Biology of Green Sulfur Bacteria

Abstract

Green sulfur bacteria, the Chlorobiaceae, have gained much attention because of unique structures of the photosynthetic apparatus and the presence of chlorosomes as very powerful light antenna that can capture minute amounts of light. This has important ecological consequences, because the efficient light‐harvesting determines the ecological niche of these bacteria at the lowermost part of stratified environments where the least of light is available. The oxidation of sulfide as their outmost important photosynthetic electron donor involves the deposition of elemental sulfur globules outside the cells and separates the process of sulfide oxidation to sulfate into two parts. This is the basis for stable syntrophic associations between green sulfur bacteria and sulfur‐ and sulfate‐reducing bacteria in which the sulfur compounds are recycled. The green sulfur bacteria are distantly related to other bacteria and systematically members of the Chlorobiaceae family with Chlorobium , Chlorobaculum , Prosthecochloris and Chloroherpeton as representative genera. Green sulfur bacteria depend on light for life due to their obligate phototrophic metabolism. Green sulfur bacteria are most efficient in photosynthesis due to the presence of light‐harvesting organelles, the chlorosomes, which are filled with bacteriochlorophyll molecules. Green sulfur bacteria are offsprings of one of the most ancient bacterial lineages performing biosynthesis of bacteriochlorophyll and photosynthesis. Green sulfur bacteria inhabit the lowermost light‐receiving part of the chemocline in the stratified environment due to their high sensitivity to oxygen, high tolerance to the toxic sulfide and highly efficient light capture. Green sulfur bacteria are important drivers of oxidation of reduced sulfur compounds in the stratified, sulfide‐containing environment receiving low irradiation.