purple bacteria


plural noun
  1. a group of Gram-negative pink to purplish-brown bacteria, comprising the purple sulfur bacteria and purple nonsulfur bacteria, that occur in anaerobic aquatic environments and carry out a unique form of photosynthesis without oxygen, using the pigment bacteriochlorophyll.

Origin of purple bacteria

1
First recorded in 1895–1900

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024

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