Photosynthetic alpha-proteobacterium.
Grows by any one of the four modes of metabolism that support life: photoautotrophic or photosynthetic, photoheterotrophic, chemoheterotrophic and chemoautotrophic.
Capable of fixing carbon dioxide and nitrogen.
Isolation from sources as diverse as swine waste lagoons, earthworm droppings, marine coastal sediments and pond water.