science

Leptospirillum ferriphilum

Leptospirillum ferriphilum is a science topic covered in the lgStudy science library. This page brings together a partial reference excerpt, illustrations, worked examples, real-world applications and a short study plan, so you can understand Leptospirillum ferriphilum rather than just read about it. In short: Leptospirillum ferriphilum is an iron-oxidising bacterium able to exist in environments of high acidity, high iron concentrations, and moderate to moderately high temperatures. It is one of the species responsible for the generation of acid mine drainage and the principal microbe used in industrial biohydrometallurgy processes to extract metals.

Key takeaways

Leptospirillum ferriphilum belongs to science; place it in that map before memorising details.
Learn the definition first, then one example that makes the definition concrete.
Connect Leptospirillum ferriphilum to a quantity you can measure, compute or draw — that is where exam questions come from.
Reproduce the core statement of Leptospirillum ferriphilum from memory before moving on to harder problems.

Reference excerpt

Leptospirillum ferriphilum is an iron-oxidising bacterium able to exist in environments of high acidity, high iron concentrations, and moderate to moderately high temperatures. It is one of the species responsible for the generation of acid mine drainage and the principal microbe used in industrial biohydrometallurgy processes to extract metals.

Cell morphology L. ferriphilum is a gram-negative, spiral-shaped bacterium. L. ferriphilum is an acidophile and a thermotolerant bacteria, allowing it to survive in extremely acidic environments and relatively high temperatures. This bacterium is an aerobic organism; it can only survive and grow in an oxygenated environment.

Phylogeny Leptospirillum ferriphilum is from the domain bacteria, genus Leptosprillium, and species L. ferriphilum. With analysis of the 16S rRNA gene, it was shown the G + C content is 58.5%, which closely resembles group II Leptospirilla; Group II Leptosprilla contains two rrn gene copies.

Metabolic processes Leptospirillum ferriphilum is one of the most prevalent iron oxidizers. This bacterium also fixes carbon dioxide through the reductive tricarboxylic acid (TCA) cycle. L. ferriphilum fixes nitrogen through ammonium assimilation, has pH homeostasis mechanisms, has metal resistance systems, and has oxidative stress management systems.

Taxonomy L. ferriphilum is one of four known species in the Leptospirillum genus. It has been identified as the primary organism active in the generation of acid mine drainage, although the species Acidithiobacillus ferrooxidans was originally described as the dominant biological catalyst for iron oxidation; L. ferriphilum and A. ferrooxidans are typically found in a 2:1 ratio. The high temperature, low pH, and high ferrous iron concentration conditions associated with acidic leaching microenvironments favor L. ferriphilum.

Ecology

L. ferriphilum is a chemolithoautotrophic and obligately anaerobic bacterium that exclusively oxidizes ferrous iron for energy. Certain subtypes are classified as moderately thermophilic. In addition, this species has the ability to fix carbon dioxide, and some strains are capable of fixing nitrogen. Transcriptomics and proteomics show that L. ferriphilum utilizes the tricarboxylic acid cycle to fix carbon dioxide. The microbe is also acidophilic and employs proton pumps within its membranes to maintain its internal pH. Found in highly acidic, metal-rich environments such as the Rio Tinto river in southwest Spain, it contributes to the water's extremely low pH and reddish-orange color. Due to its role in producing acid mine drainage, a major pollutant, it is linked to the acidification and degradation of some riverine and marine environments.

Biomining L. ferriphilum is central to commercial biomining processes, where the bacteria form biofilms on ore surfaces and catalyze their dissolution via the oxidation of ferrous iron. In bio-oxidation, it is typically used to separate out gold from ores. In bioleaching, it aids the separation of copper from chalcopyrite. Adhesion rates are higher with pyrite than chalcopyrite. Biofilm formation in these oxidation processes is optimal between 30°C to 37°C according to one study and at 41°C in another study. An optimal pH of 1.4 to 1.8 has been correlated with its highest adhesion rate to sulfide metals.

