Cyanobacteria: Biology, ecology and evolution

This chapter briefly highlights topics related to the life of cyanobacteria. Cyanobacteria have been around on our planet for a very long time. Many of them have a global distribution, and they are excellent model organisms to investigate questions of microbial biogeography and evolution. Cyanobacteria are major contributors to the primary production of the oceans, and they are one of the most important groups that fix molecular nitrogen. They adapt their pigmentation according to the intensity and sometimes also to the color of the available light; some show surprising adaptation toward a life under anaerobic conditions; many types of cyanobacteria thrive at extremes of temperature, salinity, and pH; some species can survive adverse conditions for long periods even when growth conditions are not suitable. Most types of cyanobacteria are relatively easy to grow in the laboratory, and many have been obtained and studied in axenic culture.