Lithotrophs

Lithotrophs are a diverse group of organisms using an inorganic substrate (usually of mineral origin) to obtain reducing equivalents for use in biosynthesis (e.g., carbon dioxide fixation) or energy conservation (i.e., ATP production) via aerobic or anaerobic respiration. While lithotrophs in the broader sense include photolithotrophs like plants, chemolithotrophs are exclusively microorganisms; no known macrofauna possesses the ability to use inorganic compounds as electron sources. Macrofauna and lithotrophs can form symbiotic relationships, in which case the lithotrophs are called "prokaryo

ferrobacteria known by a particular common name

Thiomargarita is a genus (family Thiotrichaceae) which includes the vacuolate sulfur bacteria species Thiomargarita namibiensis, Candidatus, Thiomargarita nelsonii, and Ca. Thiomargarita joergensenii. In 2022, scientists working in a Caribbean mangrove discovered an extremely large member of the genus, provisionally named Ca. T. magnifica, whose cells are easily visible to the naked eye at up to long.

term in biology