Chrysiogenetes
This
phylum,
chrysiogenetes, is a
bacterium represented by only one species, Chrysiogenes arsenatis. It has a unique lifestyle and biochemisty. It is a
chemolithoautotroph meaning that it uses chemical means to digest rock for energy and does not require organic matter for its existence. In this organisms case, it eats arsenic.
Arsenic is usually toxic to life, but these organisms use arsenite, an oxidized form of arsenic, as an electron donor to create energy. Chrysiogenes arsenatis is found in environments rich in arsenite, such as the arsenic-contaminated sediments of Lake Coeur D'Alene in
Idaho, or in a gold mine in the
Northern Territory of
Australia.