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Oscillatoria
Oscillatoria Vaucher ex Gomont: Oscillatoriaceae.
Blue-green algae. Sometimes referred to as black algae. Filamentous, unbranched; can grow floating, or on soil, wet rocks, or in dense, dark blue-green clumps or mats at bottom of water body. These mats can be buoyed to the surface by gases produced by algal metabolism. Under the microscope the slender filaments are seen to be made up of disc-shaped cells, wider than they are long. The filaments twist and coil or sway slightly. These algae produce slime that allows them to glide along a surface but they are not surrounded by mucilaginous sheaths. In the field, new mats form when pieces detach and drift. Some species of Oscillatoria can cause water to be colored red or purple; some produce toxic compounds, including anatoxins, microcystins, and aplysiatoxins. These algae may also release geosmin and methlyisoborneol (MIB), chemicals that produce musty, grassy odor and taste problems in drinking water.
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