chemoautotroph

Examples of chemoautotroph in the following topics:

• Chemoautotrophs and Chemoheterotrophs

  • Chemoautotrophs and chemoheterotrophs make their food using chemical energy rather than solar energy.
  • Chemoautotrophs are able to synthesize their own organic molecules from the fixation of carbon dioxide.
  • Chemoautotrophs are able to thrive in very harsh environments, such as deep sea vents, due to their lack of dependence on outside sources of carbon other than carbon dioxide.
  • Chemoheterotrophs, unlike chemoautotrophs, are unable to synthesize their own organic molecules.
  • They do, however, still obtain energy from the oxidation of inorganic molecules like the chemoautotrophs.

• Strategies for Acquiring Energy

  • Photosynthetic autotrophs (photoautotrophs) use sunlight as an energy source, whereas chemosynthetic autotrophs (chemoautotrophs) use inorganic molecules as an energy source.
  • Many chemoautotrophs in hydrothermal vents use hydrogen sulfide (H2S), which is released from the vents, as a source of chemical energy.
  • This allows chemoautotrophs to synthesize complex organic molecules, such as glucose, for their own energy and in turn supplies energy to the rest of the ecosystem.
  • As no sunlight penetrates to this depth, the ecosystem is supported by chemoautotrophic bacteria and organic material that sinks from the ocean's surface.
  • Distinguish between photoautotrophs and chemoautotrophs and the ways in which they acquire energy

• Growth Terminology

  • Chemoautotrophs are also a type of autotroph.
  • Most chemoautotrophs are bacteria and archaea that live in hostile environments (such as deep sea vents).
  • Chemoautotrophs are thought to be the first organisms to inhabit earth.

• The Purpose and Process of Photosynthesis

  • A third very interesting group of bacteria synthesize sugars, not by using sunlight's energy, but by extracting energy from inorganic chemical compounds; hence, they are referred to as chemoautotrophs.
  • In a (d) deep sea vent, chemoautotrophs, such as these (e) thermophilic bacteria, capture energy from inorganic compounds to produce organic compounds.

• Overview of Proteobacteria

  • Most members are facultatively or obligately anaerobic, chemoautotrophs, and heterotrophic, but there are numerous exceptions.

• The Energetics of Chemolithotrophy

  • Chemoautotrophs generally fall into several groups: methanogens, halophiles, sulfur oxidizers and reducers, nitrifiers, anammox bacteria, and thermoacidophiles.

• Betaproteobacteria

  • Nitrosomonas is a genus comprising rod shaped chemoautotrophic bacteria.

• Nitrification

  • Nitrobacter is a genus of mostly rod-shaped, gram-negative, and chemoautotrophic bacteria.

• Biogeochemical Cycles

  • Energy flows directionally through ecosystems, entering as sunlight (or inorganic molecules for chemoautotrophs) and leaving as heat during the many transfers between trophic levels.

• The Sulfur Cycle

  • Some marine ecosystems rely on chemoautotrophs, using sulfur as a biological energy source.