Other Unique Bacteria

Domain Bacteria contain some species with extraordinary properties, notably magnetic and radiation-resistant bacteria.

Magnetic bacteria, such as Magnetospirillum magnetotacticum and Desulfovibrio magneticus, are typically found near the oxic-anoxic interface of stratified lakes.

These bacterial species possess magnetosomes. A magnetosome typically consists of chains of particles made of either magnetite, in aerobic species, or greigite, in anaerobic species.

These bacteria exhibit magnetotaxis. Their magnetosomes align with Earth’s geomagnetic field in both the Northern and Southern Hemispheres, guiding them to the oxic-anoxic transition zones.

Radiation resistance is a remarkable property exhibited by members of the Deinococcales order.

The species Deinococcus radiodurans can survive doses of 15,000 grays of ionizing radiation.

The unique toroidal arrangement of its DNA within the cell and a multilayered cell wall structure play a key role in radiation resistance.