AUSTIN, Texas -- To understand the blue-green algae bloom along Lady Bird Lake, it’s important to understand the organism itself.

  • Biologist discusses blue-green algae
  • Says lack of moving water, heat produces blooms

“Blue green algae are really bacteria that are photosynthetic, so they evolve oxygen like green plants do unlike most other bacteria,” molecular biosciences Professor John W. La Claire at the University of Texas in Austin said.

The climate conditions are just right for them to flourish.

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“In areas where there's very little water flow and increased temperature. So when you have stagnant water you often have cyanobacteria growing there,” he said.

The lack of rainfall means there isn’t enough flowing water, and the long, hot hours of sunlight mean the bacteria are growing in numbers.

“We think probably the increase in these harmful blooms is due to global warming, climate change. Also fertilizers and increases in fertilizers running into bodies of water. They love those nutrients especially phosphates,” he says.

Clumps of algae along Auditorium Shores are releasing air bubbles, meaning they’re making their own food from the sun. Oxygen isn’t the only thing they’re releasing into the water.

Oscillatoria is a type of cyanobacteria associated with blue-green algae.

“That particular one produces two alkaloids which are nitrogen-containing compounds that seriously affect the nervous system in particular,” says La Claire.

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Those dangerous toxins could be behind deaths in a number of dogs in the area, and they could hurt humans too. But even experts are stumped on the purpose of the neurotoxins.

“Why these organisms produce these toxins, in other words, what’s the function of these toxins for the organism? Nobody has a clue,” La Claire said.

What’s also difficult to understand is why some species are affected, and others aren’t.

“One thing that surprises me so far is that we haven’t seen a lot of fishkills, at all, around Red Bud Isle or in Town Lake or in other places where these algae seem to be occurring,” La Claire said. “When conditions change they will slowly disappear. It’s just a waiting game, it’s unfortunate.”