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INTRODUCTION

Cyanobacteria are photosynthetic, aquatic, prokaryotic and gram-negative cells. They can make their food and generate Oxygen independently. They are unicellular cell and lack of nucleus. 


Scientific names: Cyanobacteria
Common names: Cyanophyceae, Myxophyceae, Oxyphotobacteria,...
Size:1 µm in diameter (0.5 µm in length). Largest prokaryotic organism.
Lifespan: approximately 3500 million years.
Found in seas, rivers, oceans, lakes,....
Known as "blue-green algae".
Etymology: "Cyano" indicates blue in the Greek kyanos, cyanobacteria indicating “blue bacteria”. 
Movement: gliding away from the light

CLASSIFICATION

Kingdom: Protista, together with the other phyla-Euglenophyta, Chrysophyta, Pyrrophyta, Chlorophyta.
 

Empire

Prokaryota

Kingdom Eubacteria

Phylum Cyanobacteria

Class
Cyanophyceae

Order

Chroococcales

Oscillatoriales

Nostocales

Stigonematales

Pleurocapsale

Taxonomy

Taxonomy: classified into 5 orders based on their morphology and reproduction


 

Name
 

Characteristics
 

Classified
 

Chroococcales
 

Nostocales
 

Stigonematales
 

Pleurocapsale
 

Chroococcales spherical, ovoid or cylindrical shape, reproduce by binary fission

Aphanocapsa        Gloeocapsa

Microcystis

Polyphyletic, lack true branching, heterocysts and akinetes
Form multicellular elongated structures 

Lyngbya                  Planktothrix

Phormidium

Chroococcales
Oscillatoriales
Nostocales
Stigonematales
Pleurocapsale
 

Oscillatoriales
 

  • Monophyletic group

  • Thick cell walls (hyaline protoplast) trichomes with heterogeneous cellular composition

Similar to Nostocales, monophyletic group, heterogeneous cellular composition of trichomes.

  • Coccoid spore-forming,

  • Divide by multiple fissions

Calothrix            Anabaena

Nostoc

Stigonema, Mastigocladus

Pleurocapsa, Odorella

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