Terminology

 

 

Chemolithoautotroph -  Organisms, particularly certain Bacteria and Archaea, that fix in organic carbon (usually carbon dioxide) and use in organic compounds or elements (eg hydrogen sulfide) for energy. 

 

Extremophiles - Organisms that live in environments with extreme conditions such as high or low temperatures and pH levels, high salt concentrations, and high pressure.

 

Heterotroph -  An organism that is incapable of synthesizing its own food and, therefore, must feed upon organic compounds produced by other organisms.

 

Hyperthermophiles - Organisms that live in extremely hot or cold environments.

 

Thermoacidophiles - Organisms that live in extremely hot and acidic environments.

 

Halophiles - Organisms that live and thrive in salty conditions 

 

Methanogens - Organisms that require anaerobic conditions to survive and excrete methane as a metabolic byproduct.

 

Palaeobiology -  a branch of palaeontology that deals with the origin and growth and structure of fossil animals and plants as living organisms

 

Palaeoenvironment -  The environment of a former period of geologic time, including the climate, plant life, air water, minerals, organisms, etc.

 

Palaeontology - the earth science that studies fossil organisms and related remains

 

 

Recommended reading

 

Archaea, Retrieved from: http://www.absoluteastronomy.com/topics/Archaea

 

Archaeans – Methanogens in Extreme Environments: Methanogenic Archaea, a Possible Model for Extra-Terrestrials, Retrieved from: http://www.suite101.com/content/methanogens-a114630#ixzz15ZVdI3VM

 

 Cavicchioli, R,  Archaea Molecular and Cellular Biology, (2007), ASM press.

  

First salt loving bug sequenced (2000, October 5.) BBC News, Retrieved from http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/science/nature/953356.stm

 

Thermophiles, Retrieved from: http://lasp.colorado.edu/education/journalists/yellow_stone/Articles/CH4.PDF

 

 

 

References:

 

1. Archaea.(16^th December, 2008) Retrieved from 18 November 2010 from:      http://users.rcn.com/jkimball.ma.ultranet/BiologyPages/A/Archaea.html

 

 

2. Archaea. Retrieved 18 November,2010 from:http://www.absoluteastronomy.com/topics/Archaea

 

3. Barns, S  and Burggraf S, (1997), Crenarchaeota. Retrieved from: http://tolweb.org/Crenarchaeota

 

4.Forterre, P., Brochier, C., & Philippe, H. (2002). Evolution of the archaea. Theoretical Population Biology, 61, 409-422. doi: 10.1006/tbpi.2002.1592

 

5. Gazi University. (n.d.). Distinctive characteristics of archaea. Retrieved from: http://w3.gazi.edu.tr/web/erkoc/MIKROP/6-Archaea.pdf

 

6. Gribaldo, S., & Brochier-Armanet,C. (2006). The origin and evolution of archaea: A state of the art. Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society of London Series B Biological Sciences , 361(1460), 1007-1022. doi: 10.1098/rstb.2006.1841

 

7. Gunbin, K. V., Afonnikov, D. A., & Kolchanov, N. A. (2009). Molecular evolution of the hyperthermophilic archaea of the pyrococcus genus:  Analysis of adaptation to different environmental conditions. BMC Genomics, 10(639), 1-21. doi: 10.1186/1471-2164-10-639

 

6. Kaiser, G.  (2007). Classification: The Three Domain System. Retrieved from: http://student.ccbcmd.edu/courses/bio141/lecguide/unit1/3domain/3domain.htm

 

8. Kandt, C. (2005). Shadows of the past. Retrieved from University of Calgary Biocomputing: http://moose.bio.ucalgary.ca/index.php?page=Shadows_of_the_Past

 

9. Madigan, M.T., Martinko, J.M., and Parker, J. Brock Biology of Microorganisms (10th ed.). 2003. Prentice Hall. 456- 458p.

 

10.MBI 202 General Microbiology ii. Archaeal Diversity Study Guide. Retrieved 18^th November from: http://www.cas.muohio.edu/~stevenjr/mbi202/archaea202.html

 

11.Ramel, G.  (n.d.).  The archaea. Retrieved from EarthLife Web: http://www.earthlife.net/prokaryotes/archaea.html

 

12. Stevenson,J,(1996-2009), Archaeal Diversity Study Guide. Retrieved from http://www.cas.muohio.edu/~stevenjr/mbi202/archaea202.html

 

13.Thermoplasma, (2009) Montana State University Research Coordination Network. Retrieved from: http://www.rcn.montana.edu/resources/organisms/organisminfo.aspx?nav=11&tid=1217&did=1&nid=2302&lid=8

 

14. Thermophiles, Retrieved from: http://www.thelivingcosmos.com/Extremophiles/Thermophiles_12May06.html

 

 

15. University of California Museum of Paleontology.  (2001). Introduction to archaea: Life’s extremists. Retrieved from http://www.ucmp.berkeley.ed/archaea/archaea.html

 

16. Winstead, E (2001, October 26) Heat resistant: The P. fumarii genome is sequenced, Genome News Networks, Retrieved from: http://www.genomenewsnetwork.org/articles/10_01/P_fumarii_genome.shtml

 

 

 

Images

 

1. [Photo of Archaea extremophile] Retrieved August 22, 2010 from:

 http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4119/4750506867_a977032a46.jpg

  

2. [Photo of Archaea] Retrieved October 31, 2010 from:

http://www.fossilmuseum.net/Evolution/archaeaevolution.htm  

 

3. [Photo of three domains] Retrieved October 31, 2010 from:

 http://earthguide.ucsd.edu/virtualmuseum/images/raw/     

 

 

4. [Photo of bacteria] Retrieved October 31, 2010 from:

http://steveaoki.dimmak.com/blog/files/bacteria.jpg

 

 

5. [Photo of eukarya (paramecium)] Retrieved October 31, 2010 from:

http://shannenpscientist5.blogspot.com/2008/02/paramecium-bursaria.html

  

 

6. [Photo of archaeal membrane] Retrieved October 24, 2010 from: 

 http://www.ucmp.berkeley.edu/archaea/archaeamm.html 

  

 

7. [Photo of halophile]. Retrieved October 25, 2010 from:

http://moose.bio.ucalgary.ca/index.php?page=Shadows_of_the_Past

 

 

    8 .   [Photo of basic Archaea shapes] Retrieved from:

        http://www.ucmp.berkeley.edu/archaea/archaeamm.html

 

 

     9. [Photo of Archaeal habitats.] Retrieved from:

       http://www.redbubble.com/people/whalegeek/writing/3267603-in-hot-water-again 

 

 

     10. [Photo of Different Species of Archaea (pg. 2).] Retrieved from:

       http://web.mit.edu/12.000/www/m2005/a2/finalwebsite/environ/bio/index.shtml

 

 

      11. [Photo of Crenarchaeota] Retrieved November 18, 2010 from: http://serc.carleton.edu/microbelife/microbservatories/nevadahotsprings/alkchem.html

 

 

      12.  [Photo of Halophile]  Retrieved November 18, 2010 from: 

            http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/science/nature/953356.stm

 

 

      13. [Photo of Methanogen] Retrieved November 18, 2010 from:

           http://images.quickblogcast.com/55522-48672/methanogens_250.jpg

 

 

      14. [Photo of Pyrolobus fumarii ] Retrieved November 18, 2010 from:

              www.spaceref.com/news/viewpr.html?pid=6101 

 

      15. [Photo of Archaea background], Retrieved November 19,2010 from :

              www.biologyreference.com/Ar-Bi/Archaea.html

        

 

 

 

 

 

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