Microbial divergence and evolution. The case of anammox bacteria.

Species differentiation and the appearance of novel diversity on Earth is a major issue to understand the past and future of microbial evolution. Herein, we propose the analysis of a singular evolutive example, the case of microorganisms carrying out the process of anammox (anaerobic ammonium oxidation). Anammox represents a singular physiology active on Earth from ancient times and, at present, this group is still represented by a relatively limited number of species carrying out a specific metabolism within the Phylum Planctomycetota.

Evidence of horizontal gene transfer by transposase gene analyses in Fervidobacterium species.

Horizontal Gene Transfer (HGT) plays an important role in the physiology and evolution of microorganisms above all thermophilic prokaryotes. Some members of the Phylum Thermotogae (i.e.

Fervidobacterium thailandense sp. nov., an extremely thermophilic bacterium isolated from a hot spring.

Strain FC2004T, a strictly anaerobic, extremely thermophilic heterotroph, was isolated from a hot spring in Thailand. Typical cells of strain FC2004T were rod shaped (0.5-0.

Cellular Viscosity in Prokaryotes and Thermal Stability of Low Molecular Weight Biomolecules.

Some low molecular weight biomolecules, i.e., NAD(P)H, are unstable at high temperatures.