Variability in periphyton community and biomass over 37 years in Lake Tahoe (CA-NV)

Nuisance periphyton blooms are occurring in oligotrophic lakes worldwide, but few lakes have documented changes in biomass through periphyton monitoring. For decades periphyton has caused concern about oligotrophic Lake Tahoe’s nearshore water quality. To determine whether eulittoral periphyton increased in Lake Tahoe, measures of biomass and dominant communities at 0.5 m below lake level have been monitored regularly at nine shoreline sites starting in 1982, with up to 54 additional sites monitored annually at peak biomass. Lake-wide, this metric of periphyton biomass has not increased since monitoring began. Biomass decreased at many sites and increased at one. Periphyton biomass peaked in March and was low in the summer lake-wide. The northern and western shores had higher biomass than the eastern and southern shores. Biomass varied with lake level. High biomass occurred at sites regardless of urban development levels. As increasing periphyton at Lake Tahoe was first cited in scientific literature in the 1960s, it is possible that periphyton increased prior to our monitoring program. A dearth of published long-term monitoring data from oligotrophic lakes with reported periphyton blooms makes it difficult to determine the extent of this issue worldwide. Long-term nearshore monitoring is crucial for tracking and understanding periphyton blooms.