Chloroflexi (phylum)

The Greens non sulfur bacteria form a phylogenetically independent or Chloroflexi group among the bacteria. Refers to both the Chloroflexi phylum as well as one of the classes within the phylum. They must be distinguished from the Green sulfur bacteria. The Chloroflexi are gram- negative and usually filamentous. All known representatives are thermophilic.

Chloroflexus have the ability of photosynthesis. The light-absorbing pigments give the bacteria its greenish color. The photosynthetic apparatus has an unusual structure. He has one hand on the characteristics that are typical of green sulfur bacteria such as chlorosomes and bacteriochlorophyll c, on the other hand also on bacteriochlorophyll a, which is usually found in purple bacteria. Chloroflexus is metabolically very flexible: it can anoxygen photoautotrophic growth, but also photoheterotroph (such as non- sulfur purple bacteria ) and chemoorganotroph for lack of light. Chloroflexus is from a phylogenetic point of view very old organism and has a unique path of carbon assimilation ( Hydroxypropionatzyklus ).

Thermomicrobium chemotroph lives and grows at temperatures around 75 ° C at best. The bacterium is interesting by its unusual cell membrane, in contrast to other bacteria and archaea contain no glycerol and their lipids are neither esterified or etherified.

Green non- sulfur bacteria can be found in hot springs with neutral to high pH values ​​, but also in marine mats.

Taxonomy

Classes / orders / families / genera

Class Chloroflexi

Order Dehalococcoidetes

Order Herpetosiphonales

Class Anaerolineae

Subclass Caldilineae

The class Thermomicrobia is also allocated to the Green Non- Sulfur bacteria.

Swell

• Green non- sulfur bacteria