In taxonomy

Alpha taxonomy

Alpha taxonomy is the discipline concerned with finding, describing and naming species of living or fossil organisms. This field is supported by institutions holding collections of these organisms, with relevant data, carefully curated: such institutes include natural history museums, herbaria and...

, the Archaeoglobaceae are a family

Family (biology)

In biological classification, family is* a taxonomic rank. Other well-known ranks are life, domain, kingdom, phylum, class, order, genus, and species, with family fitting between order and genus. As for the other well-known ranks, there is the option of an immediately lower rank, indicated by the...

 of the Archaeoglobales

Archaeoglobales

In taxonomy, the Archaeoglobales are an order of the Archaeoglobi.-External links:...

. All known genera within the Archaeoglobaceae are hyperthermophilic

Hyperthermophile

A hyperthermophile is an organism that thrives in extremely hot environments— from 60 degrees C upwards. An optimal temperature for the existence of hyperthermophiles is above 80°C . Hyperthermophiles are a subset of extremophiles, micro-organisms within the domain Archaea, although some bacteria...

 and can be found near undersea hydrothermal vent

Hydrothermal vent

A hydrothermal vent is a fissure in a planet's surface from which geothermally heated water issues. Hydrothermal vents are commonly found near volcanically active places, areas where tectonic plates are moving apart, ocean basins, and hotspots. Hydrothermal vents exist because the earth is both...

s.

Mode of Metabolism

While all genera within the Archaeoglobaceae are related to each other phylogenetically, the mode of metabolism used by each of these organisms is unique. Archaeoglobus

Archaeoglobus

Archaeoglobus is a genus of the phylum Euryarchaeota. Archaeoglobus can be found in high-temperature oil fields where they may contribute to oil field souring.- Metabolism :...

are chemoorganotroph

Chemoorganotroph

Chemoorganotrophs are organisms which use organic compounds as their energy source. These organic chemicals include glucose and acetate. All animals are chemoorganotrophs, as are fungi, protozoa, and some bacteria. Indeed, most heterotrophs are chemoorganotrophs. However, chemolithotrophs instead...

ic sulfate-reducing archaea, the only known member of the Archaea

Archaea

The Archaea are a group of single-celled microorganisms. A single individual or species from this domain is called an archaeon...

 that possesses this type of metabolism. Ferroglobus

Ferroglobus

In taxonomy, Ferroglobus is a genus of the Archaeoglobaceae.Ferroglobus is a hyperthermophilic genus phylogenetically located within the Euryarchaeota. It consists of one species, F. placidus, isolated from hydrothermal vent sediment off the coast of Italy. F. placidus grows best at 85°C and a...

, in contrast, are chemolithotrophic organisms that couple the oxidation of ferrous iron

Iron

Iron is a chemical element with the symbol Fe and atomic number 26. It is a metal in the first transition series. It is the most common element forming the planet Earth as a whole, forming much of Earth's outer and inner core. It is the fourth most common element in the Earth's crust...

 to the reduction of nitrate

Nitrate

The nitrate ion is a polyatomic ion with the molecular formula NO and a molecular mass of 62.0049 g/mol. It is the conjugate base of nitric acid, consisting of one central nitrogen atom surrounded by three identically-bonded oxygen atoms in a trigonal planar arrangement. The nitrate ion carries a...

. Geoglobus

Geoglobus

Geoglobus is a hyperthermophilic member of the Archaeoglobaceae within the Euryarchaeota. It consists of one species, G. ahangari, isolated from the Guaymas Basin hydrothermal system located deep within the Gulf of California. As a hyperthermophile, it grows best at a temperature of 88°C and cannot...

are iron reducing-archaea that use hydrogen

Hydrogen

Hydrogen is the chemical element with atomic number 1. It is represented by the symbol H. With an average atomic weight of , hydrogen is the lightest and most abundant chemical element, constituting roughly 75% of the Universe's chemical elemental mass. Stars in the main sequence are mainly...

 gas or organic compound

Organic compound

An organic compound is any member of a large class of gaseous, liquid, or solid chemical compounds whose molecules contain carbon. For historical reasons discussed below, a few types of carbon-containing compounds such as carbides, carbonates, simple oxides of carbon, and cyanides, as well as the...

s as energy sources.

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