Extremophiles and their biological adaptations

Extremophiles

It is easy to assume that all life on earth require a delicate and forgiving environmental balance. Oxygen, water, and moderate temperatures are key to the survival of most organisms. However, this is not the case for extremophiles, which can live in even the harshest of natural environments. Residing in the hottest, coldest, and deepest parts of the earth, extremophiles continue to baffle modern scientists.

Extremophiles are small organisms that live in the extremist of conditions on planet earth. Some extremophiles surround geothermic hotspots, such as areas around hit springs and volcanoes. They live where no other organisms can. Others live in the coldest of conditions, such as inside icebergs. Still others, live in areas almost completely devoid of sunlight; with more living in deep ocean conditions, which would normally crush other organisms (Wassenaar 2009). Often, these organisms live in much different biological conditions than most carbon life forms do. They thrive in areas where pH balances might be lethal to other species. Acidophiles live in areas which very low pH levels, while Aklaphiles reside in areas with very high PH levels, over 9 (Rainey 2006). Additionally, research states that "The ability of microorganisms to thrive in highly saline environments has also been known for a long time," (Rainey 2006:2). Although they are most commonly associated with bacteria, these ingenious creatures are complex. There are huge variations within the different types of existing extremophiles, with specimens coming from both Bacteria and Achaeans (Wassenaar 2009). Adaptations which allow the various extremeophiles to survive under the varying extreme conditions. They are bacteria, and so are highly resilient, but each individual species has also adapted the perfect set of fine tuned skills needed to survive in its specific location. Recent research has seen the finding of entirely new species as technology allows modern scientists to go far beyond their earlier predecessors; "More and more extreme environments that could not be accessed earlier because of technical limitations are now being explored, and this has led to the isolation of wealth of new organisms," (Rainey 2006:2). It is only a guess what extremophile might be found next.