chemotroph

Examples of chemotroph in the following topics:

• Chemoautotrophs and Chemoheterotrophs

  • Chemotrophs are a class of organisms that obtain their energy through the oxidation of inorganic molecules, such as iron and magnesium.
  • The most common type of chemotrophic organisms are prokaryotic and include both bacteria and fungi.
  • The ability of chemotrophs to produce their own organic or carbon-containing molecules differentiates these organisms into two different classifications--chemoautotrophs and chemoheterotrophs .
  • Chemoheterotrophs are the most abundant type of chemotrophic organisms and include most bacteria, fungi and protozoa.

• The Energetics of Chemolithotrophy

  • Chemotrophs are organisms that obtain energy through the oxidation of electron donors in their environments.
  • The chemotroph designation is in contrast to phototrophs, which utilize solar energy.
  • Chemotrophs can be either autotrophic or heterotrophic.

• Photoautotrophs and Photoheterotrophs

  • In an ecological context, they provide nutrition for all other forms of life (besides other autotrophs such as chemotrophs).
  • They can be contrasted with chemotrophs that obtain their energy by the oxidation of electron donors in their environments.

• Carboxysomes

  • These organelles are found in all cyanobacteria and many chemotrophic bacteria that fix carbon dioxide.
  • These structures were named polyhedral bodies in 1961; over the next few years they were also discovered in some chemotrophic bacteria that fixed carbon dioxide.

• The 3-Hydroxypropionate Cycle

  • To date, this pathway has been identified in organisms classified as green non sulfur bacteria, specifically Chloroflexus aurantiacus () and in chemotrophic archaea.

• Deinococcus and Thermus

  • This bacterium is a chemotroph — it performs chemosynthesis to obtain food.

• Nongenetic Categories for Medicine and Ecology

  • Chemotrophs: obtain their energy by the oxidation of electron donors in their environments.