Cyanobacteria

Blue-green algae or cyanobacteria? Blue -green algae is an archaic name for cyanobacteria (cyano = blue-green). Because they are photosynthetic, cyanobacteria were originally classified as "plants" or algae. However, cyanobacteria are in fact bacteria. Cyanobacteria are an ancient group of organisms that evolved approximately 3.5 billion years ago. They are an extremely diverse group that have adapted to a broad range of environments. Marine Botany has an ongoing research interest in cyanobacteria in particular trichodesmium, an oceanic cyanobacteria (the topic of Judy O'Neil's PhD) and Lyngbya, which is an ongoing research project. Trichodesmium Lyngbya Microscopic view Floating mats Floating mat with Heron Island on the background Floating mat with North Stradbroke Island on the background   More information Lyngbya majuscula blooms. Cyanobacteria impacting our coastline pdf