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Jan 9, 2024 · Algae and cyanobacteria (also called blue-green algae) are plant-like organisms that live in water. They can quickly grow out of control, or "bloom." Some of these blooms produce toxins (poisons) that make people and animals sick. What they look like. Harmful algal blooms can look like foam, scum, mats, or paint on the surface of the water.
Blue-green algae on the Kansas River. (Public domain.) Cyanobacteria (also called blue-green algae) may produce toxins and taste-and-odor compounds that cause substantial economic and public health concerns, and are of particular interest in lakes, reservoirs, and rivers that are used for drinking-water supply.
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Jan 10, 2019 · The main group of algae responsible for this are known as blue-green algae, or more accurately, cyanobacteria. They regularly bloom in warmer weather in our reservoirs, lakes and slow flowing rivers.
- Michele Burford
Jun 26, 2018 · Cyanobacteria are also known as blue-green algae, but strictly speaking, they are not algae, which is a name reserved for eukaryotic phototrophs. Moreover, many cyanobacteria are not blue-green.
- Jef Huisman
Jan 9, 2024 · Harmful algal blooms are small plant-like organisms (mainly of cyanobacteria—blue-green algae), that give water bodies their characteristic blue-green color. Common bloom-forming cyanobacteria genera include Dolichospermum, Microcystis, Aphanizomenon, Trichodesmium, Nodularia, Cylindrospermopsis, and Planktothrix (Huisman et al., 2018).
Cyanobacteria, sometimes referred to as blue-green algae, share characteristics with both algae and bacteria. Cyanobacteria are closely related to true bacteria, but perform photosynthesis like algae to gain or fix energy, and in turn, produce oxygen. Cyanobacteria are among the oldest organisms on earth and occur in diverse habitats, including ...
