Methanobacterium | |
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Methanobacterium formicicum | |
Scientific classification | |
Domain: | Archaea |
Kingdom: | Euryarchaeota |
Class: | Methanobacteria |
Order: | Methanobacteriales |
Family: | Methanobacteriaceae |
Genus: | Methanobacterium Kluyver and van Niel 1936 |
Type species | |
Methanobacterium formicicum Schnellen 1947
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Species | |
See text | |
Synonyms | |
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Methanobacterium is a genus of the Methanobacteria class in the Archaea kingdom, which produce methane as a metabolic byproduct.[1] Despite the name, this genus belongs not to the bacterial domain but the archaeal domain (for instance, they lack peptidoglycan in their cell walls).[2] Methanobacterium are nonmotile and live without oxygen,[2] which is toxic to them, and they only inhabit anoxic environments.[3]
A shared trait by all methanogens is their ability to recycle products.[3] They can use the products of metabolic activities occurring during methanogenesis as substrates for the formation of methane.[3] Methanobacterium species typically thrive in environments with optimal growth temperatures ranging from 28 to 40 °C, and in versatile ecological ranges.[4] They are a part of the scientific world that is still relatively unknown, but methanogens are thought to be some of earth's earliest life forms.[4] They do not create endospores when nutrients are limited.[2] They are ubiquitous in some hot, low-oxygen environments, such as anaerobic digesters, wastewater, and hot springs.[5]