The Archaea domain lacks which of the following metabolic processes?
Archaea exhibit remarkable metabolic diversity including methanogenesis converting hydrogen and carbon dioxide or acetate into methane via unique cofactors like methanofuran, tetrahydromethanopterin, and coenzyme M, anaerobic respiration using sulfur, nitrate, or ferric iron as electron acceptors, and oxidative phosphorylation driven by archaeal A-type ATP synthase related to vacuolar ATPases. Some halophiles like Halobacterium salinarum perform light-driven proton pumping via bacteriorhodopsin, a retinal-based phototrophy fundamentally different from chlorophyll-based photosynthesis. Chloroph
Ref: Madigan et al., Brock Biology, Methanogenesis and Phototrophy; Thauer et al., Nature Rev Microbiol 2008, Methanogenic Pathways.
