Cyanobacteria of the 2016 Lake Okeechobee and Okeechobee Waterway Harmful Algal Bloom Open-File Report 2017–1054 U.S. Department of the Interior U.S. Geological Survey Cover. Photomicrograph of Dolichospermum circinale collected July 9, 2016, from Lake Okeechobee, Florida. These living cells in a coiled filament are illuminated with wide-blue epifluorescence microscopy. Pigments in the cells glow yellow in vegetative cells, which have small orange spots—the aerotopes, and round red cells—the heterocytes. Cyanobacteria of the 2016 Lake Okeechobee and Okeechobee Waterway Harmful Algal Bloom By Barry H. Rosen, Timothy W. Davis, Christopher J. Gobler, Benjamin J. Kramer, and Keith A. Loftin Open-File Report 2017–1054 U.S. Department of the Interior U.S. Geological Survey U.S. Department of the Interior RYAN K. ZINKE, Secretary U.S. Geological Survey William H. Werkheiser, Acting Director U.S. Geological Survey, Reston, Virginia: 2017 For more information on the USGS—the Federal source for science about the Earth, its natural and living resources, natural hazards, and the environment—visit http://www.usgs.gov or call 1–888–ASK–USGS. For an overview of USGS information products, including maps, imagery, and publications, visit http://www.usgs.gov/pubprod/. Any use of trade, firm, or product names is for descriptive purposes only and does not imply endorsement by the U.S. Government. Although this information product, for the most part, is in the public domain, it also may contain copyrighted materials as noted in the text. Permission to reproduce copyrighted items must be secured from the copyright owner. Suggested citation: Rosen, B.H., Davis, T.W., Gobler, C.J., Kramer, B.J., and Loftin, K.A. , 2017, Cyanobacteria of the 2016 Lake Okeechobee Waterway harmful algal bloom: U.S. Geological Survey Open-File Report 2017–1054, 34 p., https://doi. org/10.3133/ofr20171054. ISSN 2331-1258 (online) iii Acknowledgments The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) has undertaken the task of documenting the cyanobacteria of the 2016 Lake Okeechobee and Okeechobee Waterway bloom in a readily available digital format. These images and associated names are needed for current and future research on algal blooms. This project was funded by the USGS Priority Ecosystem Study program. The authors are grateful for the taxonomic advice and thorough review of Sue Watson with Environment and Climate Change, Canada (ret.), Ann St. Amand with PhycoTech, and Jennifer L. Graham with the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS). Samples were provided by Bruce Sharfstein of the South Florida Water Management District and Travis Knight and Robert Clendening of the USGS Caribbean-Florida Water Science Center. This project was funded by the USGS Priority Ecosystem Study program and USGS Environmental Health Toxic Substances Hydrology Program. iv v Contents Abstract ...........................................................................................................................................................1 Introduction ....................................................................................................................................................1 Methods...........................................................................................................................................................2 Field Samples.........................................................................................................................................2 Morphologically Based Taxonomy .....................................................................................................4 Microscopy ............................................................................................................................................4 Organisms .......................................................................................................................................................5 References ....................................................................................................................................................32 Figures 1. Locations of the water samples taken from Lake Okeechobee and the Lake Okeechobee Waterway for the photomicrographs in this publication ...............................3 2. Gloeocapsa punctata ...................................................................................................................5 3. Microcystis aeruginosa ...............................................................................................................6 4. Microcystis wesenbergii .............................................................................................................7 5. Cuspidothrix tropicalis .................................................................................................................8 6. Cylindrospermopsis raciborskii ..................................................................................................9 7. Dolichospermum affine ..............................................................................................................10 8. Dolichospermum circinale ........................................................................................................11 9. Dolichospermum heterosporum ...............................................................................................12 10. Dolichospermum sp. ...................................................................................................................13 11. Fortiea monilispora .....................................................................................................................14 12. Hapalosiphon sp. ........................................................................................................................15 13. Hapalosiphon sp. ........................................................................................................................16 14. Anabaena mediocris ..................................................................................................................17 15. Macrospermum volzii .................................................................................................................18 16. Nostoc sp. ....................................................................................................................................19 17. Planktothrix suspensa ................................................................................................................20 18. Coelomoron pusillum ..................................................................................................................21 19. Planktolyngbya contorta ............................................................................................................22 20. Planktolyngbya limnetica ..........................................................................................................23 21. Aphanocapsa delicatissima ......................................................................................................24 22. Aphanocapsa cf. planctonica ...................................................................................................25 23. Aphanocapsa grevillei ...............................................................................................................26 24. Merismopedia punctata ............................................................................................................27 25. Limnothrix redekei ......................................................................................................................28 26. Pseudanabaena cf. galeata ......................................................................................................29 27. Pseudanabaena mucicola .........................................................................................................30 28. Pseudanabaena sp. ....................................................................................................................31 vi Tables 1. Sample date, site identification, latitude and longitude, and source for sample collections ........................................................................................................................2 Conversion Factors International System of Units to U.S. customary units Multiply By To obtain Length millimeter (mm) 0.03937 inch (in.) Volume liter (L) 33.81402 ounce, fluid (fl. oz) liter (L) 2.113 pint (pt) liter (L) 1.057 quart (qt) liter (L) 0.2642 gallon (gal) Temperature in degrees Celsius (°C) may be converted to degrees Fahrenheit (°F) as °F = (1.8 × °C) + 32. Abbreviations cf. compare to oC degrees centigrade HABs Harmful Algal Blooms mm micrometer mL milliliter NOAA National Oceanographic and Atmospheric Administration sp. species SFWMD South Florida Water Management District USGS U.S. Geological Survey UV ultraviolet Cyanobacteria of the 2016 Lake Okeechobee and Okeechobee Waterway Harmful Algal Bloom By Barry H. Rosen1, Timothy W. Davis2, Christopher J. Gobler3, Benjamin J. Kramer3 and Keith A. Loftin4 Abstract Introduction The Lake Okeechobee and the Okeechobee Waterway Lake Okeechobee has long been classified as a (Lake Okeechobee, the St. Lucie Canal and River, and the eutrophic water body (Canfield and Hoyer, 1988). One Caloosahatchee River) experienced an extensive harmful consequence of nutrient pollution and degraded water algal bloom within Lake Okeechobee, the St. Lucie Canal quality is the formation of harmful algal blooms (HABs), and River and the Caloosahatchee River in 2016. In addition