Lecture 6: Extremophiles Flashcards
What extreme conditions make extreme habitats?
- Temperature
- Pressure
- Salinity
- pH
- Radiation
Match the extremophile to their extreme habitat.
- Temperature
- Pressure
- Salinity
- pH
Halophiles
Barophiles
Thermophiles, psychrophiles
Acidophiles, alkaliphiles
- Thermophiles, psychrophiles
- Barophiles
- Salinity
- Acidophiles, alkaliphiles
List examples of natural and man-made thermophilic habitats.
- Natural
- Geothermally heated oil
- Geothermal and volcanic areas
- Hydrothermal vents - Man-made
- Acid mine drainage
- Biological wastes
- Self-heated compost piles
What temperatures can white smokers vs. black smokers reach? What is the temperature of sea water?
- White smokers: up to 73ºC
- Black smokers: up to 400ºC
- Sea water: 2ºC
What feeds chemoautotrophic bacteria in the ocean?
The chemical laden water escaping from cracks in the seafloor around the mid-ocean ridges
Which type of smoker is the most common type?
Black smokers
What causes the black chimneys in black smokers?
- Black color is caused by the presence of iron and sulfur
- When the iron monosulfide solidifies, it creates the black chimneys
Black smokers are _____ while white smokers are _____.
(hotter/coolor)
- hotter
- cooler
What causes the white chimneys in white smokers?
- Contain more barium, calcium, and silicon
- Create white chimneys, which are usually smaller than black chimneys
What do the arrows in the food web represent?
Arrows point in the order of energy transfer
List some terrestrial sulfuric environments.
- Fumaroles
- Geysers
- Hot springs
What is the temperature and pH of hot springs?
- Temp up to 100ºC
- pH 1-12
What are the temperature ranges for thermophiles vs hyperthermophiles?
- Thermophiles: 50-80ºC
- Hyperthermophiles: >80ºC
What habitats do psychrophiles/psychrotolerants live in? (Hint: cold)
- Deep ocean: 75% of Earth’s volume
- Sea-ice: polar regions
- Antarctica
What are the optimal temperatures for psychrophiles vs. psychrotolerants?
- Psychrophiles: 15-20ºC
- Psychrotolerants: >20ºC