Predicting and Managing the Mass Occurrence of Lyngbya sensu lato in Marine and Freshwater Environments: Current Knowledge, Challenges, and Opportunities

Significant cyanobacterial proliferations dominated by Lyngbya have been increasingly reported since the 2000s, posing environmental, economic, and human-health risks. This review synthesizes their distribution, predictors, toxicity, and management strategies of all identified Lyngbya species, including species historically classified as Lyngbya despite later taxonomic changes. Research has focused mainly on Lyngbya majuscula and Lyngbya wollei. For L. majuscula, bloom initiation is driven by proximate abiotic factors such as nutrients, light, and temperature; while broader conditions, including bottom currents, sediment nutrients, rainfall, and land use, set the stage for proliferation. Toxin production appears related to nutrient levels and temperature, although mechanisms remain poorly understood. Management of L. wollei commonly relies on copper-based chelated algaecides, despite their risks to non-target organisms, highlighting the need for more sustainable tools used in managing other cyanobacteria. Existing predictive models for Lyngbya proliferation show limited accuracy, partly due to insufficient in situ data. This review argues that novel monitoring approaches could provide the data needed to strengthen predictive models, also offering insights into a new modeling approach, supporting more proactive and effective Lyngbya bloom management. It is particularly valuable for research in water resource management and environmental science, as it synthesizes current knowledge essential for advancing management strategies.