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Encyclopedia of Astrobiology pp 394–397Cite as

Cyanobacteria

  • Reference work entry

  • 303 Accesses

Synonyms

Blue-green algae; Blue-green bacteria; Cyanophyceae

Keywords

Antarctic, carbon and nitrogen cycles, desiccation, endosymbiosis, extremophiles, freeze-melt stress, halophily, irradiance, limits of survival, oxygenic photosynthesis, psychrophily, thermophily, ultraviolet radiation

Definition

Cyanobacteria are photosynthetic bacteria that use water as reducing power to release O2. They evolved early in Earth history. As bacterial primary producers, cyanobacteria occupy a privileged position among organisms due to their role in the carbon and nitrogen cycles. They are widely adapted to different extreme environments and play an important role, especially in cold polar and alpine environments, because of their tolerance of a wide temperature range, desiccation, freeze-melt and salinity stress.

Overview

Cyanobacteria are oxygenic photosynthetic prokaryotes responsible for the transformation of a reduced atmosphere to an oxidized one. The oxygen produced by this photosynthetic group...

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References and Further Reading

  • Bhaya D, Schwarz R, Grossman AR (2000) Molecular responses to environmental stress. In: Whitton BA, Potts M (eds) The ecology of cyanobacteria; their diversity in time and space. Kluwer Academic Publishers, Dordrecht, London/Boston, pp 397–442

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  • Elster J, Seckbach J, Vincent WF, Lhotský O (eds) (2001) Algae and extreme environments; ecology and physiology. Nova Hedwigia, Berlin, Stuttgart, p 602

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  • Friedmann EI (1982) Endolithic microorganisms in Antarctic cold desert. Science 215:1045–1053

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  • Friedmann EI, Ocampo-Friedmann R (1995) A primitive cyanobacterium as pioneer microorganism for terraforming Mars. Adv Space Res 15:143–246

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  • Knoll AH (2008) Cyanobacteria and earth history. In: Herrero A, Flores E (eds) The cyanobacteria: molecular biology, genomics and evolution. Caister Academic, Norfolk, UK, pp 1–19

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Institute of Botany, Academy of Sciences of the Czech Republic, Dukelska 135, 37983, Třeboň, Czech Republic

    Dr. Josef Elster (Faculty of Science) & Dr. Jana Kvíderová

  2. University of South Bohemia, České Budějovice, Czech Republic

    Dr. Josef Elster (Faculty of Science)

Authors
  1. Dr. Josef Elster
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  2. Dr. Jana Kvíderová
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Josef Elster .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. Astrophysicist, Laboratoire d’Astrophysique de Bordeaux, BP 89, 33270, Floirac, France

    Muriel Gargaud

  2. Departamento de Planetología y Habitabilidad Centro de Astrobiología (CSIC-INTA), Universidad Autónoma de Madrid Campus Cantoblanco, Torrejón de Ardoz, 28049, Madrid, Spain

    Ricardo Amils

  3. Department of Astrophysics, Centro de Astrobiología (INTA-CSIC) Ctra de Ajalvir km 4, 28850 Torrejón de Ardoz, Madrid, Spain

    José Cernicharo Quintanilla

  4. Geophysical Laboratory, Carnegie Institution of Washington, 5251 Broad Branch Rd. NW, Washington, DC, 20015, USA

    Henderson James (Jim) Cleaves II

  5. Department of Astronomy, University of Massachusetts Lederle Graduate Research, 710 North Pleasant Street, Amherst, MA, 01003-9305, USA

    William M. Irvine

  6. GEOTOP & Départment des Sciences de la Terre et de l’Atmosphère, Université du Québec à Montréal, CP 8888, succ. Centre-Ville, Montréal, QC, H3C 3P8, Canada

    Daniele L. Pinti

  7. Astrobiology, CNES/DSP/EU, 2 place Maurice-Quentin, 75039, Paris, France

    Michel Viso

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© 2011 Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg

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Elster, J., Kvíderová, J. (2011). Cyanobacteria. In: Gargaud, M., et al. Encyclopedia of Astrobiology. Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-642-11274-4_378

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