Halobacteriaceae

Halobacteriaceae
Scientific classification
Domain:	Archaea
Kingdom:	Euryarchaeota
Phylum:	Euryarchaeota
Class:	Halobacteria Grant et al. 2002
Order:	Halobacteriales Grant and Larsen 1989
Family:	Halobacteriaceae Gibbons 1974
Genera
Haladaptatus Savage et al. 2007 emend. Roh et al. 2010 Halalkalicoccus Xue et al. 2005 Halarchaeum Minegishi et al. 2010 Haloalcalophilium ♠ Lizama et al. 2000 Haloarcula Torreblanca et al. 1986 emend. Oren et al. 2009 Halobacterium Elazari-Volcani 1957 emend. Oren et al. 2009 Halobaculum Oren et al. 1995 Halobellus Cui et al. 2011 Halobiforma Hezayen et al. 2002 emend. Oren et al. 2009 Halococcus Schoop 1935 emend. Oren et al. 2009 Haloferax Torreblanca et al. 1986 emend. Oren et al. 2009 Halogeometricum Montalvo-Rodríguez et al. 1998 emend. Cui et al. 2010 Halogranum Cui et al. 2010 emend. Cui et al. 2011 Halolamina Cui et al. 2011 Halomarina Inoue et al. 2011 Halomicrobium Oren et al. 2002 Halonotius Burns et al. 2010 Halopelagius Cui et al. 2010 Halopiger Gutiérrez et al. 2007 Haloplanus Bardavid et al. 2007 emend. Cui et al. 2010 Haloquadratum Burns et al. 2007 Halorhabdus Wainø et al. 2000 emend. Antunes et al. 2008 Halorientalis Cui et al. 2011 Halorubrum McGenity and Grant 1996 emend. Oren et al. 2009 Halorussus ♠ Cui et al. 2010 Halosarcina Savage et al. 2008 emend. Cui et al. 2010 Halosimplex Vreeland et al. 2003 Halostagnicola Castillo et al. 2006 Haloterrigena Ventosa et al. 1999 emend. Oren et al. 2009 Halovivax Castillo et al. 2006 Natrialba Kamekura and Dyall-Smith 1996 emend. Oren et al. 2009 Natrinema McGenity et al. 1998 emend. Xin et al. 2000 Natronoarchaeum Shimane et al. 2010 Natronobacterium Tindall et al. 1984 Natronococcus Tindall et al. 1984 Natronolimnobius Itoh et al. 2005 Natronomonas Kamekura et al. 1997 emend. Burns et al. 2010 Natronorubrum Xu et al. 1999 emend. Oren et al. 2009 Salarchaeum Shimane et al. 2011

In taxonomy, the Halobacteriaceae are a family of the Halobacteriales in the domain Archaea. Halophilic Archaea are represented primarily by members of the family Halobacteriaceae, but also include methanogens from the genera Methanohalophilus and Methanohalobium that occur in the sediments of hypersaline lakes. The members of family Halobacteriaceae solubilized phosphorus under the hypersaline regions. All phosphate solubilizing archaeal sequences obtained in our study by 16S rDNA amplification from the environment grouped within the Halobacteriaceae. P solubilizing capability of haloarchaea indicates that many more cultivable economically important archaeal stains await discovery and utilization in agriculture and allied sectors

Halobacteriaceae are found in water saturated or nearly saturated with salt. They are also called halophiles, though this name is also used for other organisms which live in somewhat less concentrated salt water. They are common in most environments where large amounts of salt, moisture, and organic material are available. Large blooms appear reddish, from the pigment bacteriorhodopsin. This pigment is used to absorb light, which provides energy to create ATP. Halobacteria also possess a second pigment, halorhodopsin, which pumps in chloride ions in response to photons, creating a voltage gradient and assisting in the production of energy from light. The process is unrelated to other forms of photosynthesis involving electron transport; however, and halobacteria are incapable of fixing carbon from carbon dioxide.

Halobacteria can exist in salty environments because although they are aerobes, they have a separate and different way of creating energy through use of light energy. Parts of the membranes of halobacteria are purplish in color and contain retinal pigment. This allows them to create a proton gradient across the membrane of the cell which can be used to create ATP for their own use.

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