Cyanobacteria

Cyanobacteria Latest News

Recently, researchers found that cyanobacteria can be used to absorb lead from contaminated water. 

About Cyanobacteria

• These are also called blue-green algae, microscopic organisms found naturally in all types of water.
• They have the distinction of being the oldest known fossils, more than 3.5 billion years old.
• Habitat: These single-celled organisms live in fresh, brackish (combined salt and fresh water), and marine water.

‹ ›

Characteristics of cyanobacteria

• Autotrophs: All cyanobacteria are autotrophs, meaning they produce their own energy by photosynthesizing sunlight. Cyanobacteria are a very old group of organisms. 
• These are the most primitive organisms in the plant kingdom and show typical prokaryotic organization.
• Reproduction in Cyanobacteria: Cyanobacteria also reproduce asexually and the commonest mode of reproduction in them is transverse binary fission.
• Some are solitary, others are colonial and few cyanobacteria produce toxins.
• Cyanobacteria blooms can form in warm, slow-moving waters that are rich in nutrients from sources such as fertilizer runoff or septic tank overflows.
• In warm, nutrient-rich environments, microscopic cyanobacteria can grow quickly, creating blooms that spread across the water’s surface and may become visible.

Source: TH