Cyanobacteria

Abstract

The routine monitoring program of Lake Kinneret, initiated as early as 1969, revealed the presence of many species of cyanobacteria. However, it was only the first bloom of the nostocalean species Aphanizomenon ovalisporum in 1994 that attracted special attention to this important division. This chapter describes the abundance of the most important cyanobacterial species in Lake Kinneret and discusses their physiological and biochemical characteristics. Special attention is given to their unique features that contribute to their proliferation and their impact on the lake’s water quality.