Approach of this course

Due to a recent review of the cyanobacterial taxonomic scheme, these courses are being grouped by their basic morphology rather than organised by family or order. This approach is particularly useful because it allows learning the taxa along side other similar-looking taxa, assisting in building skills in observation and differentiation.

What will I learn in this course?

The course introduces the heterocystous filamentous taxa that all reside within the order Nostocales, commonly found in fresh, brackish and estuarine environments within Australia. They are cosmopolitan in distribution and are also commonly found around the globe, and you are advised to check regional resources for occurrence in your area.  These taxa are all filamentous and produce heterocytes and akinetes.

As with all these identification courses, there is an emphasis on the development of good habits and core skills in the identification of taxa. The emphasis should always be on seeing the morphological characteristics and putting them into the context of the sample and the environment it represents.

None of the taxa in this course are currently considered potentially toxic in Australia. An intermediate course on identifying potentially toxic cyanophytes can be found in our course catalogue.

Benefits

• Build confidence in skills in identification
• Presented from a routine analysis perspective using preserved materials
• Self-paced learning
• Email learning support
• Certificate of completion and course outline for inclusion in training records

Course Outline