Movement/Dispersal

Cyanobacteria have a wide range of organization from unicellular, to filamentous, to colonial. They are often the primary colonizers of new areas because of the fact that they have the ability to inhabit pretty extreme environments.

Cyanobacteria do not have the necessary organs for movement, such as flagella. However, some cyanobacteria exhibit a gliding movement, which may be due to slime secretion or contractile waves on cells.

Here's a video of what Cyanobacteria look like in motion, under a microscope:

[Cyanobacteria at

                                                                                                          1000x magnification]

Source: Wlainer, (Feb 25, 2007). Retrieved from: http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=N6fwKgsLBYQ#! (04/17/2013)