In this context, this study investigated (1) the distribution, diversity and abundance of planktonic cyanobacteria in lakes from the west and northwest of Ireland, and (2) the summer dynamics in the composition and toxic potential of cyanobacterial assemblages in a selection of water bodies. Of particular interest was to characterise potential trends between land cover typology and the capacity for microalgal biomass development, and to identify lakes at risk of harbouring future blooms of toxigenic cyanobacteria. To this end, given the range of anthropogenic pressures the study area is subjected to and the high number of water bodies within, a regionalisation framework was applied, based on a stratified sampling strategy of lakes designed following GIS analysis of river catchment attributes. Results highlighted the linkage between land topography and water quality across the study area. In particular, the midland zone, subjected to substantial agricultural activity, harboured a greater proportion of lakes of lesser quality compared to the more natural habitats found in coastal and mountainous areas. The summer diversity of cyanobacterial communities in the lakes was investigated using a genetic fingerprinting methodology and showed complex distribution patterns both in space and time. In particular, the analysis showed the presence of the toxigenic genus Anabaena, which was common Overall, the regional assessment of cyanobacterial diversity shows great potential for incorporation into a battery of methods for the management of aquatic resources. In the future, the inclusion of molecular analysis to microbial monitoring programmes will facilitate the evaluation of the efficiency of the environmental policies introduced to improve water quality.

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Touzet, N.   "Molecular Diversity and Dynamics of Toxigenic Blue-green Algae in Irish Lakes". Associated datasets and digitial information objects connected to this resource are available at: Secure Archive For Environmental Research Data (SAFER) managed by Environmental Protection Agency Ireland https://eparesearch.epa.ie/safer/resource?id=f3ccc5f0-c684-11e1-84ca-005056ae0019 (Last Accessed: 2024-12-14)

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SAFER-Data Display URL	https://eparesearch.epa.ie/safer/iso19115/display?isoID=273
Resource Keywords	Molecular Diversity Toxigenic Cyanobacteria Irish Lakes
EPA/ERTDI/STRIVE Project Code	2008-FS-EH-3-S5
EPA/ERTDI/STRIVE Project Theme	Water Quality
Resource Availability:	Public-Open
Limitations on the use of this Resource	Any attached datasets, data files, or information objects can be downloaded for further use in scientific applications under the condition that the source is properly quoted and cited in published papers, journals, websites, presentations, books, etc. Before downloading, users must agree to the "Conditions of Download and Access" from SAFER-Data. These appear before download. Users of the data should also communicate with the original authors/owners of this resource if they are uncertain about any aspect of the data or information provided before further usage.
Number of Attached Files (Publicly and Openly Available for Download):	2
Project Start Date	Tuesday 1st January 2008 (01-01-2008)
Earliest Recorded Date within any attached datasets or digital objects	Tuesday 1st January 2008 (01-01-2008)
Most Recent Recorded Date within any attached datasets or digital objects	Friday 1st June 2012 (01-06-2012)
Published on SAFER	Thursday 5th July 2012 (05-07-2012)
Date of Last Edit	Thursday 5th July 2012 at 10:38:36 (05-07-2012)
Datasets or Files Updated On	Thursday 5th July 2012 at 10:38:36 (05-07-2012)

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Description of Geographical Characteristics of This Project or Dataset
The dynamics of planktonic cyanobacteria were monitored during summer 2010 in Lough Corrib and Ballyquirke Lough (Co. Galway) and showed variation in time, with the occurrence at the end of the summer of microcystin-producing populations. Finally, fine resolution time-lapse sampling was carried out with an Aquamonitor (Envirotech) to trace the surface dynamics of phytoplankton in Lough Graney Sampling was carried out over a period of 15 weeks during the summer of 2009 (26 May to 3 September) extending in latitude from 52°20? south to 55°10? north, with a surface area of ~40,000 km2 and a population of ~1,230,000 (Co. Clare) in late August 2010. The study area crossed over three river basin districts (North-Western, Western and Shannon) and was constituted of soils predominantly composed of carboniferous limestone and blanket peats in the central region and the western-northern areas, Interrogation of a GIS database maintained by the EPA showed the study area to contain 9,019 water bodies, accounting for ~75% of the national amount. Some lakes within the study area are subject to a range of human uses, in particular water abstraction and recreational activities. Two major lakes, Lough Corrib and Lough Ree, have been attributed the status of Nutrient Sensitive waters under the WFD and are listed in Ireland's Urban Waste Water Treatment Regulations (S.I. 254/2001). Only water bodies greater than 5 ha surface area were considered for sampling, which amounted to a total of 1,230 lakes. The sampling effort was set to 50 lakes (~4% of population) across an area containing 59 river catchments.

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