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Extremophile Definition: Domain Bacteria Multicellular

Extremophiles are organisms that thrive in extreme environments that were previously thought to be uninhabitable, such as extreme temperatures, acidity, pressure, and dryness. They have evolved mechanisms to survive in these conditions, such as enzymes that function at high temperatures or replacing water with sugars to prevent freezing. Extremophiles include bacteria, archaea, and even some multicellular eukaryotes, and they are divided into categories based on the extreme conditions they tolerate, such as thermophiles surviving high heat or psychrophiles surviving cold temperatures. Studying extremophiles provides insights into the limits of life.

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69 views5 pages

Extremophile Definition: Domain Bacteria Multicellular

Extremophiles are organisms that thrive in extreme environments that were previously thought to be uninhabitable, such as extreme temperatures, acidity, pressure, and dryness. They have evolved mechanisms to survive in these conditions, such as enzymes that function at high temperatures or replacing water with sugars to prevent freezing. Extremophiles include bacteria, archaea, and even some multicellular eukaryotes, and they are divided into categories based on the extreme conditions they tolerate, such as thermophiles surviving high heat or psychrophiles surviving cold temperatures. Studying extremophiles provides insights into the limits of life.

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Biotechnology and Human Welfare- 104
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Extremophile Definition

Extremophiles are organisms that have evolved to survive in environments once


thought to be entirely uninhabitable. These environments are inhospitable, reaching
extreme conditions of heat, acidity, pressure, and cold that would be fatal to most
other life forms. Because extremophiles live on extreme ends of the spectrum, they
can indicate the range of conditions under which life is possible.

One important thing to note, however, is that extremophiles are “extreme” only
from an anthropocentric perspective. For example, while oxygen is indispensible to
ourselves and much of life on Earth, many organisms flourish in environments
without oxygen at all.

Extremophiles can be divided into two broad categories: extremophilic organisms,


and extremotolerant organisms. As the suffix “philic,” translated to “loving,”
suggests, extremophilic organisms require one or more extreme conditions in order
to thrive, while extremotolerant organisms grow optimally at more ‘normal’
conditions but are still able to survive one or more extreme physiochemical values.

Most extremophiles are microscopic organisms belonging to a domain of life


known as archaea. However, to say extremophiles are restricted to this domain
would be incorrect. Some extremophiles belong in the bacteria domain, and some
are even multicellular eukaryotes!

Extreme environments are classified into the following groups based on the
extreme physicochemical conditions:
Extreme temperature: Two types of extreme environments can be described;
cold and hot.
 Extremely cold environments are those with environmental temperatures below
5°C. These can be found in deep ocean niches, at the peaks of high mountains, or
the Polar Regions.
 Extremely hot environments are characterized by environmental temperatures
higher than 45°C. These environments are influenced by geothermal activity as
geysers and fumaroles of continental volcanic areas or deep-sea vents.
Extreme pH: Extreme environments can also be classified as acidic or alkaline
according to their pH.
 Extreme acidic environments are natural habitats in which the pH is below 5.
 Extreme alkaline environments are those with a pH above 9.
Extreme ionic strength:
 Hypersaline environments are environments with an ionic concentration higher
than of seawater (greater than 3.5%).
Extreme pressure:
 Extreme pressure environments are those environments under extreme hydrostatic
or litho pressure, such as aquatic habitats at depths of 2,000 m or more or deep-
subsurface ecosystems.
High-radiation environments are those areas that are exposed to abnormally high
radiation doses, including ultraviolet or gamma radiation, like deserts and the top
of high mountains.
Xeric environments are arid habitats with limited water activity. Cold and hot
deserts are some examples of these extreme environments.

Types of Extremophiles
1.Acidophile

Acidophiles are adapted to conditions with acidic pH values that range from 1 to 5.
This group includes some eukaryotes, bacteria, and archaea that are found in places
like sulfuric pools, areas polluted by acidic mine drainage, and even our own
stomachs!

Acidophiles regulate their pH levels through a variety of specialized mechanisms


— some of which are passive (not exerting energy), and some of which are active
(exerting energy). Passive mechanisms usually involve reinforcing the cell
membrane against the external environment, and may involve secreting
a biofilm to hinder the diffusion of molecules into the cell, or changing their cell
membrane entirely to incorporate protective substances and fatty acids. Some
acidophiles can secrete buffer molecules to help raise their internal pH levels.
Active pH regulation mechanisms involve a hydrogen ion pump that expels
hydrogen ions from the cell at a constantly high rate.

Alakaliphiles

Alkaliphiles are adapted to conditions with basic pH values of 9 or higher. They


maintain homeostasis by both passive and active mechanisms. Passive mechanisms
include pooling cytoplasmic polyamines inside the cell. The polyamines are rich
with positively charged amino groups that buffer the cytoplasm in alkaline
environments. Another passive mechanism is having a low membrane
permeability, which hinders the movement of protons in and out of the cell. The
active method of regulation involves a sodium ion channel that carries protons into
the cell.
Thermophile

Thermophiles thrive in extremely high temperatures between 113 and 251 degrees
Fahrenheit. They can be found in places like hydrothermal vents, volcanic
sediments, and hot springs. Their survival in such places can be accredited to their
extremozymes. The amino acids of these types of enzymes do not lose their shape
and misfold in extreme heat, allowing for continued proper function.

Psychrophile

Psychrophiles (also known as Cryophiles) thrive in extremely low temperatures of


5 degrees Fahrenheit or lower. This group belongs to all three domains of life
(bacteria, archaea, and eukarya), and they can be found in places like cold soils,
permafrost, polar ice, cold ocean water, and alpine snow packs.

One way they survive in extreme cold can be attributed to their extremozymes,
which continue to function at low temperatures, and a little more slowly at even
lower temperatures. Psychrophiles are also able to produce proteins that are
functional in cold temperatures, and contain large amounts of unsaturated fatty
acids in their plasma membranes that help buffer the cells from the cold. Most
notably, however, some psychrophiles are able to replace the water in their bodies
with the sugar trehalose, preventing the formation of harmful ice-crystals.

Xerophile

Xerophiles grow in extremely dry conditions which can be very hot or very cold.
They have been found in places like the Atacama Desert, the Great Basin, and the
Antarctic. Like their psychrophilic friends, some xerophiles have the ability to
replace water with trehalose, which can also protect membranes and other
structures from periods with low water availability.

Barophile (Piezophile)

Barophiles are organisms that grow best under high pressures of 400 atm or more.
They can survive by regulating the fluidity of the phospholipids in the membrane.
This fluidity compensates for the pressure gradient between the inside and outside
of the cell, and the external environment. Extreme barophiles grow optimally at
700 atm or higher, and will not grow at lower pressures.

Halophile

Halophiles are organisms that require high salt concentrations for growth. At
salinities exceeding 1.5M, prokaryotic bacteria are predominant. Still, this group
belongs to all three domains of life, but in smaller numbers.

Overcoming the challenges of hypersaline environments starts with minimizing


cellular water loss. Halophiles do this by accumulating solutes in the cytoplasm via
varying mechanisms. Halophilic archaea use a sodium-potassium ion pump to
expel sodium and intake potassium. Halotolerant bacteria balance the osmotic
pressure by using glycerol as compatible solutes.

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