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Gleotrichia Introduction draft:

Gloeotrichia is a large (~2 mm) colonial genus of Cyanobacteria, belonging to the order Nostocales. The name Gloeotrichia is derived from its appearance of filamentous body with mucilage matrix. Found in lakes across the globe, gloeotrichia are notable for the important roles that they play in the nitrogen and phosphorus cycles. Gloeotrichia are also a species of concern for lake managers, as they have been shown to push lakes towards eutrophication and produce deadly toxins (Carey et al., 2012).

Gloeotrichia N-fixation:

Along with their role in the phosphorus cycle, gloeotrichia also play an important role in lake nitrogen (N) cycling. Like many other cyanobacteria, Gloeotrichia have the nitrogenase enzyme, which allows them to convert N from its biologically unavailable form (dissolved N2 gas), into biologically available ammonia (NH3) (Fay, 1992). This N-fixation allows gloeotrichia to outcompete other phytoplankton and thrive in low-N environments. Cyanobacterial N-fixation also impacts overall phytoplankton community structure by increasing the pool of biologically available N within a lake (Cottingham et al., 2015). This increase often boosts phytoplankton production and favors taxa that do better in nutrient rich environments (Cottingham et al., 2015; Carey et al., 2017).