Factors Influencing the Abundance of Blue-Green Algae in Florida Lakes

Phytoplankton samples collected from 165 Florida lakes were examined to determine relationships between blue-green algal abundance and environmental conditions. Blue-green algal biomass in the Florida samples was weakly correlated (r = −0.34) with water transparency and the concentration of total nitrogen (TN) (r = 0.47) and total phosphorus (TP) (r = 0.33). The relative contribution of blue-green algae to total phytoplankton biomass, however, did not decrease with TN/TP > 29. Blue-green algal biomass was strongly correlated (r = 0.90) to total algal biomass, and blue-green algae became consistently dominant when total algal biomass exceeded 100 mg/L.