Trichodesmium: Genus of Cyanobacteria
Trichodesmium, or sea sawdust, is a genus of filamentous cyanobacteria.
They are found in nutrient-poor tropical and subtropical ocean waters.
| Trichodesmium | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Trichodesmium bloom off the Great Barrier Reef | |
Scientific classification  | |
| Domain: | Bacteria |
| Phylum: | Cyanobacteria |
| Class: | Cyanophyceae |
| Order: | Oscillatoriales |
| Family: | Microcoleaceae |
| Genus: | Trichodesmium Ehrenberg ex Gomont, 1892 |
| Species | |
| Trichodesmium contortum | |
They are most common around Australia and in the Red Sea, where they were first described by Captain Cook.
Trichodesmium is a diazotroph; that is, it fixes atmospheric nitrogen into ammonium, a nutrient used by other organisms. Trichodesmium is thought to fix nitrogen on such a scale that it accounts for almost half of the nitrogen fixation in marine systems globally.
References
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