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HIERARCHICAL CLASSIFICATION OF THE PHYLUM GAMMAPROTEOBACTERIA

HIERARCHICAL CLASSIFICATION OF THE PHYLUM GAMMAPROTEOBACTERIA (STACKENBRANDT ET AL. 1988)

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PHYLUM GAMMAPROTEOBACTERIA LINKS

Description of Phylum

Synoptic Description

The Gammaproteobacteria has two major groups within it: the purple sulfur bacteria, and the others with the enterics at their core. I took this separation to be at the class-level (classes Chromatiae and Enterobacteriae). The ordinal structure is from Garrity et al. (2003). The structure of this taxonomic system comes from Garrity et al. (2003). We organized the class structure to reflect the fundamental differences between these groups.
  • CLASS CHROMATIAE
    • ORDER CHROMATIALES
      • These are phototrophic purple sulfur bacteria. They capture light energy with bacteriochlorophyll a or b which they use non-oxygenic photosynthesis (reduction of carbon dioxide into an organic) with oxidation of a sulfur compound, usually hydrogen sulfide. Some taxa are not phototrophic but chemotrophic. Organisms are variable in form (coccoid, spiral, rod, comma) but unicellular. Obligate anaerobes.
      • Chromatium, Allochromatium, Halochromatium, Isochromatium, Lamprobacter, Lamprocystis, Marichromatium, Nitrosococcus, Pfennigia, Rhabdochromatium, Thermochromatium, Thioalkalicoccus, Thiocapsa, Thiococcus, Thiocystis, Thiodictyon, Thioflavicoccus, Thiohalocapsa, Thiolamprovum, Thiopedia, Thiorhodococcus, Thiorhodovibrio, Thiospirillum
      • Ectothiorhodospira, Arhodomonas, Halorhodospira, Nitrococcus, Thioalkalivibrio, Thiorhodospira
      • Halothiobacillus
  • CLASS ENTEROBACTERIAE
    • ORDER ACIDITHIOBACILLALES
      • Autotrophic motile rods; obligate aerobes. They use reduced inorganic compounds, particularly sulfur compounds, to obtain the energy to reduce carbon dioxide. They are acidophiles and thermophiles.
      • Acidithiobacillus
      • Thermithiobacillus
    • ORDER XANTHOMONADALES
      • These are rods without stalks but with polar flagella. They can be mobile by flexing and gliding. They are obligate heterotrophic aerobes.
      • Xanthomonas, Frateuria, Luteimonas, Lysobacter, Nevskia, Pseudoxanthomonas, Rhodanobacter, Schineria, Stenotrophomonas, Thermomonas, Xylella
    • ORDER CARDIOBACTERIALES
      • Aerobic rods that are chemoorganotrophic. Though nonmotile, the cells have pili which cause them to have a twitching motion. They release hydrogen sulfide.
      • Cardiobacterium, Dichelobacter, Suttonella
    • ORDER THIOTRICHALES
      • The order is very diverse in form. Many taxa are intracellular parasites of vertebrates and arthropods. Free-living taxa are chemoorganotrophs, methylotrophs, and chemolithotrophic sulfur-oxidizers.
      • Thiothrix, Achromatium, Beggiatoa, Leucothrix, Thiobacterium, Thiomargarita, Thioploca, Thiospira
      • Piscirickettsia, Cycloclasticus, Hydrogenovibrio, Methylophaga, Thioalkalimicrobium, Thiomicrospira
      • Francisella
    • ORDER LEGIONELLALES
      • Intracellular parasites of protists, invertebrates and vertebrates. Aerobic and chemoorganotrophic (amino acids as energy source). They do not use carbohydrates.
      • Legionella
      • Coxiella, Rickettsiella
    • ORDER METHYLOCOCCALES
      • These are rods or cocci with aerobic metabolism. They use methane (and other 1 carbon compounds) never compounds with carbon-carbon bonds. They are found in association with methane-generating environments in which oxygen can be obtained. Some can form symbioses with pogonophorans and mytilid mollusks.
      • Methylococcus, Methylobacter, Methylocaldum, Methylomicrobium, Methylomonas, Methylosarcina, Methylosphaera
    • ORDER OCEANOSPIRILLALES
      • Motile spirals that tend to be halophilic. Aerobic or facultative anaerobic chemoorganotrophs.
      • Oceanospirillum, Balneatrix, Marinomonas, Marinospirillum, Neptunomonas
      • Alcanivorax
      • Hahella
      • Halomonas, Carnimonas, Chromohalobacter, Zymobacter
    • ORDER PSEUDOMONADALES
      • Most taxa are motile rods. Aerobic chemoorganotrophs.
      • Pseudomonas, Azomonas, Azotobacter, Cellvibrio, Mesophilobacter, Rhizobacter, Rugamonas, Serpens
      • Moraxella, Acinetobacter, Psychrobacter
      • Incertae Sedis: Enhydrobacter
    • ORDER ALTEROMONADALES
      • Straight or curved rods. Motile with a single polar flagellum. Chemoheterotrophs which may be aerobic or facultatively anaerobic. Most require sodium ions, mainly marine.
      • Alteromonas, Alishewanella, Colwellia, Ferrimonas, Glaciecola, Idiomarina, Marinobacter, Marinobacterium, Microbulbifer, Moritella, Pseudoalteromonas, Psychromonas, Shewanella
    • ORDER VIBRIONALES
      • Rods with polar flagella. Aerobic and facultatively anaerobic chemoorganotrophs. Most require sodium ions. Some are bioluminescent.
      • Vibrio, Photobacterium, Salinivibrio
    • ORDER AEROMONADALES
      • Straight rods, motile by polar flagella. Facultative anaerobes and chemoorganotrophs. Oxygen as terminal electron acceptor. Mainly aquatic freshwater and estuarine waters) though some are pathogens.
      • Aeromonas, Oceanimonas, Tolumonas (incertae sedis)
      • Succinivibrio, Anaerobiospirillum, Ruminobacter, Succinimonas
    • ORDER ENTEROBACTERIALES
      • Straight rods; motile by peritrichous flagella or nonmotile. Facultative anaerobes; chemoorganotrophic. Many are microbes of the gut and some are pathogens.
      • Escherichia, Alterococcus, Arsenophonus, Brenneria, Buchneria, Budvicia, Buttiauxella, Calymmatobacterium, Cedecea, Citrobacter, Edwardsiella, Enterobacter, Erwinia, Ewingella, Hafnia, Klebsiella, Kluyvera, Leclercia, Leminorella, Moellerella, Morganella, Obesumbacterium, Pantoea, Pectobacterium, “Candidatus”, Photorhabdus, Plesiomonas, Pragia, Proteus, Providencia, Rahnella, Saccharobacter, Salmonella, Serratia, Shigella, Sodalis, Tatumella, Trabulsiella, Wigglesworthia, Xenorhabdus, Yersinia, Yokenella
    • ORDER PASTEURELLALES
      • Rods to coccoid and nonmotile. Aerobic, some microaerophilic and some facultative anaerobes. Chemoorganotrophic. Parasites of vertebrates.
      • Pasteurella, Actinobacillus, Haemophilus, Lonepinella, Manheimia, Phocoenobacter
LITERATURE CITED

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By Jack R. Holt. Last revised: 02/07/2012
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