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The oldest undisputed evidence of cyanobacteria is dated to be 2.1 Ga ago, but there is some evidence for them as far back as 2.7 Ga ago. [27] Cyanobacteria might have also emerged 3.5 Ga ago. [173] Oxygen concentrations in the atmosphere remained around or below 0.001% of today's level until 2.4 Ga ago (the Great Oxygenation Event). [174]
Cyanobacteria is the only prokaryotic group that performs oxygenic photosynthesis. Anoxygenic photosynthetic bacteria use PSI- and PSII-like photosystems, which are pigment protein complexes for capturing light. [5] Both of these photosystems use bacteriochlorophyll. There are multiple hypotheses for how oxygenic photosynthesis evolved.
In a reversal of the pattern on land, in the oceans, almost all photosynthesis is performed by algae and cyanobacteria, with a small fraction contributed by vascular plants and other groups. Algae encompass a diverse range of organisms, ranging from single floating cells to attached seaweeds. They include photoautotrophs from a variety of groups.
For example, cyanobacteria and many purple sulfur bacteria can be photolithoautotrophic, using light for energy, H 2 O or sulfide as electron/hydrogen donors, and CO 2 as carbon source, whereas green non-sulfur bacteria can be photoorganoheterotrophic, using organic molecules as both electron/hydrogen donors and carbon sources.
In plants, algae, and cyanobacteria, photosynthesis releases oxygen. This oxygenic photosynthesis is by far the most common type of photosynthesis used by living organisms. Some shade-loving plants (sciophytes) produce such low levels of oxygen during photosynthesis that they use all of it themselves instead of releasing it to the atmosphere.
This is the main way that primary producers get energy and make it available to other forms of life. Plants, many corals (by means of intracellular algae), some bacteria (cyanobacteria), and algae do this. During photosynthesis, primary producers receive energy from the sun and use it to produce sugar and oxygen.
In aquatic habitats, unicellular cyanobacteria are considered as an important group regarding abundance, diversity, and ecological character. [47] Unicellular cyanobacteria have spherical, ovoid, or cylindrical cells that may aggregate into irregular or regular colonies bound together by the mucous matrix ( mucilage ) secreted during the growth ...
Between 2.5 and 3.0 billion years ago, cyanobacteria started using the energy from light to split water, releasing oxygen into the anaerobic, reducing environment. [5] [8] Parts of this ancient cyanobacterial metabolism are still maintained today. [8] Bandyopadhyay et al. 2011 created a phylogenic tree for cyanobacteria using 226 homolog ...