What Is Blue-Green Algae?

Blue-green algae are present in almost all aquatic ecosystems. Individual cells are rather small, so blue green algae can be in attendance in water without actually being visible. Algae numbers can start to grow swiftly and the blooms or scum become visible across the pool water surface as environmental conditions become just right. The blooms range in color from dark green to yellowish–brown and develop paint like aspects as they dry out around the water’s edge.

Blue-green algae have some features of prehistoric bacteria. They also share characteristics of the animal kingdom, characteristics like complex sugars that are similar to glycogen, on cellular membranes. Among blue-green algae there are both edible and toxic species. Edible species have been used by humans as food for thousands of years. Habitats with sufficient algae growth include the Pacific Ocean near Japan and Hawaii, and large freshwater lakes in Africa, North and South America and in Mexico.