Cyanobacteria Traits
Cyanobacteria, also known as blue-green algae, is commonly confused with algae because it shares traits with algae and bacteria.
This graph shows the characteristics of algae on the left and the bacteria characteristics on the right. The middle column displays the combination of characteristics.
Algae
- Eukaryote
- Photosynthetic
- Unicellular and multi-cellular
- Can be filamentous
- Found only in aquatic environments
- Does not produce toxins
- Can form visible colonies in water
Cyanobacteria
- Prokaryote
- Photosynthetic
- Unicellular and multi-cellular
- Can be filamentous
- Found in many diverse habitats
- Capable of producing toxins
- Can form visible colonies in water
Bacteria
- Prokaryote
- Non-photosynthetic
- Unicellular
- Found in many diverse habitats
- Capable of producing toxins
- Can cause increase turbidity, not visible colonies