Grace's Notes!

The scientific name for my bacteria is Arthrobacter Globiformis. In the upper layers or soil inhabited by Arthrobacter Globiformis, changes in oxygen concentrations occur frequently. The bacteria has adapted oxygen independent growth strategies in order to survive periods of oxygen limitations. It uses nitrate as an electron acceptor at the end of their respiratory chain, reducing it to ammonia via nitrite.

Arthrobacteria are coryneform bacteria. They are characterized by pleomorphism (change shape) and gram variability (they change from gram-negative to gram positive). Their life cycle is marked by 2 life cycles. When the cultures are young, cells are slender, gram-negative rods. Jointed rods can be seen after about 1 or 2 days. After about 30 hours, though, the cells have become very short, gram-positive rods and coccoids. Arthrobacteria are nonsporulating and are members of the actinomycete branch of the gram-positive bacteria. They exhibit a weak motility that is almost always overlooked.

Arthrobacteria are pretty nutritionally versatile. They use a variety of substrates in their oxidative metabolism. These include nicotine, nucleic acids, and various herbicides and pesticides. Most species of Arthrobacter are obligate aerobes, but they always exhibit a pure respiratory, never fermentative metabolism.

They are your basic soil bacteria. As we humans continue to harm the earth with nasty chemicals, several species of arthrobacter, including Arthrobacter Globiformis, help destroy them because of their ubiquitous presence in soil and their ability to metabolize a variety of substances. They have been found to degrade chromium mainly. Chromium is widespread throughout the environment because of its use in dyes, pigments, refractory material, leather tanning, and electroplating. They are also known to degrade a variety of agricultural pesticides. Arthrobacteria form small colonies on blood agar, and range in color from yellow to white. On average, they are about two millimeters in diameter. They do not have endospores. They are mesophilic, which means they thrive in moderate temperatures, from about 25-40 degrees celsius.

Arthrobacter Globiformis's lineage is as follows:

-Cellular Organisms

-Bacteria

-Actinobacteria

-Actinobacteridae

-Actinomycetales

-Micrococcinae

-Micrococcaceae

-Arthrobacter

-Arthrobacter Globiformis