Skip to content

HIERARCHICAL CLASSIFICATION OF THE PHYLUM METHANOBACTERIA

HIERARCHICAL CLASSIFICATION OF THE PHYLUM METHANOBACTERIA (BOONE 2001)

ARCHAEA> EURYARCHAEOTA> METHANOBACTERIA
PHYLUM METHANOBACTERIA LINKS

Description of Phylum

Synoptic Description

This taxonomy is based in part on Margulis and Schwartz (1998) but modified by the system of Garrity et al. (2001 and 2003). The relationships between members of this group are far more complex than indicated by the taxonomy here which should be regarded as very tentative. Margulis and Schwartz (1998) lump the methanobacteria with the halophiles into a taxon called Euryarcheota (B-1) which we treat as a kingdom.
  • CLASS METHANOBACTEREI
    • Cells variable (short to long); all nonmotile. Strict anaerobes, they grow by metabolizing hydrogen. No growth above 70C.
    • ORDER METHANOBACTERIALES
      • Methanobacterium, Methanobrevibacter, Methanomonas, Methanosphaera, Methanothermobacter, Methanothermus.
  • CLASS METHANOCOCCI
    • Cells variable in shape, coccoid to spirals and sheathed rods. They are strict anaerobes.
    • ORDER METHANOCOCCALES
      • Coccoid and mainly marine. Walls of protein. They use hydrogen or formate to reduce carbon dioxide.
      • Methanococcus, Methanothermococcus, Methanotorris.
    • ORDER METHANOMICROBIALES
      • Cells coccoid, rod, or sheathed rods. They use hydrogen, formate or alcohols to reduce carbon dioxide. May contain glycerol.
      • Methanomicrobium, Methanoculleus, Methanofolis, Methanogenium, Methanolacinia, Methanoplanus, Methanocorpusculum, Methanospirillum,
    • ORDER METHANOSARCINALES
      • Coccoid, cell bundles, or sheathed rods. Use methyl groups as food sources. May use hydrogen to fix carbon dioxide.
      • Methanosarcina, Methanococcoides, Methanohalobium, Methanohalophilus, Methanolobus, Methanomicrococcus, Methanosalsum, Methanosaeta (=Methanothrix).
LITERATURE CITED

Black, J. G. 2002. Microbiology, Principles and Explorations. 5th ed. John Wiley and Sons, Inc. New York.

Gao, B. and R. S. Gupta. 2007. Phylogenetic analysis of proteins that are distinctive of Archaea and its main subgroups and the origin of methanogenesis. BMC Genomics. 8:86. http://www.biomedcentral.com/1471-2164/8/86.

Garrity, G. M., M. Winters, and D. Searles. 2001. Bergey’s manual of systematic bacteriology. 2nd ed. Springer-Verlag. New York.

Garrity, G. M., J. A. Bell, and T. G. Lilburn. 2003. Taxonomic Outline of the Prokaryotes. Bergey’s Manual of Systematic Bacteriology. 2nd edition. Release 4.0. Springer-Verlag. New York. pp. 1-397.

Margulis, L. and K. Schwartz. 1988. Five kingdoms, an illustrated guide to the phyla of life on earth. 2nd Edition. W. H. Freeman and Co. New York.

Margulis, L. and K. Schwartz. 1998. Five kingdoms, an illustrated guide to the phyla of life on earth. 3rd Edition. W. H. Freeman and Co. New York.

Woese, C. R. and G. E. Fox. 1977. Phylogenetic structure of the prokaryotic domain: the primary kingdoms. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences USA. 74:5088-5090.

Woese, C. R., O. Kandler, and M. L. Wheelis. 1990. Towards a natural system of organisms: Proposal for the domains Archaea, Bacteria, and Eucarya. Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA. 87: 4576-4579.
By Jack R. Holt. Last revised: 02/06/2012
Print Friendly, PDF & Email

Document Footer

Skip to toolbar