In
taxonomy
Taxonomy is the practice and science of categorization or classification.
A taxonomy (or taxonomical classification) is a scheme of classification, especially a hierarchical classification, in which things are organized into groups or types. ...
, ''Methanosaeta'' is a
genus
Genus ( plural genera ) is a taxonomic rank used in the biological classification of extant taxon, living and fossil organisms as well as Virus classification#ICTV classification, viruses. In the hierarchy of biological classification, genus com ...
of microbes within
Methanosaetaceae
In taxonomy, the Methanosaetaceae are a family of microbes within the order Methanosarcinales
In taxonomy, the Methanosarcinales are an order of the Methanomicrobia.
Large amounts of methane are produced in marine sediments but are then c ...
. Like other species in this family, those of ''Methanosaeta'' metabolize
acetate
An acetate is a salt (chemistry), salt formed by the combination of acetic acid with a base (e.g. Alkali metal, alkaline, Alkaline earth metal, earthy, Transition metal, metallic, nonmetallic or radical Radical (chemistry), base). "Acetate" als ...
as their sole source of energy. The genus contains two species, ''Methanosaeta concilii'', which is the
type species
In zoological nomenclature, a type species (''species typica'') is the species name with which the name of a genus or subgenus is considered to be permanently taxonomically associated, i.e., the species that contains the biological type specimen ...
(type strain GP6) and ''Methanosaeta thermophila''. For a time, some scientists believed there to be a third species, ''Methanosaeta soehngenii'', but because it has not been described from a pure culture, it is now called ''
Methanothrix soehngenii
''Methanothrix soehngenii'' is a species of methanogenic archaea. Its cells are non-motile, non- spore-forming, rod-shaped (0.8×2 μm) and are normally combined end to end in long filaments, surrounded by a sheath-like structure. It is named i ...
''.
Phylogeny
Importance
Methanosaeta species are some of the most active
methanogen
Methanogens are microorganisms that produce methane as a metabolic byproduct in hypoxic conditions. They are prokaryotic and belong to the domain Archaea. All known methanogens are members of the archaeal phylum Euryarchaeota. Methanogens are com ...
s in wetlands, producing an extensive amount of methane on Earth. The presence of methane is both good and bad. On one hand, methane is 20 times more effective than carbon dioxide in retaining heat—thus contributing to global warming at an increasing rate. On the other hand, methane can be used as bioenergy in an effort to move from large-scale fossil fuel usage to large-scale bioenergy usage, reducing carbon emissions. Scientists at UMass Amherst discovered that Methanosaeta have the ability to reduce carbon dioxide to methane through electrical connections with other microorganisms.
["Energy & Environmental Science." A New Model for Electron Flow during Anaerobic Digestion: Direct Interspecies Electron Transfer to Methanosaeta for the Reduction of Carbon Dioxide to Methane - (RSC Publishing). N.p., n.d. Web. 02 June 2014.]
See also
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List of Archaea genera
This article lists the genera of the Archaea. The currently accepted taxonomy is based on the List of Prokaryotic names with Standing in Nomenclature (LPSN) and National Center for Biotechnology Information (NCBI).
Phylogeny
National Center for ...
References
Further reading
Scientific journals
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Scientific books
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Scientific databases
External links
Archaea genera
Euryarchaeota
{{Euryarchaeota-stub