Global proliferations of harmful algal blooms (HABs) due to the excessive growth of cyanobacteria in inland waters is one such challenge. Although climate change has further increased the episodes of HABs, several decades of research has consistently proven the positive role of nutrients, primarily nitrogen and phosphorus, to surface water HABs. Limnologists and policy makers have long been interested in which nutrient (N or P) limit the primary productivity and growth in lakes. There is still a lack of scientific consensus on whether lake eutrophication should be managed by controlling N or P or P alone. In-order to survive, bacteria smartly sense and adapt to changes in the surrounding environment. Most of these combating mechanisms convert external stimuli into changes in the intracellular concentration of a molecule known as a secondary messenger molecule. The bacterial response to these external stimuli is called Stringent Response. We are looking into the role of stringent response in cyanobacteria in coping with external biotic and abiotic stresses.
