Microscopy methods applied to research on cyanobacteria

in the thylakoid membranes.Thylakoids consist of a double unit membrane enclosing an intrathylakoidal space and their arrangement is characteristic of groups of strains.Thylakoids support two membrane-bound protein complexes, photosystem I (PSI) and photosystem II (PSII), which contain chlorophyll-binding subunits functioning as an internal antenna.In addition, there are rows of phycobilisomes on the thylakoid membrane that act as peripheral antenna systems.The microscopy techniques most frequently used to determine the diversity of microorganisms in terms of morphology, ecology and physiological adaptations include, scanning electron microscopy (SEM), transmission electron microscopy (TEM) and confocal laser scanning microscopy (CLSM), apart from the classical light microscopy.