Definition
Chemoautotrophs are organisms that obtain their energy from a chemical reaction (chemotrophs) but their source of carbon is the most oxidized form of carbon, carbon dioxide (CO2). The best known chemoautotrophs are the chemolithoautotrophs that use inorganic energy sources, such as ferrous iron, hydrogen, hydrogen sulfide, elemental sulfur or ammonia, and CO2 as their carbon source. All known chemoautotrophs are prokaryotes, belonging to the Archaea or Bacteria domains. They have been isolated in different extreme habitats, associated to deep-sea vents, the deep biosphere or acidic environments. This form of energy conservation is considered one of the oldest on Earth. These microorganisms are of astrobiological interest because they could develop in the extreme conditions existing in different extraterrestrial planetary bodies, like Mars or Europa.
This is a preview of subscription content, access via your institution.
Buying options
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Editor information
Editors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
Copyright information
© 2011 Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg
About this entry
Cite this entry
Amils, R. (2011). Chemoautotroph. In: , et al. Encyclopedia of Astrobiology. Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-642-11274-4_271
Download citation
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-642-11274-4_271
Publisher Name: Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg
Print ISBN: 978-3-642-11271-3
Online ISBN: 978-3-642-11274-4
eBook Packages: Physics and AstronomyReference Module Physical and Materials Science