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Present–absent: a chronicle of the dinoflagellate Peridinium gatunense from Lake Kinneret

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Abstract

A long-term record dating back to the 1960s indicates that Peridinium gatunense, an armored dinoflagellate, dominated the phytoplankton of Lake Kinneret (Sea of Galilee, Israel) until the mid-1990s, with a relatively stable spring bloom. However, since 1996, these blooms became irregular, failing to develop in 10 out of the past 16 years. During the later period, a significant correlation (R 2 = 0.605, P = 0.013) was found between annual peak P. gatunense biomass and riverine inflow volume. In-lake surveys showed that patches of high P. gatunense densities were associated with water enriched with fresher inflowing Jordan River water. Supplementing laboratory cultures of P. gatunense with Hula Valley water stimulated its growth relative to un-enriched controls. A likely explanation to the recent irregular blooms of this dinoflagellate is a hydrological modification that was made in the catchment in the mid-1990s, preventing Hula Valley water from reaching Lake Kinneret in most years—except for exceptionally wet years. We propose that until the mid-1990s, the Jordan River water enriched Lake Kinneret with a growth factor (a microelement and/or organic compound) originating in the Hula Valley, which in recent years has arrived in sufficient quantities to support a bloom only in high-rainfall years.

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Acknowledgments

Tatiana Fishbein carried out the phytoplankton counts. Jessica Simler conducted the Peridinium growth experiments as part of her MSc thesis. Amir Givati (Israel Hydrological Services, Israel Water Authority) provided the Jordan River Inflow volume data. The Mekorot Watershed Unit conducted all the chemical analyses of the routine monitoring program and provided the monthly nutrient loading data. Ludwig Halitz from the Israel Geological Survey conducted the micronutrient determinations. The Israel Water Authority funded the Lake Kinneret monitoring program. A grant from the Israel Water Authority to AS supported the experimental part of this study.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Kinneret Limnological Laboratory, Israel Oceanographic & Limnological Research, P.O. Box 447, Migdal, 14950, Israel

    Tamar Zohary, Aminadav Nishri & Assaf Sukenik

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  1. Tamar Zohary
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  2. Aminadav Nishri
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  3. Assaf Sukenik
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Correspondence to Tamar Zohary.

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Guest editors: N. Salmaso, L. Naselli-Flores, L. Cerasino, G. Flaim, M. Tolotti & J. Padisák / Phytoplankton responses to human impacts at different scales: 16th workshop of the International Association of Phytoplankton Taxonomy and Ecology (IAP)

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Zohary, T., Nishri, A. & Sukenik, A. Present–absent: a chronicle of the dinoflagellate Peridinium gatunense from Lake Kinneret. Hydrobiologia 698, 161–174 (2012). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10750-012-1145-6

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10750-012-1145-6

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