Cyanobacteria

THE FIRST ALGAE!!!!!

Evolution
Old 3.5 billion years Dominated as biogenic reefs During Proterozoic Age of Bacteria (2.5 bya 750 mya) they were wide spread Then multicellularity took over Cyanobacteria were first algae!

Cyanobacteria terminology
- Division Cyanophyta - Cyanobacteria formerly known as BlueGreen Algae - Cyano = blue - Bacteria acknowledges that they are more closely related to prokaryotic bacteria than eukaryotic algae

Prokaryotes

Eukaryotes

BOTANY

Cyanobacteria
-Microscopic organisms - Found in marine sediments and pelagic zone, freshwater lakes, soils, - Live in extreme environments chemically and temperature.

Importance

!!!

1) First organisms to have 2 photosystems and to produce organic material and give off O2 as a biproduct. Very important to the evolution of the earths oxidizing atmosphere .

Importance
2) Many fix or convert atmospheric nitrogen into usable forms through Nitrogen Fixation when other forms are unavailable. IMPORTANT because atmospheric N2 is unavailable to most living organisms because breaking the triple bond is difficult

Cyanobacteria Characteristics
- Pigments chl a, phycobiliproteins - phycoerythrin - phycocyanin * BlueGreen Color - allophycocyanin - Storage glycogen - Cell Walls amino acids, sugars

Forms
Unicell with mucilaginous envelope Colonies Filaments uniserate in a single row - OR - multiserate not TRUE branching when trichomes are > 1 in rows

Features
Trichome row of cells

} Filament

Mucilaginous sheath layer of mucilage outside of the cell wall.

Features
Mucilaginous Sheath Function protects cells from drying and involved in gliding. Sheath is often colored: Red = acidic Blue = basic Yellow/Brown = high salt

Features
Heterocyst thick walled cell, hollow looking. Larger than vegetative cells. FUNCTION provides the anerobic environment for N fixation.

H- heterocyst

Heterocyst

Anabaena

Vegetative cells

Habit success due to ability tolerate a wide range of conditions

Marine littoral and pelagic Fresh Water Hot Springs Terrestrial soil flora

Heterocyst
Larger than vegetative cells Hollow looking Thick walled doesnt allow atmospheric gas to enter. Photosynthetically inactive No CO2 fixation or O2 evolution Formation of heterocysts triggered by [molybdenum] and and low [nitrogen]

Nitrogen
Nitrogen is a limiting nutrient necessary for the production of amino acids = building blocks of life.

Nitrogen Fixation
ONLY cyanobacteria and prokaryotic bacteria can FIX nitrogen. Of these two only CYANOBACTERIA evolve OXYGEN during photosynthesis Important because nitrogenase (enzyme involved in fixing nitrogen) is INACTIVATED by O2.

Mechanisms to Separate Nitrogenase from Oxygen

Heterocyst (spatial) OR Fix Nitrogen in the DARK but not LIGHT found in non-heterocystic cyanobacteria (temporal)

AEROBIC
LIGHT

CO2 + H2O

----------- CH2O (sugar) +O2

Electrons for PS1 come from PS2 which evolves oxygen (splitting of water)

ANAEROBIC in the presence of sulfer

2H2S + CO2 -------- CH2O +2S + H2O

H2S is the electron donor so the reaction does not produce oxygen.

Advantage for Cyanobacteria

Can live in fluctuating environments of aerobic and anaerobic with light present.

Cyanotoxins in Cyanobacteria
Neurotoxins block neuron transmission in muscles (Anabaena, Oscillatoria) Hepatotoxins inhibit protein phosphatase, cause liver bleeding. Found in drinking water. (Anabaena, Oscillatoria, Nostoc) Eg. swimmers itch - Lygnbia

Movement
No flagellae or structures to enhance movement

A) Excrete mucilage jet propulsion, gliding B) Helix fibers send waves of contraction

Spirulina

Spirulina
filamentous common in lakes with high pH major food for flamingo populations commercial food source

Anabaena with a heterocyst - common bloom forming species with nutrient loads

Lyngbia martensiana
Releases chemicals causing dermatitis

Asexual Reproduction
- Hormogonia formation - Endospore / Akinete formation - Fragmentation - Exospore

Asexual Reproduction
Hormogonia short piece of trichome found in filaments. It detaches from parent filament and glides away

Hormogonia

Oscillatoria with hormogonia - short pieces of a trichome that become detached from the parent filament and glide away to form new filament.

Oscillatoria (filamentous) with hormogonia

Asexual Reproduction
Akinete thick walled resting spore

A - akinete

Akinete

Asexual Reproduction
Akinete thick walled resting spore Function resistant to unfavorable environmental conditions. Appear as larger cells in the chain and different than heterocyst. Generally lose buoyancy

A - akinete

Asexual Reproduction
Fragmentation - fragmentation

Oldest Fossils
3.5by old carbonaceous microfossils S.Africa 3.4by old filaments and microbial fossils W. Australia 3.4 by old stromatolites S.Africa, Australia

Cyanobacteria and Understanding the Past

Stromatolites Shark Bay, W. Australia