Question

Beggiatoa is a
A)Chemoautotroph
B)Photoautotroph
C)Photoheterotroph
D)Chemoheterotroph

Answer 1

Hint: Beggiatoa is a complex group of genera as it has members that share many environments and niches, both in fresh and saltwater. As close relatives of Oscillatoria spp., they were confused in the past. (Cyanobacteria) for morphology and motility characteristics, but 5S rRNA research shows that Beggiatoa members are phylogenetically distant from Gammaproteobacteria phylum phylum members of Cyanobacteria.

Complete answer:
Beggiatoa is a species of filamentous, colourless proteobacteria. It is present in conditions high in sulfur. This is a chemoautotroph. That is a bacteria that is sulfur-oxidizing. As an energy source, it oxidizes hydrogen sulfide and forms droplets of intracellular sulfur. It shapes distinctive white mats.

Fragmentation is the Beggiatoa reproducing technique. By alternating filament elongation and breakage, the growth of a colony leading to mat production is obtained. In essence, breakage may occur in the centre of a stretched filament, at the tip of a filament loop or where a loop tip was once mounted. Since they disrupt the contact between two sections of one filament, the presence of sacrificial cells is essential; hence each segment will change its gliding direction triggering the break.

Hence, the correct answer is option (A)

Note: The key characteristics distinguishing Beggiatoa bacteria from the closely related Vorticella are the ability to oxidize sulfide and store sulfur. The ability to store nitrate within the vacuoles of the cells of the broad marine species is another defining trait. Just two species of Beggiatoa spp. are known, according to the NCBI database. Validly published: Beggiatoa alba and Beggiatoa leptomitoformis, respectively.