Editing Thiomargarita namibiensis (section)

=== Morphology ===
Although ''Thiomargarita'' are closely related to ''[[Thioploca]]'' and ''[[Beggiatoa]]'' in function, their structures are different. ''Thioploca'' and ''Beggiatoa'' cells are much smaller and grow tightly stacked on each other in long filaments.<ref name="Schulz Schulz 2005" /> Their shape is necessary for them to shuttle down into the ocean sediments to find more [[sulfide]] and [[nitrate]].<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Brüchert |first1=Volker |last2=Jørgensen |first2=Bo Barker |last3=Neumann |first3=Kirsten |last4=Riechmann |first4=Daniela |last5=Schlösser |first5=Manfred |last6=Schulz |first6=Heide |title=Regulation of bacterial sulfate reduction and hydrogen sulfide fluxes in the central namibian coastal upwelling zone |journal=Geochimica et Cosmochimica Acta |date=December 2003 |volume=67 |issue=23 |pages=4505–4518 |doi=10.1016/S0016-7037(03)00275-8 |bibcode=2003GeCoA..67.4505B }}</ref> In contrast, ''Thiomargarita'' grow in rows of separate single spherical cells, so they lack the range of motility that ''Thioploca'' and ''Beggiota'' have.<ref name="Schulz Schulz 2005" /> ''Thiomargarita'' can also grow in barrel-like shapes. The cocci shaped ''Thiomargarita'' can join together to create chains of 4-20 cells, while the bacillus shaped ''Thiomargarita'' can form chains of more than 50 cells.<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Brock |first1=Jörg |last2=Schulz-Vogt |first2=Heide N |title=Sulfide induces phosphate release from polyphosphate in cultures of a marine Beggiatoa strain |journal=The ISME Journal |date=1 March 2011 |volume=5 |issue=3 |pages=497–506 |doi=10.1038/ismej.2010.135 |pmid=20827290 |pmc=3105714 |bibcode=2011ISMEJ...5..497B }}</ref> These chains are not linked together by filaments, but connected by a mucus sheath.<ref name="Schulz 2006 The Genus Thiomargarita" /> Each cell appears reflective and white as a result of their sulfur content.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Johnson |first1=C. |title=Monster microbes found |url=https://www.abc.net.au/science/articles/1999/04/16/22180.htm |work=ABC News (Australia) |date=16 April 1999 }}</ref>

Scientists did not previously believe these large bacteria could exist because bacteria rely on [[chemiosmosis]] and cellular transport processes across their membranes to make [[Adenosine triphosphate|ATP]].<ref>{{Citation |last=Ahmad |first=Maria |title=Biochemistry, Electron Transport Chain |date=2024 |work=StatPearls |url=https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/30252361/ |access-date=2024-11-21 |place=Treasure Island (FL) |publisher=StatPearls Publishing |pmid=30252361 |last2=Wolberg |first2=Adam |last3=Kahwaji |first3=Chadi I.}}</ref> As the cell size increases, they make proportionately less ATP, thus energy production limits their size.<ref name="Schulz Brinkhoff Ferdelman et al 1999" /> ''Thiomargarita'' are an exception to this size constraint, as their cytoplasm forms along the periphery of the cell, while the nitrate-storing vacuoles occupy the center of the cell.<ref name="Ahmad Kalanetra Nelson 2006" /> These vacuoles make up most of the cell. As these vacuoles swell, the cell grows considerably which is the primary factor contributing to the record sizes of ''Thiomargarita'' cells. ''T.'' ''namibiensis'' holds the record for the world's second largest bacterium, with a volume three million times more than that of average bacteria.<ref>{{cite web |date=October 2001 |title=The World's Largest Bacteria |url=https://www.whoi.edu/page.do?pid=14958&tid=282&cid=46727 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160304195221/https://www.whoi.edu/page.do?pid=14958&tid=282&cid=46727 |archive-date=4 March 2016 |work=Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution}}</ref>