Cyanobacterial morphology refers to the form or shape of cyanobacteria. Cyanobacteria are a large and diverse phylum of bacteria defined by their unique combination of pigments and their ability to perform oxygenic photosynthesis.[2][3]
Cyanobacteria often live in colonial aggregates that can take a multitude of forms.[3] Of particular interest among the many species of cyanobacteria are those that live colonially in elongate hair-like structures, known as trichomes. These filamentous species can contain hundreds to thousands of cells.[3] They often dominate the upper layers of microbial mats found in extreme environments such as hot springs, hypersaline water, deserts and polar regions,[4] as well as being widely distributed in more mundane environments.[3]
Many filamentous species are also motile, gliding along their long axis, and displaying photomovement by which a trichome modulates its gliding according to the incident light. The latter has been found to play an important role in guiding the trichomes to optimal lighting conditions, which can either inhibit the cells if the incident light is too weak, or damage the cells if too strong.[3]
- ^ Mehdizadeh Allaf, Malihe; Peerhossaini, Hassan (2022-03-24). "Cyanobacteria: Model Microorganisms and Beyond". Microorganisms. 10 (4). MDPI AG: 696. doi:10.3390/microorganisms10040696. ISSN 2076-2607. PMC 9025173. PMID 35456747.
Modified material was copied from this source, which is available under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
- ^ Whitton, Brian A.; Potts, Malcolm (2012). "Introduction to the Cyanobacteria". Ecology of Cyanobacteria II. pp. 1–13. doi:10.1007/978-94-007-3855-3_1. ISBN 978-94-007-3854-6.
- ^ a b c d e Cite error: The named reference
Tamulonis2011was invoked but never defined (see the help page). - ^ Stal, Lucas J. (5 July 2012). "Cyanobacterial Mats and Stromatolites". In Whitton, Brian A. (ed.). Ecology of Cyanobacteria II. Springer. pp. 65–126. ISBN 9789400738553.
