Aquificae


 * 1) Just to let. K**Latin Name-** Aquifex pyrophilus
 * Kingdom-** Eubacteria
 * Phylum-** Aquificae

=* Bacteria=

__**Description-**__ Aquifex pyrophilus is a rod-shaped bacterium with a length of 2 to 6 micrometers and a diameter of around half a micrometer. It is one of a handful of species in the Aquificae phylum, an unusual group of thermophilic bacteria that are thought to be some of the oldest species in the bacteria domain.The Aquificae phylumis a diverse collection of bacteriathat live in harsh environmental settings. They have been found in hot springs, sulfer pools, thermal ocean vents. Members of the genus Aquifex, for example, are productive in water between 85 to 95 °C. They are the dominant members of most terrestrial neutral to alkaline hot springs above 60 degrees celsius. They are autotrophs, and are the primary carbon fixers in these environments. They are true bacteria (domaineubacteria) as opposed to the other inhabitants of extreme environments, the Archaea. Aquificae is a smallish group of thermophilic to hyperthermophilic bacteria whose main claim to fame is that ribosomal DNA phylogenies suggest that it is the earliest-diverging branch of the Eubacteria, making them a key player in the theory that life as a whole may be descended from a thermophilic ancestor. The type genus of the Aquificae, //Aquifex// was only formally described in 1992, but the numbers have swelled since then to about fifteen genera divided between three families.


 * __Features-__** Aquificae are all chemolithoautotrophs - that is, they produce their own energy directly from the reaction of inorganic sources. This is acheived through the oxidation of molecular hydrogen, which is a major component of emissions from deep-sea hydrothermal vents. //Aquifex// reacts hydrogen and oxygen to produce water, while other species of Aquificae use such substrates as elemental sulphur or nitrates as electron acceptors. Hydrogen oxidation is a common metabolic process in archaebacteria, but is unusual in eubacteria - the only hydrogen-oxidising eubacteria other than Aquificae belong to the ε-proteobacteria. Aquificae may be anaerobes or microaerophiles.

__**Habitat-**__ Aquifex pyrophilus grows best in water between 85 to 95 °C and can be found near underwater volcanoes or hot springs. It typically uses oxygen in its respiration, producing water as a byproduct, thus leading to the name "Aquifex," meaning "water-maker." However A. pyrophilus can even grow anaerobically by reducing nitrogen instead of oxygen. Members of the species tend to form large cell congloberations, comprising up to 100 individual cells. It was discovered just north of Iceland.

__**Interesting Facts-**__ The genome of Aquifex aeolicus, a member of the same genus, has been successfully mapped. Comparison of this genome to other organisms showed that around 16% of its genes originated from the Archaea domain. It is assumed that //A. pyrophilus// also has this property.

__**Resources:**____**[]**____**[]**____**[|http://species.wikimedia.org/wiki/Aquificae_(Bacteria])**____**[]**____**[]**____**[]**____**[]**__