Question

Discuss features of Proteobacteria. Include a discussion on the environmental importance of these bacteria

Answer 1

The features of proteobacteria are :

1. They are gram negative bacteria and the outer membrane contains lipopolysaccharides, the mode of respiration is obligatory anaerobic and heterotrophic nutrition.

2. It contains infolded cytoplasmic membrane, deposiotion of sulphur granules in the membrane, the metabolism is photoorganoheterotrophic type.

3. They form cysts which will prevents from dessication, and live in mud, ocean, and pond water.

4. It contains different sub groups such as alpha, beta ,gama , delata and epsilon and most of the diseases such as plague, cholera, lung disease are caused due to prelavence of gammaproteobacteria.

5. They play an important role in sulphur cycling, corrosion of iron pipes in industries, and they will get energy from intermediates of tca cycle and aminoacids metabolism products.

6. In terms of environmental importance they are capable of fixing of atmospheric nitrogen with the help of plants, anaerobic decomposition of organic matter andliberates different types of gases such as methane, ammonia etc., which are important environmental components, organic decomposition in the anaerobic zone of habitats, recycling of organic materials(B.cepecia), mineralization of wide variety of organic compounds which are useful in sewage,