''Oscillatoria brevis,'' is a species of the genus ''

Oscillatoria ''Oscillatoria'' is a genus of filamentous cyanobacterium which is often found in freshwater environments, such as hot springs, and appears blue-green. Its name refers to the oscillating motion of its filaments as they slide against each other ...

'' first identified in 1892. It is a Blue-green filamentous

cyanobacteria Cyanobacteria (), also known as Cyanophyta, are a phylum of gram-negative bacteria that obtain energy via photosynthesis. The name ''cyanobacteria'' refers to their color (), which similarly forms the basis of cyanobacteria's common name, blu ...

, which can be found in brackish and fresh waterways. ''O. brevis'' can also be isolated from soil. ''Oscillatoria brevis'' is a

mesophile A mesophile is an organism that grows best in moderate temperature, neither too hot nor too cold, with an optimum growth range from . The optimum growth temperature for these organisms is 37°C. The term is mainly applied to microorganisms. Organi ...

but can bear a temperature of -16 °C, and can perform photosynthesis at a temperature of 70 °C. It is a

photoautotroph Photoautotrophs are organisms that use light energy and inorganic carbon to produce organic materials. Eukaryotic photoautotrophs absorb energy through the chlorophyll molecules in their chloroplasts while prokaryotic photoautotrophs use chlorophyl ...

, containing Chlorophyll a and c-phycocyanin, but can perform

anoxygenic photosynthesis Bacterial anoxygenic photosynthesis differs from the better known oxygenic photosynthesis in plants by the reductant used (e.g. hydrogen sulfide instead of water) and the byproduct generated (e.g. elemental sulfur instead of molecular oxygen). Ba ...

by reducing sulfur. It is able to fix nitrogen, and can be cultured from soils. It along with other

nitrogen fixing Nitrogen fixation is a chemical process by which molecular nitrogen (), with a strong triple covalent bond, in the Atmosphere of Earth, air is converted into ammonia () or related nitrogenous compounds, typically in soil or aquatic systems but al ...

cyanobacteria found in the soil have been found to positively correlate with soil richness and the microbe density. O. brevis has also been shown to be tolerant of some heavy metal ions namely copper, silver, zinc, and cadmium.''Oscillatoria'' is able to glide via microfibrils. the genus name ''Oscillatoria'' is in reference to look of oscillation when gliding. The species name, ''brevis'', is Latin for short or small, yet the microbe is 10 μM width and length varies in the genus from 5-70 μM.

Metabolites

''Oscillatoria'' brevis is identified as an cyanobacteria that produces

Geosmin Geosmin ( ) is an irregular sesquiterpenoid, produced from the universal sesquiterpene precursor farnesyl pyrophosphate (also known as farnesyl diphosphate), in a two-step -dependent reaction. Geosmin, along with the irregular monoterpene 2-met ...

, a compound with a heavy earthy smell, that corelates with chlorophyll production. Like many cyanobacteria ''O. brevis'' have

lipopolysaccharides Lipopolysaccharides (LPS) are large molecules consisting of a lipid and a polysaccharide that are bacterial toxins. They are composed of an O-antigen, an outer core, and an inner core all joined by a covalent bond, and are found in the outer me ...

which can cause illness in humans and animals through ingestion or through an open wound. Other species in the ''Oscillatoria'' genus have been identified to have genes for producing

cytotoxin Cytotoxicity is the quality of being toxic to cells. Examples of toxic agents are an immune cell or some types of venom, e.g. from the puff adder (''Bitis arietans'') or brown recluse spider (''Loxosceles reclusa''). Cell physiology Treating c ...

, cylindrospermopsin, along with two

neurotoxins Neurotoxins are toxins that are destructive to nerve tissue (causing neurotoxicity). Neurotoxins are an extensive class of exogenous chemical neurological insultsSpencer 2000 that can adversely affect function in both developing and mature nerv ...

, anatoxin-a and homoanatoxin-a.

References

{{Taxonbar, from=Q39087436 Oscillatoriales Wikipedia Student Program