Ecophysiology and Biochemistry of Cyanobacteria

Book excerpt: This book emphasizes and presents the latest information on eco-physiology and biochemistry of cyanobacteria with special emphasis on their biodiversity, molecular mechanisms of some important biological processes and survival mechanisms under myriad of environmental conditions as well as bioremediation. Cyanobacteria are the most dominant prokaryotic floras on the Earth’s surface, and are of great importance in terms of ecological, economical and evolutionary perspectives. They are oldest groups of photosynthetic autotrophs, which create oxygenic atmosphere for the development and sustainability of ecosystems with different life forms. The book presents an integrative approach to their possible biotechnological application in the field of bio-energy and various aspects of biochemistry, biophysics and structural biology of photosynthesis. The various chapters describe the different applications of cyanobacteria as bio-energy sources and in phycoremediation. The contents incorporated in this book can be used as a textbook by undergraduate and post-graduate students, teachers, and researchers in the most interesting fields of physicochemical ecology and biochemistry of cyanobacteria.