blue-green alga

English

one of the blue-green algae

Noun

blue-green alga (plural blue-green algae)

Any member of the cyanobacteria; a primitive photosynthetic organism similar to bacteria which is thought to have generated the first oxygen in the Earth's atmosphere.

Usage notes

The term alga is now considered improper scientific usage, since true algae are eukaryotic organisms, rather than bacteria. It remains in common use among aquarists and others, however.

Synonyms

cyanobacterium, BGA

Hypernyms

(bacterium called alga): alga, bacterium

Translations

member of cyanobacteria

Dutch: blauwalg (nl)
Finnish: sinibakteeri, sinilevä, syanobakteeri
French: algue bleu-vert f

Greek: κυανοφύκη f (kyanofýki)
Italian: cianobatterio (it) m

Further reading

cyanobacteria on Wikipedia.Wikipedia
Cyanobacteria on Wikispecies.Wikispecies
cyanobacteria on Wikimedia Commons.Wikimedia Commons

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