extremophiles

 Thermophiles

thermophiles are organisms having affinity or liking towards high temperature, or in simple words, high temperature-loving organisms are known as thermophiles.

Classification

1) Facultative - below 50 degree celcuis

2) obligate at 55 c

3) hyper - 90 above

example: lactobacciilus and streptococcus

properties;

1) Thermophiles have adapted enzymes and protein molecules that can conduct functions like photosynthesis and digestion within a cell at extreme temperatures.

2) The DNA of thermophiles is adapted to life at high temperatures as well

3) All thermophiles are non-pathogenic as they cannot survive at body temperature

4) Habitat- deep spring and active volcanose

applications

1) hygiene indicator of processed product (dairy processing)

2) used in mining sector

3) candidate organisms for exposure to outer spcae

Halophiles

They are extremophiles that live in high salt concentration

classification

1) Mild halophiles - 1-6% NACL

2) Moderate halophiles - 7-15%

3) Extreme halophiles- 15-30%

example- halomonas, haloarchea 

properties

1) Habitat- Naturally occcuring salt environments like great salt lake in utah or dead sea

2) They survive in high salinity by producing compatible solutes. These are small molecular weight molecules. It works by balancing internal and eternal osmotic pressure.

potassium control- pump k+ ions in cytoplasm, proteins are adapted to high acidic enviroment 

3) stable enzymes that function in very high salinity,

application of halophiles

1) manufacturing solar salt from sea water

2) production of traditional fermented foods

3) treatement of waste

Acidophiles

Acidophiles are those organisms which thrive under highly acidic conditions

example- acetobacter aceti, acidobacteriota

properties

1) Habitat- naturally occuring high acidity envrionments like sulphuric volcanic fields and sulfuric acidic pool. Man made envrionment like acid mine drainage.

2) Most acidophiles have evolved mechanisms to pump protons out of intracellular spaces of cytoplasm to keep it at neutral ph. Therefore its proteins dont need to be adapted to high acidic environment, There also exsts some acidophiles which have adaped to sustain in highly acidic envrionment,

3) Moderate acidophiles- ph 3 to 5

extreme acidophiles - ph less than 3

hyper acidophiles - ph less than 1

4) They have highly impermeable cell membrane

application of acidophiles

1) Used in electricity generation

2) Used for bioremediation to acid mine drainage

3) Used in fruit juice processing

Psychrophiles

These are extremophiles capable of thriving in low temperatures.

Properties

1) habitat- they are found in polar ice, glaciers, deep ocean waters

2) adaptation- membrane become more rigid in cold temepratures,

they contain anti-freeze proteins which help in maintaining internal space of psychrophiles in liquid form by preventing ice formation.

They also contain cold-active enyzomes which have high catalytic efficiency at low temperatures.

3) It has unsaturated fatty acid in cell membrane which remain liquid even at low temperatures.

Classification

facultative- they can grow upto 40degree 

obligate-  15 to 0 degree or lower

application

1) bioremediation of polluted cold soils and waste water.

2) They are also used in making cosmetic products

3) Detergent and fabric industry

example- polaromonas, pseudomonas

Methanogens

Organisms that pproduce methane as by product under anoxic condiitions

properties

1) habitats- they are found in habitats associated with deomposition of organic matter, and geothermal springs. in animals they are found in intestines and human oral cavity.

2) they are obligate methane producers

3) They obtain most of their energy by producing large quantities of methane

4) They are anaerobic

applications

1) Used in production of biogas

2) Treatment of sewage water

3) Methane production

examples- methanococcus and methanobacterium