extremophile

(noun)

An organism that lives under extreme conditions of temperature, salinity, and so on. They are commercially important as a source of enzymes that operate under similar conditions.

Related Terms

Examples of extremophile in the following topics:

  • Thermoplasmatales, Thermocaccales, and Methanopyrus

    • There are many classes in the phylum Euryarchaeota, many of which are extremophiles.
    • There are many classes in the phylum Euryarchaeota, many of which are extremophiles, surviving in extreme conditions that are uninhabitable for most other organisms.
    • A thermophile is an extremophile that thrives at relatively high temperatures, between 45 and 122 °C.

  • Psychrophilic Crenarchaeota

    • Psychrophiles crenarchaeotes are extremophilic organisms that are capable of growth and reproduction in cold temperatures.
    • Psychrophiles or cryophiles (adj. cryophilic) are extremophilic organisms that are capable of growth and reproduction in cold temperatures, ranging from −15°C to +10°C.
    • Initially, the Crenarchaeota were thought to be sulfur-dependent extremophiles but recent studies have identified characteristic Crenarchaeota environmental rRNA indicating the organism may be the most abundant archaea in the marine environment.

  • Industrial Microorganisms

    • Those suriving in the most hostile and extreme settings are known as extremophile archaea.
    • The isolation and identification of various types of Archaea, particularly the extremophile archaea, have allowed for analysis of their metabolic processes, which have then been manipulated and utilized for industrial purposes.
    • Extremophile archaea species are of particular interest due to the enzymes and molecules they produce that allow them to sustain life in extreme climates, including very high or low temperatures, extremely acid or base solutions, or when exposed to other harmful factors, including radiation.

  • Extremely Halophilic Archaea

    • Halophiles are extremophiles that thrive in environments with very high concentrations of salt.
    • Halophiles are extremophiles that thrive in environments with very high concentrations of salt.

  • Nongenetic Categories for Medicine and Ecology

    • An extremophile is an organism that thrives in physically or geochemically extreme conditions, detrimental to most life on Earth.
    • Most known extremophiles are microbes.
    • There are many different classes of extremophiles, each corresponding to the way its environmental niche differs from mesophilic conditions.
    • Many extremophiles fall under multiple categories and are termed polyextremophiles.
    • Some examples of types of extremophiles:

  • Oligotrophs

    • These hot springs are an example of harsh environments that some extremophiles can grow in.

  • Microbes and the Origin of Life on Earth

    • Extremophiles archaea still thrive in extreme habitats .

  • Ocean Floor

    • Ocean floor extremophile chemosynthetic microbes provide energy and carbon to the other organisms in these environments.

  • Growth Rate and Temperature

    • Organisms that prefer extreme environments are known as extremophiles: those that prefer cold environments are termed psychrophilic, those preferring warmer temperatures are termed thermophilic or thermotrophs and those thriving in extremely hot environments are hyperthermophilic.
    • These colorful microorganisms are called extremophiles—these in particular are thermophiles.

  • Microbial Environments and Microenvironments

    • For example, extremophilic species have been found that can tolerate the following environmental extremes: