Do the regular annual extreme water level changes affect the seasonal appearance of Anabaena in Poyang Lake?

Background Poyang Lake is an ecosystem experiencing annual variations in water level of up to 14 m. Water level changes were 8.03 and 11.22 m, respectively, in the years 2013 and 2014. The biomass and heterocyst frequency of Anabaena increased in the summers of recent years. Methods A weekly to bi-weekly monitoring from June to November 2013 and 2014 was set up to explain the variations of Anabaena appearance in different phases of the water level. Results Anabaena was present in the lake throughout the year. The average relative biomass of Anabaena in the present study was over 40%, being most abundant in summer. The average heterocyst frequency was 0.23% in 2013 and 0.76% in 2014. Correlation analysis indicated a positive trend of Anabaena biomass with water temperature and water level and a negative one with total nitrogen (TN), which is the reason for the increase of heterocyst frequency in 2013 and 2014. Heterocyst frequency of Anabaena was positively correlated with water temperature, water level and PO 4 -P, and negatively with dissolved inorganic nitrogen (DIN/DIP), NO 3 -N and TN. Moreover, water temperature and DIN/DIP were significantly correlated with water level, indicating that water level changes have a direct effect on Anabaena and heterocyst formation in Poyang Lake. Conclusions The results of this study support the hypothesis that increasing biomass and heterocyst formation of Anabaena can be primarily caused by seasonal changes of the water level in Poyang Lake.