Query: NC_005071:87907 Prochlorococcus marinus str. MIT 9313, complete genome
Lineage: Prochlorococcus marinus; Prochlorococcus; Prochlorococcaceae; Prochlorales; Cyanobacteria; Bacteria
General Information: Marine cyanobacterium. This non-motile bacterium is a free-living marine organism that is one of the most abundant, as well as the smallest, on earth, and contributes heavily to carbon cycling in the marine environment. This cyanobacterium grows in areas of nitrogen and phosphorus limitation and is unique in that it utilizes divinyl chlorophyll a/b proteins as light-harvesting systems instead of phycobiliproteins. These pigments allow harvesting of light energy from blue wavelengths at low light intensity.
Subject: NC_011059:1896593 Prosthecochloris aestuarii DSM 271, complete genome
Lineage: Prosthecochloris aestuarii; Prosthecochloris; Chlorobiaceae; Chlorobiales; Chlorobi; Bacteria
General Information: This species is a green sulfur bacterium which forms sedimentary biofilm layers. It has been shown to be associated with coral killed by Black-Band Disease (BBD) a microbial infection of larger coral species. This is a concern for reef conservationists as the larger species are responsible for coral scaffolds, and their reduction by disease would have considerable impact on the reef structure. While there is currently no cause-and-effect link between Prosthecochloris aestuarii and BBD, the species was found on coral which was killed by the disease and was not found on healthy coral or in the surrounding seawater.