What is cyanobacteria

Health Tools. Reviewed: August 7, Medically Reviewed. Cyanobacteria are a group of bacteria found throughout the world. Cyanobacteria Blooms Blooms of cyanobacteria — when the population of cyanobacteria explodes — typically occur in still or slow-moving water, such as lakes, ponds, and weak streams, when the water is warm, gets plenty of sunlight, and is rich in nutrients like phosphorous and nitrogen.

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There are multiple variants, including anatoxin-a, homoanatoxin-a, and anatoxin-a s. These toxins are mainly associated with the cyanobacterial genera Chrysosporum Aphanizomenon ovalisporum, Cuspidothrix, Raphidiopsis previously Cylindrospermopsis , Cylindrospermum, Dolichospermum, Microcystis, Oscillatoria, Planktothrix, Phormidium, Dolichospermum previously Anabaena flos-aquae, A. There is no information available on the carcinogenicity of anatoxin-a in humans or animals or on potential carcinogenic precursor effects.

When toxigenic marine dinoflagellates are consumed by shellfish, toxins concentrate and are delivered to consumers of the shellfish. These toxins have been reported also in freshwater cyanobacteria including Aphanizomenon flos—aquae, Dolichospermum previously Anabaena circinalis, Lyngbya wollei, Planktothrix spp.

Skip to main content. Contact Us. Related Information. Shedding Light on Cyanobacteria Webinar. Contact Us to ask a question, provide feedback, or report a problem. The phycobiliproteins are components of the phycobilisomes light-harvesting antennae for cyanobacterial photosystems. Phycobilisomes are embedded on the intracytoplasmic membranes thylakoids.

These pigments are responsible for the blue-green pigmentation of cyanobacteria and they enable them to synthesize their own sugar through photosynthesis. Some cyanobacteria e. Prochlorothrix , Prochlorococcus , Prochloron lack phycobilisomes and they have chlorophyll b instead. Cyanobacteria are prokaryotic.

They lack a membrane-bound nucleus. Nevertheless, they have microcompartments. For instance, carboxysome is a compartmentalized cage-like structure surrounded by a protein shell. Apart from photosynthesis, the thylakoids are also involved in cellular respiration.

While the thylakoid machinery for electron transport is used for photosynthesis in the light during the day it is then used for respiration in the dark at night. Filamentous species may differentiate into vegetative cells photosynthetic cells , akinetes spores resistant to harsh environmental conditions , or to heterocysts cells capable of nitrogen fixation by producing the enzyme nitrogenase. Apart from photosynthesis, cyanobacteria are capable of nitrogen fixation through heterocysts.

Some of them are nonmotile whereas others can move by gliding motility. Motile filaments of cyanobacterial cells are called hormogonia. Individual cells may break away from this filament to start a new colony elsewhere. In order to float, they form gas vesicle a vesicle bounded by a protein sheath and not by a lipid membrane.

Cyanobacteria reproduce by binary fission. Certain cyanobacteria are nitrogen-fixing organisms.