Environmental factors affecting the occurrence of different morphological forms of cyanoprokaryotes in the northern Baltic Sea

Cyanoprokaryotes (blue-green algae, cyanobacteria) and environmentalfactors were studied in the Baltic Sea, off the SW coast ofFinland, from April to December 1993. The aim was to outlinethe seasonal development of cyanoprokaryote populations andthe occurrence of species and species groups in relation toprevailing hydrographic conditions and general features of theplanktonic community. Altogether, 27 taxa of cyanoprokaryoteswere encountered, representing the orders Chroococcales, Nostocalesand Oscillatoriales. Different morphological forms of cyanoprokaryotespredominated during certain periods of the year the spherical,gomphosphaerioid colonies of the genera Coelomoron, Coelosphaerium,Snowella and Woronichinia were rather abundant in early springand the most abundant group in late autumn; minute-celled colonieswith mucilaginous structures, e.g. the genera Aphanothece, Cyanonephron,Lemmermanniella and Merismopedia, were abundant during earlysummer; and filamentous, nitrogen-fixing species in late summerand early autumn. Each of the periods represents a distinctsuccessional phase of the planktonic community with inherentenvironmental conditions, and it was obvious that the cyanoprokaryoticassemblage was modified by the general development of the planktoniccommunity. According to canonical correspondence analysis (CCA),temperature and the weight ratio of inorganic nitrogen to inorganicphosphorus were the most important factors explaining variationin the cyanoprokaryote assemblage.