*2.2.2 Honduras*

*Microalgae - From Physiology to Application*

**Lake types Algal indicators**

1829

1846

*Canada, modified from Rawson [14].*

In several lakes suffering the eutrophication process, green algae and diatoms have been replaced by cyanobacteria, particularly *Anabaena* spp., *Microcystis aeruginosa* (Kützing) Kützing 1846, *Oscillatoria* spp., and *Lyngbya* spp. ([17–22], among

*The list of dominant algal indicator species for trophic status of various lake types in the western region of* 

Oligotrophic Diatoms: *Asterionella formosa* Hassall 1850, *Melosira islandica* O. Müller 1906*, Tabellaria* 

Dinoflagellates: *Ceratium hirundinella* (O.F.Müller) Dujardin 1841

*Melosira granulata* (Ehrenberg) Ralfs 1861 Chrysophytes: *Dinobryon divergens* O. E. Imhof 1887

Eutrophic Cyanobacteria: *Microcystis flos-aquae* (Wittrock) Kirchner 1898

Mesotrophic Diatoms: *Fragilaria crotonensis* Kitton 1869

*fenestrata* (Lyngbye) Kützing 1844, *Tabellaria flocculosa* (Roth) Kützing 1844, *Fragilaria capucina* Desmazières 1830*, Stephanodiscus niagarae* Ehrenberg 1845*, Staurastrum* spp.,

Green algae: *Pediastrum boryanum* (Turpin) Meneghini 1840, *Pediastrum duplex* Meyen

Cyanobacteria: *Coelosphaerium naegelianum* Unger 1854*, Anabaena* spp., *Aphanizomenon flos-aquae* Ralfs ex Bornet and Flahault 1886*, Microcystis aeruginosa* (Kützing) Kützing

Cyanobacteria dominance in the eutrophic Lake Chapala is described by de Anda and Shear [23]. The high TN and TP concentrations contained in the large quantities of domestic, agricultural, and industrial sewage that enter to the lake through its main tributary, the Lerma river, increased the phytoplankton biomass and resulted in the dominance of *Anabaena flos-aquae* Brébisson ex Bornet and Flauhault 1886. Tomasini-Ortiz et al. [24] reported the dominance of *Aphanizomenon gracile* Lemmermann 1907, followed by *M. aeruginosa*, *Microcystis pulverea* (HC Wood) Forti 1907, and *Anabaena affinis* Lemmermann 1898 in the eutrophic Lake Pátzcuaro, Michoacán State. The authors pointed out that many cyanobacterial blooms have been reported in eutrophic lakes along the Mexican states of Jalisco, Michoacán, Veracruz, San Luis Potosí, Querétaro, Guanajuato, Puebla, Oaxaca, and

Valle de Bravo reservoir (State of Mexico) provides drinking water to about 2,500,000 inhabitants in Mexico City [25]. This water body also shows frequent cyanobacterial blooms as consequence of the high nutrient load in its waters, posing health risks for human population. The common genera found during blooms are *Microcystis* sp., *Oscillatoria* sp., *Anabaena* sp., *Cylindrospermopsis raciborskii*

Unregulated land use and lack of wastewater treatment have led to eutrophica-

Basterrechea [27] found the prevalence of cyanobacteria in the Lake Amatitlán due to eutrophic conditions. Similarly, Rejmánková et al. [28] recorded blooms of the *Lyngbya* species complex (cyanobacteria) as a consequence of the change in land use

tion in many lakes of Guatemala [26]. Some examples of this situation are the

(Woloszynska) Seenayya and Subba Raju 1972, and *Nostoc* sp.

*2.1.3 Mexico*

**Table 2.**

others).

Hidalgo and in Mexico City.

**2.2 Central America**

*2.2.1 Guatemala*

following studies.

**30**

The Lake Yojoa is the largest natural lake in the country and represents an important natural resource for Hondurans [29]. The lake is used extensively for commercial production of tilapia fish; fishes are raised to full maturity in floating cages in the lake, and subsequently, high nutrient load is directly supplied to the water body. Other sources of nutrients are: (a) significant amount of wastewater from the ineffective product of water treatment plant, (b) wastewater from restaurants around the lake, and (c) agricultural practices in the neighboring lands, where fertilizers are commonly used, thus contributing with nutrients to the system, having an impact on water quality [29].

Because of the high input of nutrients, cyanobacteria are the dominant phytoplankton group that accounted for 59.0% of total phytoplankton in the lake [30]. Dominant species in the lake are *M. aeruginosa*, *Aphanocapsa delicatissima* West and GS West 1912, and *Oscillatoria limosa* C. Agardh ex Gomont 1892, all of them common in eutrophic tropical and temperate lakes. Other species that present high densities in lake are the green algae *Staurastrum leptocladum* Nordstedt 1870 and *Sphaerocystis schroeteri* Chodat 1897 and the diatom *Aulacoseira granulata* (Ehrenberg) Simonsen 1979.