References

Further reading Tuffin, I. M.; Hector, S. B.; Deane, S. M.; Rawlings, D. E. (2006). "Resistance Determinants of a Highly Arsenic-Resistant Strain of Leptospirillum ferriphilum Isolated from a Commercial Biooxidation Tank". Applied and Environmental Microbiology. 72 (3): 2247–2253. doi:10.1128/AEM.72.3.2247-2253.2006. ISSN 0099-2240. PMC 1393207. PMID 16517682. Tian, Jian; et al. (2007). "Nickel-resistant determinant from Leptospirillum ferriphilum". Applied and Environmental Microbiology. 73 (7): 2364–2368. doi:10.1128/aem.00207-07. PMC 1855658. PMID 17293508. Mi, Shuang; Song, Jian; Lin, Jianqun; Che, Yuanyuan; Zheng, Huajun; Lin, Jianqiang (2011). "Complete genome of Leptospirillum ferriphilum ML-04 provides insight into its physiology and environmental adaptation". The Journal of Microbiology. 49 (6): 890–901. doi:10.1007/s12275-011-1099-9. ISSN 1225-8873. PMID 22203551. S2CID 24050238. Lane, R. S.; et al. (2006). "Refractoriness of the western fence lizard (Sceloporus occidentalis) to the Lyme disease group spirochete Borrelia bissettii". Journal of Parasitology. 92 (4): 691–696. doi:10.1645/ge-738r1.1. PMID 16995383. S2CID 24200639.

External links "Leptospirillum ferriphilum". The Encyclopedia of Life. Type strain of Leptospirillum ferriphilum at BacDive - the Bacterial Diversity Metadatabase

Worked examples

Example 1 — a first encounter with Leptospirillum ferriphilum

Start with the simplest possible case. Write down what Leptospirillum ferriphilum claims or describes in one sentence, then invent the smallest concrete situation in which that sentence is true. In science, the smallest case is usually a single object, a single equation or a single measurement. Check that every symbol or term in your sentence has a meaning in that case.

Example 2 — changing one variable

Take the situation from Example 1 and change exactly one quantity: double it, halve it, or set it to zero. Predict what should happen to Leptospirillum ferriphilum before you calculate. Comparing your prediction with the result is the fastest way to find out whether you understand the idea or only the words.

Example 3 — an exam-style question

Typical questions about Leptospirillum ferriphilum ask you to (a) state it precisely, (b) apply it to given data, and (c) explain a limitation. Practise writing all three answers in under five minutes; the third part is what separates a full-mark answer from an average one.

Applications of Leptospirillum ferriphilum

In research: Leptospirillum ferriphilum appears in science research whenever the underlying quantities have to be modelled precisely. Papers usually cite it as a starting assumption and then explore where it breaks down.
In technology and industry: Engineering practice reuses Leptospirillum ferriphilum in design rules, simulations and safety margins. Knowing the idea lets you read a specification sheet and understand why the numbers look the way they do.
In the classroom: Leptospirillum ferriphilum is common in secondary-school and first-year university syllabi. It links to neighbouring topics Bacteria described in 2002, Nitrospirota, so understanding it makes those chapters shorter.
In everyday life: Look for Leptospirillum ferriphilum outside the textbook — in sport, cooking, traffic, electronics or the sky above you. An example you found yourself is remembered far longer than one you were given.

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How to study Leptospirillum ferriphilum in 20 minutes

Read the reference excerpt below once, without taking notes.
Close the page and write down what Leptospirillum ferriphilum means in your own words.
Compare your version with the excerpt and mark what you missed.
Work through the three examples above with pen and paper.
Explain Leptospirillum ferriphilum out loud to somebody else — or to Teacher Smith in the lgStudy chat.

Frequently asked questions

What is Leptospirillum ferriphilum in simple terms?

Why does Leptospirillum ferriphilum matter?

Because it connects several science ideas at once: it gives you a definition you can apply, a quantity you can calculate, and a way to check whether a result is plausible.

How should I study Leptospirillum ferriphilum?

Read the excerpt, restate it from memory, then work through the examples and applications listed on this page. The five-step study plan above takes about twenty minutes.

What does this page cover?

It gives you a compact reference excerpt plus original lgStudy explanations, examples, applications and study material on Leptospirillum ferriphilum.