Extremophiles: Difference between revisions
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general information about extremophiles |
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Extremophiles are organisms with the ability to thrive in extreme conditions (from a human perspective) such as: deep ocean hydroothermal vents<ref>NOAA 10/10/17 https://oceanservice.noaa.gov/facts/extremophile.html</ref>. | Extremophiles are organisms with the ability to thrive in extreme conditions (from a human perspective) such as: deep ocean hydroothermal vents<ref>NOAA 10/10/17 https://oceanservice.noaa.gov/facts/extremophile.html</ref>. | ||
They are mostly prokaryotic. | They are mostly [[Prokaryotic|prokaryotic]]. | ||
Extremophiles can be divided into sub-groups relating to environmental conditions in which they grow optimally<ref>https://www.britannica.com/science/extremophile</ref>: | Extremophiles can be divided into sub-groups relating to environmental conditions in which they grow optimally<ref>https://www.britannica.com/science/extremophile</ref>: | ||
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{| width="500" border="1" cellpadding="1" cellspacing="1" | {| width="500" border="1" cellpadding="1" cellspacing="1" | ||
|- | |- | ||
| acidophilic | | [[acidophilic|acidophilic]] | ||
| optimal growth in acidic conditions (pH 1-5) | | optimal growth in [[acidic|acidic ]]conditions (pH 1-5) | ||
|- | |- | ||
| alkaliphilic | | [[alkaliphilic|alkaliphilic]] | ||
| optimal growth alkaline conditions (pH>9) | | optimal growth [[alkaline|alkaline]] conditions (pH>9) | ||
|- | |- | ||
| halophilic | | [[halophilic|halophilic]] | ||
| environments with high salt concentration | | environments with high salt concentration | ||
|- | |- | ||
| thermophilic | | [[thermophilic|thermophilic]] | ||
| optimal growth between 60-80 degrees celsius | | optimal growth between 60-80 degrees celsius | ||
|- | |- | ||
| hyperthermophilic | | [[hyperthermophilic|hyperthermophilic]] | ||
| optimal growth above 80 degrees celsius | | optimal growth above 80 degrees celsius | ||
|- | |- | ||
| psychrophilic | | [[psychrophilic|psychrophilic]] | ||
| optimal growth at 15 degrees celsius or lower | | optimal growth at 15 degrees celsius or lower | ||
|- | |- | ||
| piezophilic/barophilic | | piezophilic/barophilic | ||
| optimal growth high hydrostatic pressure | | optimal growth high[[hydrostatic pressure|hydrostatic pressure ]] | ||
|- | |- | ||
| xerophilic | | [[xerophilic|xerophilic]] | ||
| growth in dry conditions with low water availabilty | | growth in dry conditions with low water availabilty | ||
|- | |- | ||
| oligotrophic | | [[oligotrophic|oligotrophic]] | ||
| growth in nutritionally limited environments | | growth in nutritionally limited environments | ||
|- | |- | ||
| endolithic | | [[endolithic|endolithic]] | ||
| | | | ||
growth in rocks or pores in mineral grains | growth in rocks or pores in mineral grains | ||
Revision as of 12:50, 6 December 2017
Extremophiles are organisms with the ability to thrive in extreme conditions (from a human perspective) such as: deep ocean hydroothermal vents[1].
They are mostly prokaryotic.
Extremophiles can be divided into sub-groups relating to environmental conditions in which they grow optimally[2]:
| acidophilic | optimal growth in acidic conditions (pH 1-5) |
| alkaliphilic | optimal growth alkaline conditions (pH>9) |
| halophilic | environments with high salt concentration |
| thermophilic | optimal growth between 60-80 degrees celsius |
| hyperthermophilic | optimal growth above 80 degrees celsius |
| psychrophilic | optimal growth at 15 degrees celsius or lower |
| piezophilic/barophilic | optimal growth highhydrostatic pressure |
| xerophilic | growth in dry conditions with low water availabilty |
| oligotrophic | growth in nutritionally limited environments |
| endolithic |
growth in rocks or pores in mineral grains |
some extremophiles have multiple adaptions. e.g. thermoacidophiles
Future advances
extromophiles have extremozymes which are the enzymes that enable the organism to live in harsh conditions. This could influence: genetically based medications and industrial chemicals and processes[3].