Summary
There is increasing evidence that ancient cyanobacteria were among the direct biogenic contributors to oil formation. This fact underlines the historical and ecological relations between these photosynthetic microorganisms and petroleum. Evidence that cyanobacteria are capable of hydrocarbon degradation is tentative, but preliminary studies indicate that some strains are capable of oxidizing aromatic and aliphatic oil constituents. Further, in cyanobacterial-dominated mats, the cyanobacteria live in natural association with hydrocarbon-degrading bacteria and fungi that occur in the cyanobacterial polysaccharide layers. Such mat associations flourish in oil-polluted coastal areas of subtropical regions like the Arabian Gulf. The combined activities of the cyanobacteria and the associated oil-degrading organotrophs appear to be crucial and effective in bioremediating such polluted environments.
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Radwan, S.S., Al-Hasan, R.H. (2000). Oil Pollution and Cyanobacteria. In: Whitton, B.A., Potts, M. (eds) The Ecology of Cyanobacteria. Springer, Dordrecht. https://doi.org/10.1007/0-306-46855-7_11
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