Cyanobacteria : New Study
Researchers found that cyanobacteria can be used to absorb lead from contaminated water.
- Cyanobacteria 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.
- 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.
- 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.
