Harmful algal blooms and cyanotoxins in Lake Amatitlan, Guatemala, coincided with ancient Maya occupation in the watershed.

ABSTRACT: Human-induced deforestation and soil erosion were environmental stressors for the ancient Maya of Mesoamerica. Furthermore, intense, periodic droughts during the Terminal Classic Period, ca. Common Era 830 to 950, have been documented from lake sediment cores and speleothems. Today, lakes worldwide that are surrounded by dense human settlement and intense riparian land use often develop algae/cyanobacteria blooms that can compromise water quality by depleting oxygen and producing toxins. Such environmental impacts have rarely been explored in the context of ancient Maya settlement. We measured nutrients, biomarkers for cyanobacteria, and the cyanotoxin microcystin in a sediment core from Lake Amatitlán, highland Guatemala, which spans the last ∼2,100 y. The lake is currently hypereutrophic

SUBMITTER: Waters MN 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC8640734 | biostudies-literature | 2021 Nov

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature