The Consequences of Cyanobacteria on Freshwater Ecosystems

by Paige Jessup, Climate Change Resiliency Intern Cyanobacteria, also known as blue-green algae, is one of the oldest living organisms on earth and are generally unicellular. These organisms are photosynthetic and require sunlight, water, and nutrients such as nitrogen and phosphorus to reproduce. Due to current land use practices along Canada's shorelines, humans are opening up these organisms to these perfect conditions they need to reproduce each year and also to reproduce earlier in the ... Read More

by Paige Jessup, Climate Change Resiliency Intern Despite its name, blue-green algae is not actually algae - it is a type of bacteria called cyanobacteria that lives in fresh and marine water. Most species of cyanobacteria are unicellular and photosynthetic, meaning they use sunlight to produce their own food. Blue-green algae can reproduce rapidly in warm, slow-moving, nutrient rich environments. In the right conditions, these bacteria will rapidly reproduce and cause a bloom, spreading ... Read More

by Paige Jessup, Climate Change Resiliency Intern Each summer, harmful algae blooms are at the forefront of local news around the country. The danger to humans, pets, and livestock have increased public awareness but these blooms also have a profound ecological impact. Could buffer zones play a role in combating these algae blooms? Toxic algae blooms of most species of cyanobacteria thrive in warm, calm, high nutrient environments. With the increase of global temperatures due to climate ... Read More

by Paige Jessup, Climate Change Resiliency Intern Reports of blue-green algae in the Great Lakes have bloomed in the last decade. The increased public awareness has shed a light on the issue of eutrophication on freshwater lakes. However, there are other factors involved in the growth of algae like invasive species, overfishing, and food web alterations, all often caused by human activities (Pick, 2016). Canada is home to the largest concentration of freshwater lakes in the world, and ... Read More

by Paige Jessup, Climate Change Resiliency Intern Cyanobacteria, or “blue-green algae”, are one of the old living organisms on earth, evolving from a group of microbes approximately 2.7 billion years ago. Cyanobacteria are thought to be the cause of one of Earth's mass extinctions called “The Great Oxygenation Event” which took place between 2.4-2.1 billion years ago and wiped out almost all life on earth (Aiyer, 2022). Cyanobacteria survived this extinction and eventually went through a ... Read More

by Paige Jessup, Climate Resilience Intern What do you value most about your cottage? Maybe you like to go there and fish or swim, get out on the boat, or enjoy the quiet once you leave the city. In 2021, Watersheds Canada and Canadian Wildlife Federation conducted a survey to find out what shoreline property owners value most. The top three values selected were Water Quality, Swimming, and Scenery/View (Love Your Lake, 2021). However, most actions taken along the shoreline didn’t match with ... Read More

Enter a contest to win a beautifully hand-crafted, new decorative Belted Kingfisher carving generously donated to Watersheds Canada by Canadian artist, Mike Reader: Belted Kingfisher are a common visitor to river and shoreline areas, nesting along banks and hunting almost exclusively on aquatic prey. You may have had the treat of hearing the rattling call of the kingfisher even if you haven't been able to spot it. Healthy riparian habitat is critical for Belted Kingfisher to thrive as ... Read More