I see alot of reference to black stains being an algae when they are actually a bacteria. This forum should set the record straight? This forum is the industry standard is it not?
Algae is any plant like material that lacks visible roots and leaves. It is a layman term for many different forms of life that fall under this classification.
Bacteria is the Kingdom that Gloeocapsa Magma resides in followed by the phylum cynabacteria.
Cynabacteria are commonly refered to as blue green algae.
So what are you saying Bill, is it official? We all have been tooting the algae horn in our sales pitches, sales literature, websites, etc. If we are the experts we should have it correct.
There are some algaes that inhabit the roofs as well. But to answer your question its kinda like people that call everything a coke in Texas. So you want a coke..........ya......what kind of coke do you want?????????????? Ill have a Dr. Pepper.
Based on the definition of algae and what it actually is, calling it algae is not incorrect. The actual definition of blue green algae is cynabacteria. So yes it is very official.
Cyanobacteria (blue-green algae)Cyanobacteria, also known as blue-green algae, grow in any type of water and are photosynthetic (use sunlight to create food and support life). Cyanobacteria live in terrestrial, fresh, brackish, or marine water. They usually are too small to be seen, but sometimes can form visible colonies, called an algal bloom. Cyanobacteria have been found among the oldest fossils on earth and are one of the largest groups of bacteria. Cyanobacteria have been linked to human and animal illnesses around the world, including North and South America, Africa, Australia, Europe, Scandinavia, and China.
Gloeocapsa magma may resemble "algae" in that they are green, but in fact cyanobacteria are bacteria whereas algae are single-celled eukaryotes cells with nuclei that are closely related to plants.
This is really cool stuff. I actually had an ex who almost died of a bacterial infection that did lodge in her lungs and blood system. Come to think of it there were Black stains all over our roof at the time it happened. Not saying it cause it but it sure didn't help the situation I'm sure.
-Mike
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MJFulton Services Non pressure Roof & Exterior Cleaning Charlottesville Virginia 434 906-0414
If you are being specific, which you should be, then I wouldnt call it an "algae" because algae is not a cyanobacteria. However Billy is correct that blue/green algae is a cyanobacteria.
I say just clean them all, and let God sort them out. I have used the word Bacteria in my marketing, and the words Fungus, Algae and Mildew, or Black Mold. Of all the words I have used, Black Mold got the most response. Toxic Black Mold really got em thinking. Maybe I will use the words Toxic Black Bacteria now
It can be called any of the above terms, use your own judgment, but try to re-educate the all of your potential clients might not be worth it , however, you can add info into your web site as an additional tool. Here is some food for thought: The five kingdom would be used for this however they are still devising a better way to classify. The new classification system is called the "Tree of Life: and breaks it down into Eukarya,Archaea,and Bacteria. This allows for a breakdown into three domains. Google Tree of Life for more info. Here is some additional technical info: Cyanobacteria are aquatic and photosynthetic, that is, they live in the water, and can manufacture their own food. Because they are bacteria, they are quite small and usually unicellular, though they often grow in colonies large enough to see. They have the distinction of being the oldest known fossils, more than 3.5 billion years old, in fact! It may surprise you then to know that the cyanobacteria are still around; they are one of the largest and most important groups of bacteria on earth.
Many Proterozoic oil deposits are attributed to the activity of cyanobacteria. They are also important providers of nitrogen fertilizer in the cultivation of rice and beans. The cyanobacteria have also been tremendously important in shaping the course of evolution and ecological change throughout earth's history. The oxygen atmosphere that we depend on was generated by numerous cyanobacteria during the Archaean and Proterozoic Eras. Before that time, the atmosphere had a very different chemistry, unsuitable for life as we know it today.
The other great contribution of the cyanobacteria is the origin of plants. The chloroplast with which plants make food for themselves is actually a cyanobacterium living within the plant's cells. Sometime in the late Proterozoic, or in the early Cambrian, cyanobacteria began to take up residence within certain eukaryote cells, making food for the eukaryote host in return for a home. This event is known as endosymbiosis, and is also the origin of the eukaryotic mitochondrion.
Because they are photosynthetic and aquatic, cyanobacteria are often called "blue-green algae". This name is convenient for talking about organisms in the water that make their own food, but does not reflect any relationship between the cyanobacteria and other organisms called algae. Cyanobacteria are relatives of the bacteria, not eukaryotes, and it is only the chloroplast in eukaryotic algae to which the cyanobacteria are related.
But all in all Bill is on target with his description. You could get more technical with it, but it might be a bland topic for some.
If you are being specific, which you should be, then I wouldnt call it an "algae" because algae is not a cyanobacteria. However Billy is correct that blue/green algae is a cyanobacteria.
Nice scientific classification Billy Boozer.
Billy Boozer , :) lol
Kim Nice post, very informative.
We like to tell our customers that the Bacteria on their roof is one of the simplest and most ancient forms of life on the planet.