between eterocytes, the position of which is finally terminal in short disintegrated fragments
CELL SIZE: diameter 3-6 µm;
ENVIRONMENT: T=18°C; S=0,9-2,4 PSU; N-NH4=0,73µmol*dm-3; N-NO3=0,15 µmol*dm-3; P-PO4=0,46µmol*dm-3; Si-SiO4=51µmol*dm-3.
SAMPLING DATE: June 2011
PRESERVATION: Lugol
MICROSCOPY: light microscopy
HARMFUL: potentially toxic species
OCCURRENCE: summer, Vistula Lagoon,
LIFE FORM: stright filaments; is refer as benthic species but it is also present in plankton
CELL SIZE: vegetative cells 3µm diameter
ENVIRONMENT: T=19.5÷20°C
SAMPLING DATE: June 2011
PRESERVATION: Lugol
MICROSCOPY: light microscopy
Aphanizomenon flosaquae (Linnaeus) Ralfs ex Bornet & Flahault, 1886
OCCURRENCE: spring – seldom, summer, late summer – abundant; occasionaly is able to bloom under ice cover (Gulf of Finland 2018)
LIFE FORM: filaments, sometimes joined into long floccules (fascicles, bunches)
CELL SIZE: diameter 3,2-6 µm;
ENVIRONMENT: T =4.5÷6.7°C (open sea) and 11÷15°C (gulf); S =7 PSU (open sea) and 6 PSU (gulf); P-PO4=0.33÷0.38 µmol*dm-3; N-NO3 =0.11÷0.15 (0.3) µmol*dm-3; Si-SiO4 =13÷15 µmol*dm-3
MICROSCOPY: light microscopy
SAMPLING DATE: April 2008
PRESERVATION: not preserved
Aphanizomenon flosaquae (Linnaeus) Ralfs ex Bornet & Flahault, 1886
OCCURRENCE: spring – seldom, summer, late summer – abundant; occasionaly is able to bloom under ice cover (Gulf of Finland 2018)
LIFE FORM: filaments, sometimes joined into long floccules (fascicles, bunches)
CELL SIZE: diameter 4-5 µm;
ENVIRONMENT: T=19.5÷20°C
MICROSCOPY: light microscopy
SAMPLING DATE: July – August 2008
PRESERVATION: not preserved
Aphanizomenon flosaquae (Linnaeus) Ralfs ex Bornet & Flahault, 1886
OCCURRENCE: spring – seldom, summer, late summer – abundant; occasionaly is able to bloom under ice cover (Gulf of Finland 2018)
LIFE FORM: filaments, sometimes joined into long floccules (fascicles, bunches)
CELL SIZE: diameter 4-5 µm;
ENVIRONMENT: T=19.5÷20°C
MICROSCOPY: light microscopy
SAMPLING DATE: May 2010
PRESERVATION: Lugol, Bornholm Basin
Aphanizomenon flosaquae (Linnaeus) Ralfs ex Bornet & Flahault, 1886
OCCURRENCE: spring – seldom, summer, late summer – abundant; occasionaly is able to bloom under ice cover (Gulf of Finland 2018)
LIFE FORM: filaments, sometimes joined into long floccules (fascicles, bunches)
CELL SIZE: diameter 4-5 µm;
ENVIRONMENT: T=19.5÷20°C
MICROSCOPY: light microscopy
SAMPLING DATE: August 2020
PRESERVATION: Lugol, Puck Bay; Polish coast of the Eastern Gotland Basin; Puck Bay (Gdańsk Basin)
Aphanizomenon flosaquae, Ralfs ex Bornet & Flahault 1886
NUTRITION: autotrophic
ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT: potentially toxic
CELL SIZE: width of the filaments 3-5 µm
LIFE FORM: single filaments or groups of filaments gathered in crescent-shaped bundles
ECOLOGY: fresh and brackish species
Long-term observations of summer blooms of A. flosaquae in the southern Baltic Sea show that since 2000 the highest biomass values appear in June, while before 2000 they occurred in July, which may be a result of climate change.
The average annual biomass does not exceed 250 µg/l; the highest biomass was observed in June 2013 near the pier in Sopot – 2700µg/l
PRESERVATION: crescent-shaped bundles preserved with Lugol (a); single filaments_ preserved with Lugol (b-d).
