Carsonella ruddii facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Candidatus Carsonella ruddii |
|
|---|---|
| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | |
| Phylum: | |
| Class: | |
| Order: |
unclassified
|
| Genus: |
Candidatus Carsonella
|
| Species: |
Ca. C. ruddii
|
| Binomial name | |
| Candidatus Carsonella ruddii |
|
Candidatus Carsonella ruddii is a tiny type of bacterium. It lives inside other living things. Scientists call this an endosymbiotic relationship. This special bacterium has the smallest known genome of any bacterium. A genome is like the instruction manual for a living thing.
Contents
What is Carsonella ruddii?
Carsonella ruddii is a very small bacterium. It belongs to a group called gamma proteobacteria. What makes it so interesting is its tiny size and its unique way of life.
Living Inside Others
This bacterium is an endosymbiont. This means it lives inside another organism. It has a close relationship with its host. In this case, Carsonella ruddii lives inside insects.
Its Insect Home
You can find Carsonella ruddii in all types of psyllids. Psyllids are small insects that feed on phloem sap from plants. Phloem sap is like the plant's sugary blood. The bacteria live in a special part of the insect's body. This part is called a bacteriome. It's like a tiny house built just for the bacteria.
The Smallest Genome
In 2006, scientists studied the genome of Carsonella ruddii. This research happened at RIKEN in Japan and the University of Arizona. They found something amazing about its genome.
A Tiny Instruction Manual
The genome of Carsonella ruddii is a circular chromosome. It has only 159,662 base pairs. Base pairs are the building blocks of DNA. To give you an idea, many bacteria have millions of base pairs. This makes Carsonella ruddii's genome incredibly small.
Few Genes, Big Mystery
Scientists also found that this bacterium has very few genes. It has only 182 predicted genes. Genes are like individual instructions in the manual. This is the lowest number ever recorded for a living organism. Many genes that are usually needed for life seem to be missing. This suggests that Carsonella ruddii might be changing. It could be becoming more like an organelle. An organelle is a tiny part inside a cell that does a specific job. For example, mitochondria are organelles that give cells energy.
See also
In Spanish: Candidatus Carsonella ruddii para niños
