Cyanobacteria are also known as blue green algae. They are not considered highly diverse as far as living organisms go, but they are rich in chemical diversity. Cyanobacteria get their name from phycocyanin (a blue color pigment) which they use to capture light for photosynthesis. According to Intro to Cyanobacteria, cyanobacteria contain Chlorophyll A, which is the same photosynthetic pigment used by plants.
Cyanobacteria are vital to the health and growth of many plants. They are among the few able to covert inert atmospheric nitrogen into nitrate or ammonia (the organic form of nitrogen), according to Intro to Cyanobacteria. They are responsible for the various Proterozoic oil deposits found on earth. This is attributed to their ability to convert nitrogen. Prior to the Proterozoic Era, the chemistry of our atmosphere had a very different makeup (one in which plants could not grow).
Cyanobacteria in its simplest form is the chroococacle. Chroococcales are unicellular and reproduce using binary fission: asexual reproduction where one splits into two, then again in two, and so on. Some cells split and float free, while others make larger colonies, according to Red Slime Algae. Other methods of cyanobacteria reproduction include budding: asexual reproduction that results in a genetically identical organism or a clone, and fragmentation: asexual reproduction where the organism is split into fragments.
Cyanobacteria acquires energy for its growth process through photosynthesis. Photosynthesis is the synthesis of organic compounds through the uptake of carbon dioxide and its fixation, according to Red Slime Algae. Light is the source of the energy in photosynthesis. The process requires carbon dioxide, which comes from bicarbonates in water or the decay of an organic material.
Growth of cyanobacteria is almost guaranteed with enough dissolved organic material and dKH (a buffer used in aquatic environments), according to Cyanobacteria General. In particular, the higher the rate of photosynthesis and the greater the amount of organic matter in the water, the greater the production of carbon dioxide. This combination creates more liquid and carbon dioxide and results in greater growth of cyanobacteria.