The first finding of our study is that benthic Microcystis colonies buried in the sediment for almost 3 years are still able to contribute to the recruitment process. Although the recruitment rate of this oldest population was low, it does confirm the long-term resistance of these organisms confronted by unfavorable conditions (darkness, low temperature and anoxia conditions), as previously suggested by the work of Latour. This finding is of particular interest for the management of water resources, and suggests that further consideration should be given to limiting the resuspension of sediment containing overwinter cyanobacteria, so as to avoid promoting their inoculation of the water column. This long-term survival provides a certain ecological plasticity to Microcystis, allowing it to adapt to varied or changing environments. This ability could explain its occurrence and persistence in many freshwater systems.