Economic importance of cyanobacteria

Cyanobacteria are important in the nitrogen cycle.

Cyanobacteria are very important organisms for the health and growth of many plants. They are one of very few groups of organisms that can convert inert atmospheric nitrogen into an organic form, such as nitrate or ammonia.

1. Economic Importance of Cyanobacteria Presented By : Fatima Tahir (16604) BS (HONS) Biotechnology (Evening)

2. Contents: Introduction Structure of Cyanobacteria Major Differences Between Bacteria and Cyanobacteria Economic Importance of Cyanobacteria Recent Researches In cyanobacteria Health Benefits Characteristics of Cyanobacteria Conclusion

3. Introduction Cyanobacteria are aquatic and photosynthetic, that is, they live in the water, and they can manufacture their own food. They are bacteria, and mostly unicellular, usually small in size and they often grow in colonies. They have the distinction of being the oldest known fossils, more than 3.5 billion years old, in fact! It may surprise you then to know that the cyanobacteria are still around; they are one of the largest and most important groups of bacteria on earth.

4. Introduction They exist in individual form, free floating or also in the form of complex structure. Cyanobacteria were the first lifeform on planet that absorb sunlight or water to produce energy and oxygen with the help of photosynthesis. Cyanobacteria is a single celled microbe, they mostly form their energy from the sunlight and can be present almost in every environment on the planet.

5. Structure of cyanobacteria Cyanobacterial cells are larger in size. Structure of cell is typically prokaryotic. Naked DNA 70 s ribosomes Absence of the membrane bounded organelles such as endoplasmic reticulum, Golgi bodies, lysosomes, mitochondria. The cell wall has four layers with peptidoglycan that is situated in the second layer.

6. Structure of cyanobacteria The outer part of the protoplast consist of many photosynthetic thylakoids. These thylakoids freely floating in the cytoplasm. The membranes contain chlorophyll. Small granules that are attached to the thylakoid membrane are known as phycobilisomes. That contain the photosynthetic pigment which is called phycobilin. Gas vacuoles are found, that contains number of submicroscopic units called gas vesicles. Naked DNA are present in the central part of the cytoplasm.

7. Economic importance of cyanobacteria Cyanobacteria can be cultured in a specific media. Cyanobacteria proves very helpful in the field of agriculture because they have the ability to fix the nitrogen of the atmosphere or in the soil, as well as give other benefits in the field of agriculture. On the other hand they play important role in the environment and proves very helpful for the environment as well. They help in the redemption of alkaline soil. Usually found heterocyst in the cyanobacteria, that help to fix the atmospheric nitrogen that is unavailable to most of the living organisms.

8. Economic importance of cyanobacteria During photosynthesis, they release oxygen in the environment as a by-product. Various species of cyanobacteria including Oscillatoria used as a pollution indicators. However too many nutrients like nitrogen and phosphorus in the waterway result in the condition that leads to the formation of cyanobacterial blooms. These blooms are generally floating on the water, and used as biological indicator of organic pollution. It is also used as food. For example spirulina are used due to their nutritive value. Spirulina is used as tablet and sold all over the world as health food.

9. Economic importance of cyanobacteria Cyanobacteria is also used as model organism in the field of biotechnology. The unicellular cyanobacterium synechocystis sp. PCC 6803 was the third prokaryote and first photosynthetic organism whose genome was completely sequenced. Super Blue-green algae form expensive scum. These are single-celled cyanobacteria. They produce their food through photosynthesis. These blue-green algae are a complete whole food. It contains 60% protein. This protein has all essential amino acids in perfect balance.

10. Economic importance of cyanobacteria Cyanobacteria are also used to produce the cyanobacterial biofertilizers. Those cyanobacterial based fertilizers have various advantages like the supply of nutrients is more balanced due to the microbial activities, restore the soil fertility, buffering the soil against acidity, and improve the nutrient status inside the soil. Cyanobacteria may posses the ability to produce the substances that could one day be serve as an anti-inflammatory agents and also helpful in bacterial infections for the humans.

11. Recent researches on cyanobacteria Current research in this field is to produce the algae-based fuels such as diesel, gasoline, ethanol etc. Bioenergy is much safer, cleaner and economical source of energy. Cyanobacteria are the most essential source of energy or biofuels just because of their photosynthetic ability and also the lack of dependency on the fertile soil.

12. Recent researches on cyanobacteria Researchers from the company named Algenol, genetically cultured the cyanobacteria in the sea water inside a plastic enclosure, so firstly they make sugar (pyruvate) from carbon dioxide.

13. Health Benefits Cyanobacteria have been identified as a rich source of biologically active compounds with antiviral, antibacterial, antifungal and anticancer activities. Use of cyanobacteria in field of medicine and health leads to the development of various new drugs that proves helpful to treat diseases.

14. Health Benefits Cyanobacteria is also an emerging and important source of novel bioactive secondary metabolites. Like CYANOVIN is a secondary metabolite that shown to possess anti-HIV activity. Cyanobacterial secondary metabolites may constitute a prolific source of new entities leading to the development of new pharmaceuticals.

15. Characteristics of cyanobacteria Cyanobacteria are prokaryotes. They don’t have a nucleus and nuclear membrane. They range in diameter from 1 to 10µm. They form colonies, they are unicellular and they form colonies in different shapes. They don’t have flagella. In order to move they use gas vesicles in water The photosynthetic system of cyanobacteria resembles to eukaryotes. They release oxygen during photosynthesis. They use pigments and these pigments are present in the thylakoid membrane. Cyanobacteria also fix carbon dioxide through the Calvin cycle.

16. Characteristics of cyanobacteria They reserve food in the form of glycogen. They reproduce asexually via binary fission, or fragmentation. Cyanobacteria are autotrophs, they make their own food.

17. Limitations Cyanobacteria also have some limitations like they produce several type of toxins which is harmful for the animals and humans. Cyanobacterial blooms cause hazardous effects on aquatic ecosystems, and also causes taste and odor problems in drinking water supplies.

18. Conclusion Cyanobacteria are the most successful and very productive group of microorganism on earth. Due to their ability to release the oxygen during photosynthesis, makes it a source of oxygen on earth. Cyanobacteria were the first lifeform on planet that absorb sunlight or water to produce energy and oxygen with the help of photosynthesis.