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Microcystin occurrence in lakes in Åland, SW Finland

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Abstract

Samples from a total of 134 lakes, practically all freshwater lakes in Åland, SW Finland, were screened for microcystins, hepatotoxic peptides of cyanobacteria, using high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC), time-resolved fluoroimmunoassay (TR-FIA), and protein phosphatase inhibition (PPIA) during two summers. Microcystins were recorded in 4 of 54 lakes in 1999 and 14 of 134 lakes in 2000, especially in eutrophic lakes but also in some dystrophic lakes and one oligotrophic. There was a satisfactory agreement between results obtained with different methods. The most likely microcystin-producers involved, as judged by microscopical examination, were Planktothrix agardhii, Microcystis aeruginosa, and Anabaena lemmermannii. One drinking-water reservoir and several lakes used for irrigation were microcystin-positive. Microcystins were also detected in late autumn samples from some eutrophic lakes.

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Lindholm, T., Vesterkvist, P., Spoof, L. et al. Microcystin occurrence in lakes in Åland, SW Finland. Hydrobiologia 505, 129–138 (2003). https://doi.org/10.1023/B:HYDR.0000007301.89200.ad

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