Dinoflagellates are a species of phytoplankton bacteria that are common in aquatic ecosystems. You can see these species in all types of fresh water habitats. The number, distribution and location of dinoflagellates are determined by salt concentrations of the water as well as its temperature and deepness. Because dinoflagellates obtain energy by photosynthesis, they are considered primary producers and play an important part in the aquatic food chain. In terms of appearance, dinoflagellates are unicellular organisms that have two tail-like projections or flagella. The entire organism is covered by a complex membrane specially specialized to support cellulose molecules for photosynthesis.
Often considered to the originator of land species, cyanobacteria can date back to 3 million years. They are considered one of the first plankton photosynthetic bacteria. Cyanobacteria get their name for their distinctive cyan coloring and are commonly called blue-green algae. Although small and usually unrecognizable on its own, cyanobacteria colonize rapidly and you can easily distinguish it when it is in a group.
Purple bacteria are a type of bacteria species found within nature. They are phototrophic, meaning that they obtain their energy from photosynthesis. Photosynthesis is carried out within the outer membrane of the cell. Its specialized plasma membrane is structured to increase the surface area and optimize energy production. There are two types of purple bacteria, purple sulfur bacteria and purple nonsulfur bacteria. Purple sulfur bacteria are found in lakes and large bodies of water. The more abundance of sulfur present, the more purple bacteria can grow and prosper. The sulfur variety is limited to places with high abundance of sulfur. The nonsulfur variety can exist virtually everywhere as it can photosynthesize using organic matter.
Like purple bacteria, green bacteria rely on photosynthesis, without the use of oxygen, to produce energy. In addition, like purple bacteria, green bacteria exist in two forms, green sulfur bacteria and green nonsulfur bacteria. The difference between the two subspecies has to do with what compound they use to get an electron to carry out photosynthesis. If a sulfur-containing compound is used, then the green sulfur bacteria will result. If any other organic matter is used, the green nonsulfur bacteria will result.