Spatial variation of phytoplankton composition, biovolume, and resulting microcystin concentrations in the Nyanza Gulf (Lake Victoria, Kenya)

The Nyanza Gulf is a large shallow bay of Lake Victoria suffering from eutrophication by human activities. In order to characterize the harmful algal bloom formation as a consequence of eutrophication, both spatially and seasonally, environmental conditions, phytoplankton community composition, and microcystin (MC) concentrations were investigated monthly from Kisumu Bay, and bimonthly from the center of the gulf, as well as quarterly from the Rusinga Channel and the main basin of Lake Victoria between July 2008 and September 2009. The sites located in Kisumu Bay and the central gulf were most strongly affected by eutrophication, including increased nutrient concentrations and phytoplankton growth. More than 90% of the samples obtained from the gulf were dominated by cyanobacteria, whereas diatoms only dominated in the samples obtained from Rusinga Channel and the main lake. In general, Microcystis accounted for the largest part (>50–90%) of cyanobacterial biovolume. MCs were found in 35 (54%) out of 65 samples and were detected throughout the study period in the gulf, but only in two out of eight samples from the Rusinga Channel and the main lake. A significant linear relationship between Microcystis biovolume and MC concentration was observed (n = 65, R (2) = 0.88, P < 0.001). The highest MC concentrations were recorded in Kisumu Bay between November and March (max. 81 μg l(−1)) when Microcystis showed max. biovolume (18 mm(3) l(−1) in November 2008). The results suggest that seasonal variability did not outweigh the spatial differences in phytoplankton composition and MC production, which is seasonally persistent in Kisumu Bay. ELECTRONIC SUPPLEMENTARY MATERIAL: The online version of this article (doi:10.1007/s10750-012-1062-8) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.