(12) Respiration in bacteria : With respect to oxygen requirement and mode of

cellular respiration, bacteria distinctly belong to two broad categories- (i) aerobic and (ii)
anaerobic. These are further divided into obligate and facultative types. thus, the bacteria can
be grouped into four general categories on the basis of their oxygen requirement.
(i) Aerobic respiration
(a) Obligate aerobes : These bacteria grow exclusively in presence of molecular oxygen
and fail to survive in its absence, e.g., Bacillus subtilis, Azotobactor, Arthrobactor,
Mycobacterium, etc.
(b) Facultative anaerobes : The aerobic bacteria which can also survive in absence of
oxygen, e.g., Aerobacter, Klebsiella, Pseudomonas, etc.
(ii) Anaerobic respiration
(a) Obligate anaerobes : These bacteria grow and multiply in the absence of free oxygen.
They fail to survive under aerobic conditions, e.g., Clostridium botulinum.
(b) Facultative aerobes : The anaerobic bacteria which can also survive in presence of
oxygen, e.g., Chlorobium limicola.
(13) Mode of nutrition in bacteria : On the basis of mode of nutrition, bacteria are
grouped into two broad categories. First is autotrophic and second is heterotrophic bacteria.
Autotrophic bacteria : These bacteria are able to synthesis their own food from
inorganic substances, as green plants do. Their carbon is derived from carbon dioxide. The
hydrogen needed to reduce carbon to organic form comes from sources such as atmospheric
H
2
, H
2
S or NH
3
. These are divided into two categories.
(i) Photoautotrophic bacteria : These bacteria are mostly anaerobic bacteria. They use
sunlight as source of energy to synthesize food. But unlike other type of photosynthesis as
found in eukaryotic cells, they do not "split water'' to transfer energy or to obtain reducing
power. Instead they split hydrogen sulphide, thiosulphate, hydrogen or some other organic
compound and oxygen is not evolved as a byproduct. They possess a pigment called
bacteriochlorophyll which is different from the chlorophyll pigment found in higher plants.
This is known as anoxygenic photosynthesis. e.g. Green sulphur (thiothrix) and purple sulphur
(chromatiun) bacteria. They can perform photosynthesis in far-red light. Rhodospirillum
bacteria fixes CO
2
into carbohydrate (Photoautotrophic).
The green sulphur bacteria such as Chlorobium sp. and Chloropseudomonas sp., contain
the pigment bacterioviridin (similar to chlorophyll) and thrive well in illuminated
environments. These bacteria produce chemical sulphur by removing hydrogen from
hydrogen sulphide.

Light
2 2
12 6 S H CO Energy 6 12
2 6 12 6
O H S O H C
The purple sulphur bacteria such as Thiospirillum sp. and Chromatium sp., contain the pigments
bacteriochlorophyll and carotenoids. Theses bacteria utilize inorganic sulphur compounds, selenium
compounds or molecular hydrogen.
Energy 6 6 3 15 6
4 2 6 12 6
alcohol Propyl
Light
3 2 2 2 2
NaHSO O H O H C O S Na O H CO
The purple non-sulphur bacteria posses the pigment bacteriochlorophyll and accomplish
photoreduction of carbondioxide in presence of alcohol, organic acids, etc., e.g.,
Rhodospirillum sp. Rhodomicrobium sp and Rhodopseudomonas sp.
O H COCH CH O H C CHOHCH CH CO
2 3 3 6 12 6
Light
3 3 2
6 12 12 6
The photoautotrophic bacteria thrive well below the surface of lakes and ponds where
oxygen content is low and reduced sulphur or other compounds are available.