Blue-green algae
From RationalWiki
Blue-Green Algae, technically known as cyanobacteria (or more lovingly as BGA), are a type of bacteria and are thought to be amongst the oldest photosynthetic organisms on the planet. They carry out photosynthesis without the aid of complex chloroplasts (as seen in the true algae and land plants). It is thought that the BGA may have contributed a great extent to early reefs, before the diversification of corals during the Devonian.
[edit] Taxonomy
The taxonomic state of the cyanobacteria is in flux. Although currently classified as bacteria, their place at the base of the photosynthetic tree (which includes most algae and plants) has provided impetus for their movement to a different group. However, some molecular evidence suggests that they arose in a lineage separate from the algae and land plants. Either way, as with most ancient groups, their place in Linnean taxonomy has been confused by billions of years of evolution.
[edit] Environments
The blue-green algae inhabit a wide variety of aquatic environments, and they are known to inhabit some of the most extreme environments on earth. Perhaps most notably, they can be found in the hot springs of Yellowstone, and the different species present give the springs their distinctive rainbow hues.
