Cyanobacterial Recruitment from the Sediments: A Review
Emmy Schenk and Matthew Saxton
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Research Team
Research Team
Emmy Schenk
Emmy Schenk
Major: Strategic Communications
Co-Major: Premedical Studies
Matthew Saxton
Matthew Saxton
Departments of Biological Sciences and Biology
Abstract
Abstract
Cyanobacterial blooms are extremely harmful to both public health and freshwater ecosystems more generally as they release toxins that can be fatal for humans and other animals. Cyanobacterial blooms also negatively impact recreational use of water and tourism. These blooms are expanding in freshwater lakes because of increased eutrophication or increased nutrient inputs. In this project, we completed a literature review in order to describe the factors that drive cyanobacterial recruitment from the sediments. The factors that influence the timing and success of cyanobacterial emergence included temperature, light, nutrient availability, and mixing. The relative importance of the individual factors depends on the specific taxa of cyanobacteria. Their life cycle begins at the emergence from the sediments during optimal conditions. In our case, we observed these conditions were late spring to summer where abundant light was available and temperatures were warm. These cyanobacteria aren’t active year round, and when these suitable conditions are deviated from, the cyanobacteria go into a resting phase. For future research, we may need to find better ways to measure cyanobacterial recruitment, which can lead to finding ways to control these harmful blooms from occurring and ruining the freshwater ecosystems. We also need to continue to study this process as global temperatures are changing and increasing due to climate change, which affects the timing of recruitment for cyanobacteria and the blooms’ overall biomass.
Introduction
Introduction
This is a literature review project to describe what is known about this topic of cyanobacterial recruitment. Cyanobacteria are toxic blooms that can threaten freshwater ecosystems, humans, and animals even leading to fatality (Gushulak, et al., 2025). The optimal temperature for cyanobacterial blooms to thrive are during the warmer months (Wasmund, 2017). The cyanobacteria settles back into the sediment, also known as overwintering, and becomes dormant during the colder temperature seasons (Cottingham, et al., 2021). When these optimal temperatures are met again, the cyanobacteria goes through the recruitment process to reenter the water column (Voyles and Knoll, 2025).The phenomenon of recruitment ultimately allows for the cyanobacteria to be in the open water again for another part of its life cycle (Cottingham, et al., 2021). After the cyanobacteria goes through this process of recruitment, its growth in biomass is dependent on various factors including temperature, light, and availability of nutrients, and mixing conditions, which will be expanded upon in this poster (Voyles and Knoll, 2025).
Discussion
Discussion
Light
An increase in access to light increases the biomass of cyanobacteria (Borges, et al., 2016).
The access to light regulates the buoyancy of the cyanobacterial cells (Verspagen, et al., 2004).
The access to light allows photosynthetic activity to start the cyanobacterial recruitment process (Xiaoyan, et al., 2021).
Light and temperature control both the cyanobacterial cell’s photosynthetic activity and the gas vesicles in the cell. The gas vesicles allow the cell to become buoyant and distribute in the water column (Yang, et al., 2016).
Mixing
Benthic recruitment is theorized to be induced by physical mixing processes like wind or bioturbation (Borges, et al., 2016).
Cyanobacteria stored deep in the sediment can be brought to the surface and recruited into the water column by bioturbation (Salazar, Zdeněk, 2013).
The disturbances caused by waves can create better conditions for the growth of these cyanobacterial blooms (Gushulak et al., 2025).
Temperature
There is a positive correlation between the biomass of cyanobacterial blooms and warmer temperatures (Urrutia‐Cordero, et al., 2020).
Cyanobacterial blooms thrive during the warming transition from spring to summer (Wasmund, 2017).
The settlement into sediment takes place when there are colder conditions (Cottingham, et al., 2021).
Uncontrollable temperatures can affect the life cycle of the different taxa of cyanobacteria leading to an overall influence on the process of recruitment(Urrutia‐Cordero, et al., 2020).
Global warming increases cyanobacterial bloom biomass through both short-term temperature fluctuations and overall warmer conditions (Zhang et al., 2016).
The cyanobacterial growth caused by rising temperatures can be controlled by limiting nutrients in the lake (Visser, et al., 2016).
Nutrient Availability
The increase in availability of nutrients increases the biomass of cyanobacterial blooms (Yang, et al., 2016).
The eutrophication in lakes has already been increasing worldwide because of excess nitrogen and phosphorus levels in freshwater ecosystems (Yang, et al., 2016).
Excessive phosphate present in the water column is a key condition in allowing the growth of cyanobacterial blooms (Wasmund, 2017).
The blooms fix nitrogen so then there is a shortage of oxygen. When phosphorus is released it allows the growth of the blooms even more.
References
References
Gushulak, Cale AC, et al. "The role of surface water waves on cyanobacterial blooms in lakes." Limnology and Oceanography Letters (2025).
Wasmund, Norbert. "Recruitment of bloom-forming cyanobacteria from winter/spring populations in the Baltic Sea verified by a mesocosm approach." Boreal Environment Research 22.1-6 (2017): 445.
Cottingham, Kathryn L., et al. "Predicting the effects of climate change on freshwater cyanobacterial blooms requires consideration of the complete cyanobacterial life cycle." Journal of Plankton Research 43.1 (2021): 10-19.
Voyles, Maggie, and Lesley B. Knoll. "Multiple environmental stressors mediate cyanobacteria recruitment in microcosms simulating spring conditions from two Midwest US hypereutrophic reservoirs." Journal of Plankton Research 47.5 (2025): fbaf045.
Borges, Hugo, et al. "Intracellular, environmental and biotic interactions influence recruitment of benthic Microcystis (Cyanophyceae) in a shallow eutrophic lake." Journal of Plankton Research 38.5 (2016): 1289-1301.
Verspagen, J. M. H., E. O. F. M. Snelder, P. M. Visser, J. Huisman, L. R. Mur, and B. W. Ibelings. "Recruitment of benthic Microcystis (Cyanophyceae) to the water column: Internal buoyancy changes or resuspension?" Journal of Phycology, vol. 40, no. 2, 2004, pp. 260–270. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1529-8817.2004.03174.x.
Ji, Xiaoyan, et al. "Strong spring winds accelerated the recruitment and reinvasion of cyanobacteria." Environmental Science and Pollution Research 28 (2021): 16855-16866.
Yang, Zhen, et al. "Nutrient reduction magnifies the impact of extreme weather on cyanobacterial bloom formation in large shallow Lake Taihu (China)." Water research 103 (2016): 302-310.
Salazar Torres, Gian, and Zdeněk Adámek. "Factors promoting the recruitment of benthic cyanobacteria resting stages: a review." Croatian Journal of Fisheries: Ribarstvo 71.4 (2013): 182-186.
Urrutia‐Cordero, Pablo, et al. "Climate warming and heat waves alter harmful cyanobacterial blooms along the benthic–pelagic interface." Ecology 101.7 (2020): e03025.
Zhang, Min, et al. "Effects of temperature fluctuation on the development of cyanobacterial dominance in spring: implication of future climate change." Hydrobiologia 763 (2016): 135-146.
Visser, Petra M., et al. "How rising CO2 and global warming may stimulate harmful cyanobacterial blooms." Harmful algae 54 (2016): 145-159.
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NACE Career Readiness Competencies
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