Fibrobacterota

Fibrobacterota is a bacterial phylum whose members include cellulose-degrading species, especially those living in the digestive tracts of herbivorous animals.

Connect

Fibrobacter succinogenes: A cellulose-degrading bacterium found in the rumen and other herbivore digestive systems. It is the best-studied cellulolytic member of Fibrobacterota.
Ruminant digestion: The microbial fermentation of plant material in the digestive systems of cattle, sheep, and other ruminants. Fibrobacterota help make otherwise resistant plant fiber available to the host.
Bacteria: A domain of single-celled prokaryotic organisms lacking a membrane-bound nucleus. Fibrobacterota is one lineage within this domain.
Bacteroidota: A bacterial phylum containing diverse species, including many abundant members of animal-associated microbial communities. It includes gut bacteria that also degrade complex plant carbohydrates but belongs to a separate phylum.
Cellulose: A structural polysaccharide of glucose that forms a major component of plant cell walls. Its breakdown is the defining metabolic ability of several well-known members of this phylum.
Anaerobic digestion: The breakdown of organic matter by microorganisms in oxygen-free conditions. Cellulose-degrading Fibrobacterota illustrate how microbes can help process fibrous biomass without oxygen.
Phylum: A major rank in biological classification below kingdom and above class. The name Fibrobacterota identifies a taxonomic grouping at this rank.
Firmicutes: A bacterial phylum that includes many fermentative and spore-forming species. Some members, such as rumen cellulolytic bacteria, share Fibrobacterota's habitat and fiber-degrading role.
Cellulase: An enzyme that hydrolyzes cellulose into smaller sugars. Cellulases enable Fibrobacterota species to access energy in plant fiber.
Lignocellulosic biomass: Plant-derived material composed chiefly of cellulose, hemicellulose, and lignin. Fibrobacterota are studied for their ability to attack the cellulose fraction of this abundant resource.