Dolichospermum lemmermannii (Richter) P.Wacklin, L.Hoffmann & J.Komárek 2009
OCCURRENCE: summer
LIFE FORM: filaments with characteristic, intercalar arrangement: oval akinet – spherical heterocyt – oval akinet
CELL SIZE: diameter 3,8-5,2 µm; akinet 26 x 9 µm; heterocyt diameter 7,6 µm
ENVIRONMENT: T=19.5÷20°C
MICROSCOPY: light microscopy
SAMPLING DATE: July / August 2008 (a), June 2011 (b)
PRESERVATION: not preserved (a); Lugol (b)
SYNONYMS: Anabaena lemmermannii
Dolichospermum spiroides (Klebahn ) Wacklin P. , Hofmann L. et Komárek J . 2009
OCCURRENCE: summer, Vistula Lagoon
LIFE FORM: filaments twisted, with 2-12 turns
CELL SIZE: diameter (4) 7 – 8 (14) µm; akinet 10-22 x 17-36 µm; heterocyt diameter 6,5-14 µm
ENVIRONMENT: T=19.5÷20°C
MICROSCOPY: light microscopy
SAMPLING DATE: June 2011
PRESERVATION: Lugol
SYNONYMS: Anabaena spiroides Klebahn 1895
Dolichospermum cf. flosaquae (Brébisson ex Bornet & Flahault) P.Wacklin, L.Hoffmann & J.Komárek, 2009
OCCURRENCE: summer
LIFE FORM: coiled filaments
CELL SIZE: diameter 5-6 µm; diameter 6-8 µm (a); diameter 4-6 µm (b);
ENVIRONMENT: T=19.5÷20°C
MICROSCOPY: light microscopy
SAMPLING DATE: July – August 2008
PRESERVATION: not preserved
SYNONYMS: Anabaena cf. flos-aquae Brébison ex Bornet et Flahault 1888
Dolichospermum planctonicum (Brunnthaler) Wacklin, L.Hoffmann & Komárek, 2009
OCCURRENCE: summer
LIFE FORM: stright filaments
CELL SIZE: diameter 9 µm; akinet diameter 19 µm; heterocyt diameter 16 µm
ENVIRONMENT: T=19.5÷20°C
MICROSCOPY: light microscopy
SAMPLING DATE: July 2011
PRESERVATION: Lugol
SYNONYMS: Anabaena planctonica Brunnthaler 1903
Dolichospermum coiled type according to Komárek J., Zapomělová E. 2007
OCCURRENCE: summer
LIFE FORM: coiled filaments
CELL SIZE: diameter 4-5 µm;
ENVIRONMENT: T=17,8÷19°C; S=7 PSU; N-NH4=22÷28 mg*m-3; N-NO3=40÷60 mg*m-3; P-PO4=25÷26 mg*m-3; Si-SiO4=275÷283 mg*m-3
MICROSCOPY: light microscopy (a); epifluorescence microscopy (WB) – blue excitation light obtained with a combination of BP490 and EY455 excitation filters, DM500 dichroic mirror and Y455 and B460 barrier filters; this combination elicited a brilliantly red fluorescence of chlorophyll-a (b).
SAMPLING DATE: July – August 2007
PRESERVATION: not preserved
Nodularia spumigena, Mertens ex Bornet & Flahault, 1888
NUTRITION: autotrophic
ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT: unfriendly, in summer it causes blooms on the sea surface, often leading to temporary closure of beaches. Some strains produce a cyanotoxin called nodularin-R. Nodularins cause gastroenteritis, allergic skin reactions, and liver disease. Nodularin-R is best known as a potent hepatotoxin that can cause severe liver damage in humans and animals.
SIZE: filament (trichome) 6-15 µm wide
ECOLOGY: marine, brackish and fresh water species; it also occurs in very salty lakes
The highest biomass values were observed in August 2015 at the pier in Sopot 3000 µg/l and in July 1994 at various stations located in the Gulf of Gdańsk 1000-3000 µg/l.
However, the average annual biomass usually does not exceed 200 µg/l
ENVIRONMENT: T=19.5÷20°C;
MICROSCOPY: light microscopy
SAMPLING DATE: June 2005 (a), (b); August 2020 (c); September 2020 (d); July 2012 (e); August 2020 (f)
PRESERVATION: Lugol (a); formalin (b); Lugol – Puck Bay (Gdańsk Basin) (c), (d); Lugol – Gdynia (Gdańsk Basin) (e); not preserved – Puck Bay (Gdańsk Basin) (f)
Nodularia spumigena Mertens ex Bornet et Flahault, 1886
OCCURRENCE: summer, late summer
LIFE FORM: filaments (sometimes with epiphytic ciliate – Vorticella sp.)
CELL SIZE: diameter 8 µm;
ENVIRONMENT: T=19.5÷20°C;
MICROSCOPY: light microscopy
SAMPLING DATE: July – August 2008 (a); June 2005 (b)
PRESERVATION: not preserved (a); Lugol (b)
