The Gemmatimonadota are a

phylum In biology, a phylum (; : phyla) is a level of classification, or taxonomic rank, that is below Kingdom (biology), kingdom and above Class (biology), class. Traditionally, in botany the term division (taxonomy), division has been used instead ...

bacteria Bacteria (; : bacterium) are ubiquitous, mostly free-living organisms often consisting of one Cell (biology), biological cell. They constitute a large domain (biology), domain of Prokaryote, prokaryotic microorganisms. Typically a few micr ...

established in 2003. The

contains two classes Gemmatimonadetes and Longimicrobia.

Species

The type species '' Gemmatimonas aurantiaca'' strain T-27^T was isolated from activated sludge in a sewage treatment system in 2003. It is a Gram-negative bacterium able to grow by both aerobic and anaerobic respiration. The second cultured species was ''Gemmatirosa kalamazoonensis'' gen. nov., sp. nov. strain KBS708, which was isolated from organically managed agricultural soil in Michigan USA. The third cultured species ''Gemmatimonas phototrophica'' strain AP64^T was isolated from a shallow freshwater desert lake Tiān é hú (Swan Lake) in North China. A unique feature of this organism is the presence of bacterial photosynthetic reaction centers. It probably acquired genes for anoxygenic photosynthesis via

horizontal gene transfer Horizontal gene transfer (HGT) or lateral gene transfer (LGT) is the movement of genetic material between organisms other than by the ("vertical") transmission of DNA from parent to offspring (reproduction). HGT is an important factor in the e ...

. ''G. phototrophica'' is a facultative photoheterotrophic organism. It requires the supply of organic substrate for growth, but it may obtain additional energy for its metabolism from light. ''Longimicrobium terrae'' strain CB-286315T was isolated from a soil sample from a typical Mediterranean forest ecosystem located in Granada, Spain. Due to this large phylogenetic distance from other cultured Gemmatimonades, it established a novel class named Longimicrobia.

Environmental distribution

Data from culture-independent studies indicate that Gemmatimonadota are widely distributed in many natural habitats. They make up about 2% of soil bacterial communities and has been identified as one of the top nine phyla found in soils; yet, there are currently only six cultured isolates. Gemmatimonadota have been found in a variety of arid soils, such as grassland, prairie, and pasture soil, as well as eutrophic lake sediments and alpine soils. This wide range of environments where Gemmatimonadota have been found suggests an adaptation to low soil moisture. A study conducted showed that the distribution of the Gemmatimonadota in soil tends to be more dependent on the moisture availability than aggregation, reinforcing the belief that the members of this phylum prefer dryer soils. Smaller numbers were also found in various aquatic environments, such as fresh waters and sediments, and in meadows and cropland located in boreal ecosystem

Phylogeny

Taxonomy

The currently accepted taxonomy is based on the

List of Prokaryotic names with Standing in Nomenclature List of Prokaryotic names with Standing in Nomenclature (LPSN) is an online database that maintains information on the naming and taxonomy of prokaryotes, following the taxonomy requirements and rulings of the International Code of Nomenclatu ...

(LSPN) and

National Center for Biotechnology Information The National Center for Biotechnology Information (NCBI) is part of the National Library of Medicine (NLM), a branch of the National Institutes of Health (NIH). It is approved and funded by the government of the United States. The NCBI is lo ...

. * Class Gemmatimonadetes Zhang et al. 2003 Oren, Parte & Garrity 2016 ex Cavalier-Smith 2020; Longimicrobia Pascual et al. 2016">Gemmatimonadia" Oren, Parte & Garrity 2016 ex Cavalier-Smith 2020; Longimicrobia Pascual et al. 2016** Order Gemmatimonadales Zhang et al. 2003 *** Family Gemmatimonadaceae Zhang et al. 2003 **** Genus '' Gemmatimonas'' Zhang et al. 2003 em. Zeng et al. 2015 **** Genus "'' Gemmatirosa''" DeBruyn et al. 2013 **** Genus '' Roseisolibacter'' Pascual et al. 2018 **** Genus ?"'' Pseudogemmatithrix''" Haufschild et al. 2024 ** Order Longimicrobiales Pascual et al. 2016 *** Family Longimicrobiaceae Pascual et al. 2016 **** Genus '' Longimicrobium'' Pascual et al. 2016 ** Order "Palaucibacterales" Aldeguer-Riquelme, Antón & Santos 2022 AUC43f*** Family Palauibacteraceae Aldeguer-Riquelme, Antón & Santos 2023 **** Genus "''Ca.'' Benthicola" Aldeguer-Riquelme, Antón & Santos 2023 **** Genus "''Ca.'' Caribbeanibacter" Aldeguer-Riquelme, Antón & Santos 2023 **** Genus "''Ca.'' Carthagonibacter" Aldeguer-Riquelme, Antón & Santos 2023 **** Genus "''Ca.'' Humimonas" Aldeguer-Riquelme, Antón & Santos 2023 **** Genus "''Ca.'' Indicimonas" Aldeguer-Riquelme, Antón & Santos 2023 **** Genus "''Ca.'' Kutchimonas" Aldeguer-Riquelme, Antón & Santos 2023 **** Genus "''Ca.'' Palauibacter" Aldeguer-Riquelme, Antón & Santos 2023

References

External links