Introduction to cyanobacteria

Abstract

Actinobacteria, which share the characteristics of both bacteria and fungi, are widely dis‐ tributed in both terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems, mainly in soil, where they play an es‐ sential role in recycling refractory biomaterials by decomposing complex mixtures of polymers in dead plants and animals and fungal materials. They are considered as the bi‐ otechnologically valuable bacteria that are exploited for its secondary metabolite produc‐ tion. Approximately, 10,000 bioactive metabolites are produced by Actinobacteria, which is 45% of all bioactive microbial metabolites discovered. Especially Streptomyces species produce industrially important microorganisms as they are a rich source of several useful bioactive natural products with potential applications. Though it has various applica‐ tions, some Actinobacteria have its own negative effect against plants, animals, and hu‐ mans. On this context, this chapter summarizes the general characteristics of Actinobacteria, its habitat, systematic classification, various biotechnological applications, and negative impact on plants and animals.