Aliivibrio fischeri | |
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Scientific classification | |
Kingdom: | Bacteria |
Phylum: | Proteobacteria |
Class: | Gammaproteobacteria |
Order: | Vibrionales |
Family: | Vibrionaceae |
Genus: | Aliivibrio |
Species: | A. fischeri |
Binomial name | |
Aliivibrio fischeri (Beijerinck 1889) |
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Synonyms | |
Vibrio fischeri (Beijerinck 1889) |
Vibrio fischeri (Beijerinck 1889)
Lehmann & Neumann 1896
Aliivibrio fischeri is a gram-negative, rod-shaped bacterium found globally in marine environments.A. fischeri has bioluminescent properties, and is found predominantly in symbiosis with various marine animals, such as the bobtail squid. It is heterotrophic and moves by means of flagella. Free-living A. fischeri cells survive on decaying organic matter. The bacterium is a key research organism for examination of microbial bioluminescence, quorum sensing, and bacterial-animal symbiosis. It is named after Bernhard Fischer, a German microbiologist.
rRNA comparison led to the reclassification of this species from genus Vibrio to the newly created Aliivibrio in 2007.
Planktonic A. fischeri bacteria are found in very low quantities (almost undetectable) in almost all oceans of the world, preferentially in temperate and subtropical waters. These free-living bacteria subsist on organic matter in the water. They are found in higher concentrations in symbiosis with certain deep sea life within photophores (special light organs); or as part of the normal gut microbiota of marine animals.