Cyanobacteria and cyanotoxins: a long history of studies in Sardinia (Italy)

The aim of this review is to reconstruct the scientific research on cyanobacteria and cyanotoxins carried out in the artificial lakes of Sardinia (Italy), the second largest island in the Mediterranean Sea, over a period of about 50 years, from the 1970s to the present. The information contained in scientific articles in Web of Science and Scopus databases was analysed using specific keywords. In addition, scientific articles not included in the above-mentioned databases were considered if they were published after a peer review process or if they were available on the website of public institutions. The analysis resulted in the identification of 60 scientific papers containing information on cyanobacteria and/or cyanotoxins, leading to a list of 77 taxa signalled and four groups of cyanotoxins ascertained (microcystins, anatoxin, cylindrospermopsin; β-N-Methylamino-L-Alanine, BMAA). In addition to these results, we point out the research we are carrying out and would like to continue in the future, a future in which it will be extremely important to be able to juggle the expected progressive affirmation of cyanobacteria and related issues. We highlight the difficulty of finding scientific articles published before the 2000s in the most widely used databases (Web of Science and Scopus), despite the fact that the production is rich and cutting-edge compared to the period in which the research was carried out. Finally, we signal the importance of close collaboration between institutions to obtain the results reported, the overcoming of disciplinary boundaries and the development of a collaborative rather than competitive environment between different research groups in dealing with such complex topics.