Aquificota

The Aquificota phylum is a diverse collection of bacteria that live in harsh environmental settings. The name Aquificota was given to this phylum based on an early genus identified within this group, Aquifex (“water maker”), which is able to produce water by oxidizing hydrogen. They have been found in springs, pools, and oceans. They are autotrophs, and are the primary carbon fixers in their environments. These bacteria are Gram-negative, non-spore-forming rods. They are true bacteria (domain Bacteria) as opposed to the other inhabitants of extreme environments, the Archaea.

==Taxonomy== The Aquificota currently contain 15 genera and 42 validly published species. The phylum comprises three class with each of them having their respective order. Aquificales consists of the families Aquificaceae and Hydrogenothermaceae, while the Desulfurobacteriaceae are the only family within the Desulfurobacteriales. Thermosulfidibacter takaii is not assigned to a family within the phylum based on its phylogenetic distinctness from both orders. It is currently classified as a member of Aquificales, but it has shown more physiological similarity to the Desulfobacteriaceae.