Cyanobacteria

High school (ages 12+)
Science & Technology

Name:

Date:

Step 1 · Read the article

Open the article and read it at the level above. Then answer the questions below in your own words.

https://smallwhale.org/articles/cyanobacteria

Write what each word means, using the article.

Do not copy the article. Write two things you learned, the way you would explain them to a friend.

Answers below are taken from the article’s stored facts, so they match what the student read.

1. What is the scientific name?Cyanobacteria
2. What is the geological impact?Responsible for the Great Oxidation Event, transforming Earth's atmosphere
3. How did cyanobacteria change Earth?By producing oxygen, cyanobacteria made the air safe for animals that breathe oxygen. This change, called the Great Oxidation Event, allowed more complex life to evolve.
4. Do cyanobacteria help plants grow?Yes! Some cyanobacteria can turn the invisible gas nitrogen into a form plants can use, called ammonia. This gives plants a vital nutrient.

Oxygenic Photosynthesis: The process of converting light energy into chemical energy, using water and releasing oxygen.
Prokaryotic: Cells that lack a membrane-bound nucleus and other organelles.
Nitrogen Fixation: The conversion of atmospheric nitrogen gas into ammonia, a form usable by plants.
Symbiosis: A close and long-term interaction between two different biological species.