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Halobacteria

 

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Halobacteria



 
 
Note: The word "halobacteria" is also the plural form of the word "halobacterium
Halobacterium

In alpha taxonomy, Halobacterium is a genus of the Halobacteriaceae.The genus Halobacterium consists of several species of archaea with an Aerobic_organism metabolism which require an environment with a high concentration of Edible salt; many of their proteins will not function in low-salt environments....
".
Halobacteria are more correctly called Haloarchaea
Haloarchaea

Haloarchaea are microrganisms member of the halophile community, in that they require high salt concentrations to grow. They are a distinct evolutionary branch of the Archaea, and are generally considered extremophiles, although not all members of this group can be considered as such....
, but halobacteria remains in common usage as they were originally designated as such before the existence of the domain Archaea
Archaea

The Archaea are a group of single-celled microorganisms. A single individual or species from this domain is called an archaeon . Archaea, like bacteria, are prokaryotic....
 was realised.


In taxonomy
Alpha taxonomy

Alpha taxonomy is the science of finding, describing and categorising organisms, thus leading to the recognition of proposed taxonomic groups, or taxon , which may then be naming conventions....
, the Halobacteria (also Halomebacteria) are a class
Class (biology)

A class is the taxonomic rank in the biological classification of organisms in biology below phylum and above Order .The orders of taxonomy are life, Domain , kingdom , phylum, class , order , family , genus, and species....
 of the Euryarchaeota
Euryarchaeota

In the alpha taxonomy of microorganisms, the Euryarchaeota are a phylum of the Archaea.The Euryarchaeota include the methanogens, which produce methane and are often found in intestines, the halobacteria, which survive extreme concentrations of salt, and some extremely thermophilic aerobes and anaerobes....
, found in water
Water

Water is a common chemical substance that is essential for the survival of all known forms of life. In typical usage, water refers only to its liquid form or States of matter, but the substance also has a solid state, ice, and a gaseous state, water vapor or steam....
 saturated or nearly saturated with salt
Salt

A salt, in chemistry, is defined as the product formed from the neutralisation reaction of acids and base . Salts are ionic compounds composed of cations and anions so that the product is electrically electric charge ....
.






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Note: The word "halobacteria" is also the plural form of the word "halobacterium
Halobacterium

In alpha taxonomy, Halobacterium is a genus of the Halobacteriaceae.The genus Halobacterium consists of several species of archaea with an Aerobic_organism metabolism which require an environment with a high concentration of Edible salt; many of their proteins will not function in low-salt environments....
".
Halobacteria are more correctly called Haloarchaea
Haloarchaea

Haloarchaea are microrganisms member of the halophile community, in that they require high salt concentrations to grow. They are a distinct evolutionary branch of the Archaea, and are generally considered extremophiles, although not all members of this group can be considered as such....
, but halobacteria remains in common usage as they were originally designated as such before the existence of the domain Archaea
Archaea

The Archaea are a group of single-celled microorganisms. A single individual or species from this domain is called an archaeon . Archaea, like bacteria, are prokaryotic....
 was realised.


In taxonomy
Alpha taxonomy

Alpha taxonomy is the science of finding, describing and categorising organisms, thus leading to the recognition of proposed taxonomic groups, or taxon , which may then be naming conventions....
, the Halobacteria (also Halomebacteria) are a class
Class (biology)

A class is the taxonomic rank in the biological classification of organisms in biology below phylum and above Order .The orders of taxonomy are life, Domain , kingdom , phylum, class , order , family , genus, and species....
 of the Euryarchaeota
Euryarchaeota

In the alpha taxonomy of microorganisms, the Euryarchaeota are a phylum of the Archaea.The Euryarchaeota include the methanogens, which produce methane and are often found in intestines, the halobacteria, which survive extreme concentrations of salt, and some extremely thermophilic aerobes and anaerobes....
, found in water
Water

Water is a common chemical substance that is essential for the survival of all known forms of life. In typical usage, water refers only to its liquid form or States of matter, but the substance also has a solid state, ice, and a gaseous state, water vapor or steam....
 saturated or nearly saturated with salt
Salt

A salt, in chemistry, is defined as the product formed from the neutralisation reaction of acids and base . Salts are ionic compounds composed of cations and anions so that the product is electrically electric charge ....
. They are also called halophile
Halophile

Halophiles are extremophile organisms that thrive in environment s with very high concentrations of salt. The name comes from Greek language for "salt-loving"....
s, though this name is also used for other organisms which live in somewhat less concentrated salt water. They are common in most environments where large amounts of salt, moisture, and organic material are available.

Halobacteria can grow aerobically
Cellular respiration

Cellular respiration is the set of the metabolism reactions and processes that take place in organisms' cell s to convert Energy from nutrients into adenosine triphosphate , and then release waste products....
, anaerobically, or by means of photosynthesis
Photosynthesis

File:Seawifs global biosphere.jpgPhotosynthesis is a metabolic pathway that converts carbon dioxide into organic compounds, especially sugars, using the energy from sunlight....
. Parts of the membrane
Biological membrane

A biological membrane or biomembrane is an enclosing or separating amphipathic layer that acts as a barrier within or around a cell . It is, almost invariably, a lipid bilayer, composed of a double layer of lipid-class molecules, specifically phospholipids and cholesterol, with occasional integral membrane protein intertwined, some o...
s of halobacteria are purplish in color, and large blooms of Halobacteria appear reddish, from the pigment bacteriorhodopsin
Bacteriorhodopsin

Bacteriorhodopsin is a protein used by archaea, most notably halobacteria. It acts as a proton pump, i.e. it captures light energy and uses it to move protons across the membrane out of the cell....
, related to the retinal
Retina

The vertebrate retina is a light sensitive tissue lining the inner surface of the eye. The optics of the eye create an image of the visual world on the retina, which serves much the same function as the film in a camera....
 pigment rhodopsin
Rhodopsin

Rhodopsin, also known as visual purple, is a pigment of the retina that is responsible for both the formation of the photoreceptor cells and the first events in the perception of light....
. This pigment is used to absorb light, which provides energy to create ATP
Adenosine triphosphate

This article is about the chemical used by cells as an energy carrier. For other uses, see ATP .Adenosine-5'-triphosphate is a multifunctional nucleotide, and plays an important role in cell biology as a coenzyme that is the "molecule unit of currency" of intracellular energy transfer....
. Halobacteria also possess a second pigment, halorhodopsin
Halorhodopsin

Halorhodopsin is a light-driven ion pump, specific for chloride ions, and found in phylogenetically ancient archaea, known as halobacteria. It is a seven-transmembrane protein of the retinylidene protein family, homologous to the light-driven proton pump bacteriorhodopsin, and similar in tertiary structure to vertebrate rhodopsins, the pigm...
, which pumps chloride ions in the cell in response to photons, creating a voltage gradient and assisting in the production of energy from light. The process is unrelated to other forms of photosynthesis
Photosynthesis

File:Seawifs global biosphere.jpgPhotosynthesis is a metabolic pathway that converts carbon dioxide into organic compounds, especially sugars, using the energy from sunlight....
 involving electron transport however, and halobacteria are incapable of fixing carbon
Carbon fixation

Carbon fixation is a process found in autotrophs , usually driven by photosynthesis, whereby carbon dioxide is changed into organic materials. Carbon fixation can also be carried out by the process of calcification in marine, calcifying organisms such as Emiliania huxleyi....
 from carbon dioxide
Carbon dioxide

Carbon dioxide is a chemical compound composed of two oxygen atoms covalent bond to a single carbon atom. It is a gas at standard temperature and pressure and exists in Earth's atmosphere in this state....
.

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