Investigating the impact of land use and the potential for harmful algal blooms in a tropical lagoon of the Gulf of Mexico

• Palynological and geochemical data from a sediment core collected in the shallow Alvarado lagoon.
• Recent increase of freshwater-sourced organic matter.
• Important modern cyst bank of the potentially harmful Pyrodinium bahamense in sediment.

Palynological and geochemical analyses were carried out on a sediment core collected in the shallow Alvarado lagoon (Veracruz, Southwestern Gulf of Mexico) in order to evaluate the impact of the significant decline in the surrounding native coastal vegetation on phytoplankton assemblages. The sedimentary sequence encompasses the last millennium and provides information on pre-industrial phytoplankton assemblages. Results highlight a recent increase of freshwater-sourced organic matter relative to marine organic matter in line with reduced total concentrations of cyst-producing dinoflagellates. These changes appear to be synchronous to the extensive conversion of wetlands into agricultural areas, with consequences on the stability and water retention capacity of the soils bordering the lagoon system. The data also show that Polysphaeridium zoharyi, a cyst produced by the potentially toxic dinoflagellate Pyrodinium bahamense, is present in high abundance in the dinoflagellate population of the lagoon. Consequently, the modern cyst bank of P. bahamense in sediment has the potential to initiate harmful blooms since surface sediments are prone to resuspension events related to strong seasonal winds and human activities.