Question

6). Tell me ali about Blue Green Algae. Why are they interesting and why are they important? (7 points)

Answer 1

Answer:

Blue green algae also known as cyanobacteria, are group of photosynthetic bacteria that many people refer to as "pond scum". Blue green algae are most often blue-green in colour, but can also be reddish-purple, or brown . Blue green algae generally grow in lakes , ponds and slow moving streams when the water is warm and enriched with nutrients like phosphorous or nitrogen.

When environmental conditions are just right,blue green algae can grow very quickly in number.Most species are buoyant and will gloat to the surface,when they form scum layers or floating mats. When this happens we call this a "blue green algae bloom". In wisconsin waters, blue green algae blooms generally occur between mid- june and late september, although in rare instances bloom have been observed in winter,even under the ice.

Many different species of blue green algae occur in Wisconsin waters, but the most commonly detected include anabaena sps.,aphanizomenon sps.,Microcystis sps. Etc..it is not always the same species that blooms in a given waterbody,and the dominant species present can change over the course of season.

Importance of blue green algae:

1) Not only has cyanobacteria been an important element for forming the earth's oxygen atmosphere, but it has also contributed to many other attributes important to human life.

2)Many proterozoic oil deposits are attributed to the activity of chanobacteria.

3) They are also important providers of nitrogen fertilizer in the cultivation of rice and beans.

4) The other contribution of cyanobacteria is origin of plants. The chloroplast with which plants make food for themselves is actually a cyanobacterium living within the plant's cells.

5)sometime in the late proterozoic, or in the early cambrian,c cyanobacteria began to take-up residence within certain eukaryotic cells,m aking food for the eukaryote host in return for a home. This event is known as endosymbiosis,a nd is also the origin of eukaryotic mitochondrian.

6)cyanobacteria are relatives of the bacteria,and not eukaryotes,a nd is only the chloroplast in eukaryotic algae to which the cyanobacteria are related.

7) Blue green algae have been used for weight loss and as a nutritional supplement.