Tour of Microbes  Tour Home | Disease Home | Microbes A to Z | Bio 203 Home |
Halobacteria growing in salt
flats
Halobacterium salinarum growth on agar
Halobacterium is a halophile belonging to the Archaea. It is chemoheterotrophic, but under some conditions can trap light with bacteriorhodopsin. many other halobacteria have accessory pigments (carotenoids) that they use to protect themselves against strong sunlight. Halobacteria prefer salt concentrations of ~ 20 % and greater.
Domain Archaea
Phylum Eurarchaeota
Class Halobacteria
Bergey's Manual Volume 1: The Archaea and the deeply branching and phototrophic Bacteria