UDC 574.5

CYANOBACTERIUM GLOEOTRICHIA ECHINULATA BLOOM IN LAKE PLESHCHEYEVO: CAUSES AND CONSEQUENCES

Published in Transactions of Papanin Institute for Biology of Inland Waters RAS · Issue 114, 2026 · Pages 7–18 · Rubric: Aquatic flora and fauna
DOI: https://doi.org/10.47021/0320-3557-2026-114-7-18
Received: 16.03.2026 Accepted: 27.03.2026 Published: 20.06.2026
Authors
This article reviews publications on the development of the cyanobacterium Gloeotrichia echinulata in oligotrophic and mesotrophic lakes, with a special focus on Lake Pleshcheyevo (Yaroslavl region, Russia). The study summarizes the results of phytoplankton investigations conducted over the past 100 years. Since 2017, annual blooms caused by G. echinulata have been observed in the lake. The mass development of this cyanobacterium is driven by a combination of anthropogenic and climatic factors: increased phosphorus loads from adjacent watersheds, rising water temperatures, and reduced water exchange, which promotes stagnation. G. echinulata plays a key role in internal phosphorus loading by transferring this element from bottom sediments into the water column, thereby accelerating eutrophication and further stimulating bloom formation. The proliferation of G. echinulata poses a serious threat to the lake’s ecosystem, particularly to the endemic Pereslavl vendace (Coregonus albula), and may facilitate the concurrent development of other toxic cyanobacteria. Moreover, mass blooms degrade water quality and jeopardize the municipal water supply of the town of Pereslavl-Zalessky.
Gleotrichia, water bloom, phytoplankton, cyanotoxins, water quality
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