Periphyton effects on harmful cyanobacterial bloom and bacterial assemblages in a eutrophic freshwater

The underlying mechanisms for cyanobacterial bloom control were not only attributed to the competition for nutrients but also to the allelochemical production by periphyton. However, the roles of periphytic bacterial as well as planktonic bacterial populations in cyanobacterial bloom have not yet investigated. In addition, the effect of bacteria-periphyton interaction on cyanobacterial bloom was not explored. It could be expected that periphyton growth and dominance of different species of algae and bacteria in the periphyton would influence the growth and metabolism of planktonic cyanobacteria and bacteria. Understanding of these microbial interactions could provide a new insight and clue to the development of novel control strategies, which could suppress cyanobacterial growth by manipulating bacterial community in an environment-friendly manner. Therefore, the purposes of this study were as follows: 1) to explore the effect of attached periphyton on cyanobacterial bloom, 2) to uncover the changes of planktonic/periphytic bacterial community, and 3) to investigate the potential roles of bacteria in pre-bloom/bloom/post-bloom periods.